This morning we took in a quick tour of Alice for me but most of the
morning was taken up catching up on loads and loads of washing and a bit of grocery
shopping.
While at the laundromat we watched a young Aboriginal girl of maybe 5
or 6 years of age with a $1 coin putting it into the vending machine and then
cancelling the order so the coin dropped back out. We couldn’t help but be amused but also a
little sad that this became almost an hour’s entertainment while her mother and
grandmother waited for their washing/drying to finish. I couldn’t help but be impressed though when
we left the laundromat when the grandmother instructed the little girl and her
younger brother to make way for us as they were all sitting against the wall on
the footpath. There would be many
mothers who wouldn’t even bother these days.
Our day’s observations of Alice revealed a very sad understanding of
the way of life for the local Aboriginals.
We are so used to people walking with purpose down the street, they are
going to work, school, home, meet friends, appointments etc. But watching the absolute majority of these
people walking aimlessly, and truly, aimlessly was the very best word we could
find to describe it, was sad and depressing.
Driving around some of the residential areas you realise that none of
these streets are ever likely to win an award for Best Kept Street, and nor are
you oblivious to the fact that the majority of front fences are 6 feet tall and
the gates held by padlocks. You are
either locked in or you are locked out.
And in almost every block there were individuals or groups of Aboriginal
people of all ages either sitting on the ground, or upon the many large rocks
that have been used to landscape the roadside verges, or on the footpaths
against the walls of fences and shops.
And you can’t help but wonder what exactly their day consists of or what
they are waiting for.
Mid afternoon it was time to return to camp to bath & trim Kitty
for the Alice Springs Show.
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