Blind spots in a town like Alice

See no evil.

In Alice, local knowledge is everything. Great store is placed on “how long you’ve been here”, and you get extra points if you are a second or third generation resident. Fair enough too. People who have lived here a long time understand the place much better than new arrivals. That said, fresh eyes can sometimes be useful.

But if local pedigree is at a premium, wouldn’t it make sense to pay very careful attention to the views of people who have lived here for thousands of years? If someone whose family has lived locally for three generations is thought to have a lot to offer, then logic demands the acknowledgement of those who have been here 10 times longer.

Not so long ago, John Howard (you remember - the former Prime Minister) was keen to check that new arrivals to Orstraya knew who Don Bradman was, just to ensure that they would make “fit and proper” residents for Godzone.

What if Alice Springs residents were required to know the Aboriginal name of the area, say “gidday” in Arrernte, and identify one of the caterpillars whose dreaming stories dominate the local landscape? Things would get ugly.

There are no Indigenous people on the Alice Springs Town Council, and little effort is made to profit from the expertise of local Indigenous organisations like Tangentyere Council, which oversees the town camps, or the Central Land Council which looks after the bush mob.

But the battle is not lost. There are many good people - black and white - in town and on the surrounding communities working quietly and effectively to improve the situation.

One fine day, we will echo the words that the great Gurindji leader, Vincent Lingiari, uttered to former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, at the historic Wave Hill land hand-back in 1975.

“We are all mates now.”