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MEDIA RELEASE
Response
to British Landing Party Aborted Mercury 19 July 2003
NO
THERE WILL BE NO RE-ENACTMENT BUT COMMEMORATIVE EVENTS ARE PLANNED TO
ACKNOWLEDGE BOWEN AND HIS PARTY..
Of course there are 1803-2003 Bicentenary events.
Risdon Cove is the mouth of the Risdon Valley an area historically
important to two cultures during the 200 year period. The people of the Risdon Valley have every right to mark the
event that is relevant to their area. Lia
Pootah and the Risdon Vale Community have a series of events planned to
acknowledge 1803 from September. Of
course it was the point of invasion, but more importantly it was the point of
friendly interaction between the Teen Toomle Menennye (Big River People) and
those of Lt John Bowen’s party. It
is the Clarence City Council who are fully aware of Bicentennial events for 2003
and are supporting the Lia Pootah and Risdon Vale Communities in their program
of events. The Hobart City Council
has no relevance, historical ties or connection with the area.
No ancestor of TAC members have ever lived in the Hobart or Risdon Cove
area. However this
non-representative committee have been given the right by white bureaucracy to
dictate how the bicentenary should progress because it is too hard to accept
that the group they empowered are not representative of the Aboriginal community
they claim to represent.
Michael Mansell’s move onto the Bowen Bicentenary is just as
inappropriate as it is for the 2004 program.
The Aboriginal history of Tasmania has suffered under 200 years of
historical lies and political falsities without the ignorance of Michael
Mansell’s words being sanctioned as truth.
The Mercury archive shows how
he changes his opinion and twists historical details. Even the edition of 19 July in another article, demonstrates
the inconsistency of Michael Mansell offering a different authoritative opinion
and back stepping from his previous statements concerning Geoff Clark.
How can he ever be taken as a worthy spokesperson, while he can make such
contradictions? But, he should never be taken as the spokesperson of a
community he does not speak for. He
is not the spokesperson for the Lia Pootah people, ITAC, CHAC and other
Aboriginal Corporations not controlled by the TAC.
How can any reporter of the standing of Ellen Whinnett (Chief Reporter)
write material that is misrepresentative when the exact opposite is well
documented. She completely ignores
that the state government has chosen historical imbalance in celebrating these
bicentenaries of Tasmania. It is
those sanctioning the Aboriginal consultative committee who are condoning such
political distortions by one group, that will inevitably lead to another history
similar to that of Governor Arthur’s government in the nineteenth century.
By allowing the uninformed or the deliberately misleading the power to
select events we are cementing a process similar to that which led to the lie of
the Tasmanian Aboriginal extinction. Is
this the correct consultative committee to be making such decisions about the
Bicentenary Events Progams?
Ignorance is terrifying when one person is dictating and distorting the
true events of history. It is even
more disturbing when reporters like Ellen Whinnett can not tell the difference
between historical fact and political rhetoric. The same person constantly held up as a figurehead does not
make it so. Perhaps the media
should widen its area of opinions rather than offering the public a false
standing of one person through the media which has no basis in reality.
Michael Mansell does not speak for the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community he
does and only ever has spoken for the TAC.
Let us get at least one thing strait Michael is altering the truth when
he links celebrating the bicentenary “to celebrating the work of Nazis”.
His cousin Jim Everett and the TAC have an event well underway for May
2004 that has already received at least $10,000 funding from the State
Government and sponsored by Arts Tasmania.
Rumour has it ATSIC has come to the party with even more substantial
funding as well.
It is a pity that Ms Bladel, whose son is working with the TAC for the
2004 bicentenary event with Jim Everett has not let this situation be publicly
known. It is becoming a travesty that she has not formally contacted the Lia
Pootah Community to discuss our events, for the 1803 bicentenary of which she
has been fully appraised.
One cannot help but agree with Ms Bladel when she comments that “Mr
Mansell’s views were extraordinary and with Alderman Briscoe in saying “HOW
DARE HE SAY THAT?”!
by Teree Tee Lore/Kaye McPherson Spokesperson Lia Pootah Community