I checked Google for some Australian history quotes and one of the first items to appear was Kevin Rudd's "Sorry Speech" to the Aboriginal Stolen Generations. Created on black "scratch paper" (which comes in a pack of five sheets plus tool for $4.00 from a toy shop) with collaged pale yellow cartridge paper.
Update:
Week 49: History II
A very early historical event; collage of freecut snake and apple, with some deliberate shading from the directed lighting, mounted on Quill glitter-finish Galaxy card.
Aboriginal storyteller, Boori "Monty" Pryor, visits my school in the lead-up to NAIDOC Week. Note that no students are recognisable in this shot.
Today, my school was visited by Aboriginal storyteller and author, Boori "Monty" Pryor. He was a huge hit with the students and teachers. They listened, asked questions, danced, mimed and generally had a great time.
Boori expertly guided the action: when the students were paired up to perform a dance about the crocodile and the fisherman, he kept both groups, the "crocodiles" and "fisherman", as active as possible, but with minimum instruction. Everyone knew they'd get their moment in the limelight as the carnivorous crocodiles because it was explained that they'd eventually be switching positions with the fishermen.
I've been thinking tonight that I'm still, pretty much, a stickler for rules.
When I was a kid, I used to see other kids breaking rules all the time. Used to drive me crazy.
Near my house there's some government land that provides a ten-minute shortcut to the train station. It's covered with "No trespassing" signs, but everybody uses it. During the Sydney Olympics in 2000 they officially opened it up, created bitumen approaches to the existing footpath that bisects the land, then locked it all off again afterwards. Although I did use it for a few months after the Olympics, I just can't stand climbing through the tin-snipped hole under that "No trespassing" sign...
However, there's something very... appealing about an event such as this:
Tomorrow, an event called Central Flash Mob is getting together a massive group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people who will freeze for five minutes in the waiting area for CountryLink and intercity trains at Central Station in Sydney. They will place themselves in various culturally-united positions (handshakes, hugs, etc). The exact time of the freeze will be at 9:15am on Australia Day.
After the five-minute freeze they will then disperse abruptly as if nothing has happened. It would be amazing to see the bedazzled expressions of the unwitting staff, tourists' and commuters' faces as they see hundreds of people just freeze in time.
For law-abiding little ol' me, it's like rule-breaking without breaking rules. It's kind of like in the 80s, when attending science fiction conventions in Brisbane, we had to try not to look like a street march (banned by Premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen) when groups of us went out into the Queen Street Mall for a late-night coffee.
I need to be in the CBD tomorrow afternoon, and I'm not so sure I want to be, ah, "stuck" there all day! So I can't attend the flash mob, although I'd love to be there. I'll be sure to freeze here, at the computer, and I'll look for the footage of their efforts on Youtube.
Oh! Here's one they prepared earlier! I hope there's a video for tomorrow's event.
I saw Baz Luhrmann's Australia on Tuesday but, with Christmas preparations descending fast, I hadn't had a chance to write up a review.
It was a lot of fun, but I'm not surprised some Americans just don't get it. I understand the film - and star Nicole Kidman - came under some harsh criticism in the USA. Sure, the first twenty minutes or so were rather disarming, as to what kind of film it was going to be, almost as if even the director hadn't yet decided, but I also felt this was on purpose. The movie is definitely great reflection of the Aussie sense of humour.
I thoroughly enjoyed Nicole's performance - even though the character starts off as aloof and stuffy as her character in last year's disastrous and cold "The Golden Compass", she developed Lady Sarah into a very likable and warm person. Hugh Jackman was excellent as Drover, although he's also come off badly in some critiques on the film. And young Brandon Walters, as Nullah, acted the pants off the adults in every scene!
By comparison, today I chose to see the new James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace". I was using a Hoyts' Super Saver voucher, so it only cost me $11, but I'm afraid to say that this 007 movie literally put me to sleep. I stayed awake for most of it, but I kept "blissing out" in the action/chase/SPFX sequences. With "Australia" I was alert throughout, despite its considerable length. And I did enjoy "Casino Royale", but this new Bond flick was a bit hard to follow a few times.
I just read the Wikipedia synopsis for "Quantum of Solace" a few minutes ago and a few things clicked - Daniel Craig and the cast were great, but aspects seemed a bit tedious. I'm also a bit miffed they didn't play the JJ Abrams' "Star Trek" trailer with the movie, although it did play in the foyer of the cinemas while I was securing my ticket.
Next up, I'll try the remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still" on the weekend. It opened today, but I figured its queues would be too long. And they were.
By the way, a five-track EP is now available for download on iTunes for the soundtrack of "Australia". I'd wondered why the full soundtrack album hadn't been in stores, but I was glad to hear it is coming. Eventually. Meanwhile, the EP is great, and is my first iTunes music purchase.
I'm feeling quite ragged this week. It's been a long and eventful term at school/work - but on the other hand the weeks have been just flying by. Every (usually) spare spot on my timetable has been used to let as many Stage 3 (Years 5 & 6) students as possible participate in the Identity: Sharing our stories rap, not to mention any other spare second, and many late nights, helping to moderate the incoming messages and solve a few tech problems.
The rap has used print and online interviews with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, and the ten groups of students, who've worked on the rap for the last seven weeks - brainstorming group responses to set questions, which are then shared with other school groups via a blog - have gotten so much out of the experience, it's all been well worthwhile.
Last night, I was supposed to be presenting our work to any interested parents, while their children attended the school disco. Unfortunately, I had no takers and i was left sitting upstairs with a whole bank of computers set to the rap, and no audience. (Last term we had a good roll up for a similar presentation on the Wilfrid book rap.)
No matter. On Friday it's our annual NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islander Day of Celebration) Assembly at school, and I get to do a presentation there of some of the highlights of the students' work.
I must admit to feeling a little put out this morning when suddenly one of my student helpers in the library slipped me an impromptu note, artfully decorated in glitter glue of many hues: "Thank you Mr McLean for all your herd (sic) work." She stressed that the note was created by her, but was from all ten of my library monitors. It left me grinning all day, despite my weariness.
The NSW DET rap, Identity: Sharing Our Stories for Stages 3 and 4 is underway, the second such rap to be presented in a blog format (hosted by the School Libraries and Information Literacy Unit via Edublogs) rather than the traditional email and listserv arrangement.
I would like to urge teachers and teacher-librarians to drop by the rap and have a look at what I believe is going to be a great learning experience - for students, teachers, teacher librarians, AEOs (Aboriginal Education Officers) and community members. A range of excellent resources is available, including: programming and planning, proformas, music, and online factual texts with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People sharing their personal stories about what has formed their identities and has made them strong. Several of the participating schools have already posted their introductory, jointly-constructed, blog entries (see the section called "Intro").
Many teachers complain they find it difficult to make sure they properly address Aboriginal perspectives in their programs, and to find relevant resources. The rap is also a great way to develop a familiarity with blogging as an educational tool. How I wish I had my interactive whiteboard already; at my school we are making do with a regular computer, and the students are highly motivated to rap together, and to read the posts from other schools.
Last term's completed Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge book rap, also in blog format, is still available for comparison purposes. The "Teacher" section contains many "Frequently Asked Questions" about blogging. Also worth a look!
Otherwise known as "Therin of Andor", Ian McLean has had an active association with "Star Trek" and science fiction media fandom in Australia since 1980. Before then he was an avid fan of the "Batman" TV series (60s) and the Australian TV classic, "Number 96" (70s).
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