This is what an indigenous French person looks like,
Dear reader,
we’re delighted to bring you another musical dispatch from the front. For those of you who are not bilingual, (as demonstrated by NT indigenous education policy) the opening phrase is French. French is a language common to that part of Western Europe not excised via Brexit. This is terribly confusing, but should be translated into contemporary ‘Joycean’, (Barnaby not James) Australian English as ‘G-Day’.
Our correspondent writes;
Bonjour mes amies,
The intervention became a boon for official sign-writers
Today June 21st as I’m writing this I’m filled with joy. It is the 14th Anniversary of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) better known as the Intervention. Symbolically it is also the shortest day of the year in the southern hemisphere.
By the time you receive this, if you were unaware of the significance of this day you will have missed out on the opportunity to celebrate such an auspicious occasion. On the other hand, you may have celebrated the re-emergence of that Lazarus of Australian politics to a leadership role, our very own Barnaby Joyce, or the signing of Australia’s Free Trade Agreement with Brexit Britain, both events which can be expected to beneficially trickle down to us in Yuendumu on our level playing field.
An unnoficial intervention sign
Some of you may not be aware that the NTER when it reached its use-by date after it ran its five-year course was followed by Intervention Mark 2 labelled Stronger Futures. Stronger Futures will expire (after 10 years) in a year’s time.
There is little doubt in my mind that a cabal of public servants are now planning Intervention Mark 3, which using a natural exponential progression will last 20 years until 2042 before Australia reaches zero nett carbon emissions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqkxd32dbwM
The Future’s so Bright I gotta Wear Shades Timbuk 3
What will they call it? If they follow the way that they relabelled the Closing the Gap strategy, Intervention Mark 3 will be labelled ‘Stronger Futures Refreshed’ (dinkum there was a Closing the Gap Refreshed initiative, complete with its own website)
‘Barnabious Joyceus‘, lesser Queensland red-neck. Qld.
In case you can’t work out what I’m on about: Definition of ‘cabal’
cabal
/kəˈbal/
noun– a secret political clique or faction.
‘Barnabius joyceus maj’, ‘The superficial gregarious red neck’ Dist: Qld, Nth NSW.
Hence- a cabal of public servants.
Not to be confused with the “False Barnaby’ Barnabius Bofoonis, Endemic to Regional Aust, Coal Mines and Big Business.
When I first arrived in Yuendumu birthdays were not much known here. Asking an older person in English “when were you born” often would be met with a “Mandarin” (Mt. Doreen) reply. Where you were born had far greater significance to Warlpiri people than when you were born, thus the English question was usually misheard. When birthdates started to be recorded a person’s age was estimated or calculated from people’s recollection (e.g. “I was a little boy this high when that missionary from Haasts Bluff came here”) the birthday usually assigned would be the first of July.
On the first of July this year a funeral will be held for Jangala at Yuelamu (Mount Allan) on his 100th birthday. His assigned date of birth was 1st July 1921. There were no public servants out here recording births back then, nor deaths.
Often confused with the Breast Beating V.C Winner, ‘Killem Afghanis’, and the Lessser Jingoisitic Peck-sniff, “Bummus lickerensis“
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs5vUfddkT8 (The Beatles- “They say it’s your birthday…..”)
A bientot
Frank