Perhaps a little research into why some indigenous Australians are the way they are (think mistreatment, harassment, exclusion and the destruction of culture by the saviour white man over the past 200 years) would serve some of the posters here quite well, rather than making stereotyped assumptions based on anecdotal experience. Slippery slope indeed :ugh:

Cultural Experience
 

Krazy one:
The truth about the condition of indigenous people in the NT is indeed heartbreaking to Balanda, but is not to Yolgna - it falls into the category of "what is" to them.

Ignore some of the remarks made here and go work in Arnhem Land, once you develop an understanding of the people you will see it differently.

Blueskymine( .....our beds are burning?)
As far as IQ is concerned, it gives a number unrelated to anything else.

BH

Guys - as I said, I didn't want a political argument. Please stay away from making inflammatory comments (or simply comments which OTHERS may consider inflammatory).

My point was not whether anything is right or wrong, or who's to blame, or why things are they way they are. It was simply trying to get across to those who aren't here HOW things are because I reckon it's an important point.

Personally, I would love the opportunity to work in a community in Arnhem land. Never been there, but the opportunity to try and integrate with a local community, learn a bit of their culture and try and understand it a bit better sounds fantastic. I've loved doing that sort of thing travelling in other countries, it only makes sense that I would want to do it in my own country. That being said, for ME, PERSONALLY, it would be harder in my own country. But still something I would like to do.

Well said. Experience and understand. All the best with the jobhunting.

You started it Krazy...

Blueskymine is correct, but I think the description of the difference between whites and Abo's could have been better put.
The difference between Aboriginals and whites is a gulf that will be with us for centuries, and no amount of money, or do-gooders efforts, will do much to narrow it.
Until you have worked with Abo's or employed them, as I have, you will never grasp the differences between white and Aboriginal outlooks, on every facet of our respective cultures.

The problem is that Abo's are tribal - but whites are independent and self-reliant. Abos do not recognise material value - whites value it greatly. A fine wooden table, built by craftsmen, is adored and respected, and treated with care, by whites - but in Abo's eyes, it's seen as a table only until it gets cold - then it's seen as firewood to keep you warm.

Money is something that whites value greatly, and place great personal attachment to. Abo's see money as something to be spent - now - with no idea of its value, and no idea of the amount of work attached to gathering it.
If one Abo has $50, the whole tribe is rich. No Abo goes without, if just one Abo has money. If you're a white, and have $50M - and I'm down on my luck, unemployed, without a cent to my name - you'll walk past me in the street, telling me I need to work harder. If you're stuck, anywhere, for any reason - any Abo will help you - but he expects you to turn around and help the whole tribe, the minute he decides they need assistance.

The reason Abos steal everything they can lay their hands on, is because their minds work on simple tribal mentality. "You have money - I need it - if you don't give it to me, like other tribe members would do - I'll steal it."
The need for personal possessions, and the work ethic, are something that Abo's have never possessed in 40,000 years. They have never needed to work.
They get hungry, they hunt down some food, kill it and eat it on the spot. If it's a big feed, like a wallaby, the whole lot has to be eaten on the spot. There may not be any food tomorrow, and tomorrow may never come.
Abo's never even consider tomorrow in any form. Whites plan carefully, and plan ahead. Abos never plan anything. They take life as it comes, and live only for the present.

Booze is something that makes Abo's feel good, and is readily available. Why not drink booze all day? This is the simple childlike outlook of the Abo mentality. Unfortunately, booze was never a part of their culture until the whites arrived - but early administrators saw that Abo's were incapable of handling booze - and refused to give it them (a wise move).

In the 1960's, do-gooders said that was discrimination, and fought for "drinking rights" for Abo's - and won them. Since that time, billions have been spent trying to reverse the damage that alcohol has done to Abo communities. Some communities have gone completely dry to try and eliminate the community damage, and have ejected the Abo boozers - who have ended up hanging around the outskirts of, and in the centre of, country towns - creating trouble and indulging in anti-social behaviour. It will get worse before it gets better. The remote Abo communities don't want these trouble-making, boozing, Abo people - but neither do the white-run towns want them. Thus, they live in permanent limbo, from welfare payment to welfare payment, and from one booze-sozzled day, to the next.

The tribal, communal, simplistic, childlike outlook, that Abo's have, is totally at complete odds, with whites outlook - where we value the work ethic, monetary wealth, personal responsibility - and take great pride in material possessions, and guard them possessively.
The Abo's possess fabulous hunting, tracking, and visual skills that few whites can match. Ask a white child to look at a tree, and relate what they see - and a white child will tell you the type of tree, whether its a pretty tree, whether it has value as timber, or how it fits into its urban surroundings.
An Abo child will tell you about what medicine that tree is good for, what animals or insect inhabit it, that are good to eat, what the wood and resin is good for (digging sticks, woomeras or spears) .. and they'll examine the ground under the tree and tell you what animals have tracked under it recently.

If you employ Abos, expect to employ the whole tribe. If you want one Abo worker, employ three - because the one you employ initially will turn up for the first three days of the week, then vanish for 3 weeks - as he is gripped by more important issues than work - such as "family problems", or some tribal gathering that's important to him. Having to work, to earn money, is not something that has ever been linked in Abo's minds. The whites provide you with money, anyway, so why bother working? If the whites don't provide it, steal it! - they got plenty anyway!

Until the people in charge of decision making with regard to Abo support, come to the understanding that Aboriginal overall outlook, and the whites overall outlook, are at a variance that can never be fully joined, by trying to make Abo's behave like whites, the sooner the "Aboriginal problem" will be resolved.

Experience and Understanding
 

Krazy one:
MAF if you are so inclined.
Layhnapuy Homelands if you need more income

Cheers
BH

A great discussion.
 

I have lived in Alice Springs for over 30 years and had lots of cantact with all sorts of territorians, and others. I welcome discussion and we should be mature enough to do this without fisticuffs. I have come to the conclusion that aboriginals are the upper class in this area. Most people here work for them. Many are wealthier than me, although they don't display it.There is a huge gap between our two cultures, and we unknowingly insult each other daily.
New arrivals in the N.T. have a huge culture shock.
The N.T. will never have sufficient money or resources to handle this situation properly, although there is a massive attempt being made by lots of dedicated Territorians.
The Federal Govenment have the resources, but don't care much, because there are not many votes out here, and anyway they do not have a clue how to do it.
As Tinny says, light aircraft are an essential part of this. What I find difficult to tolerate is the southern pilots who come here just to stay a short time in order to get hours, and loudly complain about everything. We can do without them. We need dedicated pilots who accept reality and work to help make things better. I think the Krazy one might bet the latter.

Good post plainmaker, with some accurate generalisations. However I do believe the problem can be solved by integration. Within a few generations actually, started by some bold political (not politically motivated) decisions and strong aboriginal leadership.

As I see it, the first problem is separation or more commonly touted by the media and do-gooders as a racist divide. At the moment we see us and them. However in reality we are all Australian in this modern world of the 21st Century. Some are Australian of English, Irish, Italian, Greek etc descent. Others are Australian of Aboriginal descent. Imagine that………..all equals.

That is step 1. Without this change there is no point wasting time and resources to fix the problem.

Step 2 is the how. Difficult but not impossible.
The current generation of Aboriginals are lost to the welfare, missionary segregated alcohol fog created by white man of the last century.

However, the children of the current generation can learn to integrate into the modern society that we all live in. That is REALITY, and the sooner we understand that the nomadic hunter of 200 years ago doesn’t exist any more the better. No welfare, no special treatment that keeps us divided.

Australians of Aboriginal descent will take responsibility for themselves. They work and learn the value of money. They will be able to own property. But most importantly they will have a sense of self worth.

They can be proud of their culture and keep it alive as well as contributing to society as equals.

This may take a couple of generations for change in behaviour to take place, but it will happen.

But who am I kidding. No politician will ever have the balls to implement this idea – and the “Aboriginal Problem” will forever exist until they become extinct like an endangered species.

Oh by the way – happy topend adventure

Welcome to the Nanny Territory!!!

The skimpy bar maid job pays bloody well, compared to GA.

Lets say the better half could put in a forty hour week at $60.00 an hour that equates to $2400.00 a week multiply that by 52 equals $124,800pa.

Your call krazy.

Suggested Reading
 

Suggested reading for BlueSkymine, Onetrack et al:

Guns Steel and Germs by Jared Diamond.

Gives a far better explanation on cultural differences than the simplistic concept of genetic superiority.

BTW when camping and fishing with Yolgna, get your bit of the barra before its chucked on the fire - they will not mind.

BH

random Q: What's phone reception like out there? In towns like Darwin/Broome I'd presume it's fine, and smaller places like KNX I would also assume it would be fine... but what about smaller towns?

When I ask about phone reception - I ask about all the phone providers. I'm with 3 atm and am wondering whether I should switch to something like Telstra or whether I'll be fine?

Switch to Telstra. 3 is good for nothing outside the major cities perimeters.

onezeroonethree, only Telstra or Vodafone in KNX.

Tesltra Next G. Don't bother with anything else. The extra you pay is worth it.

Will work at most weird and wonderful places you fly to. Helpful when planes break down, or pax don't turn up etc. If it does not work at the place once airborne you get reception fairly quick. I'm only talking from experiance but obviously depends on the place you go to.

Thanks guys! will make the switch soon!

I have been travelling with my Vodafone SIM as well as a Telstra SIM (which I've used primarily for Internet rather than phone calls). I've had Vodafone coverage in every town I've been in (where I've stayed looking for jobs that is). Telstra definitely covers a LOT further out of town (assuming you've got a 850MHz capable phone) than Vodafone. Unfortunately I've had endless troubles with Telstra customer service (what's new). Otherwise, the coverage is great!

So. Did you get a job Krazy? We're all on the edge of our seats here.