HMS bark Endeavour

The British King, not Cook, made the decision to invade Australia and set up a penal colony at Botany Bay.

The British settlers stole the finest land and its food supply from the indigenous people, directly killing 30,000 of them in doing so. It was not the proudest moment in British history.

Ever since then, Australian Governments have made a ridiculous hash of making peace with the original inhabitants, throwing money at them when this was never going to solve the problem.

And, indigenous people have shown great bitterness about being deprived of their ancient lands despite the fact that none of the subsequent white Australians were responsible for their problems. They too inherited the results of history and can justly claim that they did not create the tragedy, yet are suffering also from its legacies.

So, where do we go from here.

I do not believe that a European Australian has yet been born who can solve this immense issue. It is simply huge.

Similarly, I do not believe that an Indigenous Australian has yet been born who has the stature and skill to achieve a solution either.

Nevertheless, the attempt must be made.

A Treaty does not appear to be a solution as there is no such thing as a Treaty between people who are citizens of the same nation.

And an Aboriginal Parliament gives the clear impression of being a cosmetic activity that is like a band aid on a huge wound. It would simply be legally unworkable.

Perhaps we can look once more at the Endeavour for a solution.

This sturdy ship went around the world with safety and achievement because it had a skilled captain who was a superb leader with an extraordinary ability to weld together a strong and able team who had one goal, ie, to carry out their orders and get home safely.