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Public display of courage by a white man in the Yamaji community is appreciated by Joyce Capewell 12 December 2013
T
he Yamaji Community is astounded and in disbelief at the recent courageous act by a local businessman who operates in the region of Shark Bay. Mr Ross Larard, a non– Aboriginal member living in the Yamaji community of Shark Bay, stepped forward and displayed a very public courageous act on behalf of Aboriginal People that is rarely displayed in the Yamaji Regions – at least not by nonAboriginal person. A young Aboriginal boy tragically fell off a building in the town of Geraldton and is now in a critical condition and on llfesupport in Perth. Unfortunately, both parents of this young lad are institutionalised; it’s been reported locally that they’ve been jailed for minor traffic infringements. The Yamaji community and many non-Aboriginals felt distressed upon hearing this sad fact. Local reports stated that the father of the young lad was being denied by the Corrective Services Department the opportunity of being urgently transferred to Perth to be by his son’s bedside, as it is not certain how this tragedy would unfold! Mr Larard, upon hearing of this, took urgent action and displayed an act of unbelievable courage and placed a petition on the local Everything Geraldton Page, to protest this matter, and called for all community members to step forward and support the petition.
I was informed by several community members that the Greenough Regional Prison and the so called Corrective Services Department had allowed the father to attend the Geraldton Regional Hospital to see his young Son, prior to being flown to Perth! The Community has now been informed the GRP and so called DCS had transported the father of the young lad down to Perth, to be with his son, prior to the petition. However, I and others are very familiar with those in the so called Department of Corrective Services giving out false and misleading Information to the public, moreso when one blows the whistle on them, as I have found out personllay! Those in DCS’ Head Office, (including the many recent
foreigners employed by the DCS) appear to perceive they are allowed to cover their wrong doings, by what-ever means, including untruths. Just ask some workers in the system. Actually, the Yamaji People are calling for the recent foreigner invasion within the DCS to be urgently stopped, as their lack of Aboriginal cultural knowledge is not doing our Aboriginal prisoners any good! Prisoners say they want our own mob working with them and the AVS to come in and sit and support them, not these foreign DCS workers who don’t know our ways. I whole heartily agree! The AVS is also a go between support for the prisoner’s family and the Page 1
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community to relieve their minds when they are on the outside worrying about their treatment experienced in the inside! Tragic crisis situations regarding a prisoner, also affects the many other Aboriginal prisoners, at times like this is when they need our Mob, not foreigners or people in uniforms. Prior to writing this article today I rang the horrid GRP and was informed by a prison officer that the father of the young lad was on his way back to the horrid GRP, from Perth, and the misery that awaits him there. No AVS Mob to support this prisoner and the rest of them in the horrid racist GRP at this tragically sad time, as they have abolished the culturally appropriated AVS service operations in their prison. Actually, upon interactions with some prison officers whilst recently visiting the GRP, they remarked to me “it would be good if you were still working here to assist us with the prisoners”. Actually, upon crossing the paths of other prison officers numerous times in the town, they remark the same thing. I am asking and wondering also why was it required for the father of the young lad to be rushed back to the horrid GRP, as there are many other prisons in Perth, for the father to reside in to visit his son as often as he likes? Being in Perth, the father would be closer to his son, who is still on life-support and hanging on? I, and on behalf of the Yamaji Community would like to acknowledge the noble and courageous act of Mr Ross Larard in support of the already fragile suffering Yamaji Community, with regards to the tragic events that have occurred of late in our Geraldton Yamaji Community! I personally am overwhelmed and in disbelief that a non-Aboriginal would have the courage to publically step forward to help Page 2
Joyce Capewell spoke at the rally in Geraldton on Monday. Ms Capewell acknowledges a non-Aboriginal man for his public support of the Aboriginal community. Image: Charmaine Green
Aboriginal institutionalised people and challenge the hideous Government justice system to see reason on the basis of humanity, at a time like this; it is very rare indeed! Actually, I had a comment made to myself on the First Nations Telegraph Facebook site from a lady who calls herself Our Nanna on her profile, “the best place for Aboriginals for their own good is for them to be in prison, to protect them from their own violence in communities” (or words to this effect). I beg to differ on this racist view, because of the absolute abuse
our prisoners are subjected to daily whilst in prison. I also replied and asked the Our Nanna lady when is she going to ship her grandkids off to prison – the very Aboriginal grandchildren she has pictures of on her Facebook Page. Thank you Ross Larard for your act of public courage in taking out a petition supporting this young lad’s institutionalised parents and your act of kindness. Our Nanna needs to stop kidding herself of the absurdity of her comments our people are better off in prison to avoid domestic violence in our communities.