12 February 1999 A message on the occasion of the Memorial Service for Don Dunstan Don Dunstan always showed respect for the Aboriginal people of South Australia and their culture. He demonstrated dignity, warmth and friendship. With his death the indigenous people of this country have lost a true warrior - someone who fought passionately for recognition of our human rights and who understood the importance of land and spiritual beliefs to our people. He was a man prepared to go out and meet Aboriginal people. He discovered for himself the conditions in which many of our communities are forced to live. In typical Don Dunstan style, he was not satisfied with seek small and insignificant changes. They had to be made at the highest levels so that long-held beliefs and stereotypes could be challenged directly. It was Don Dunstan who appointed the first Aboriginal person to the post of Governor of an Australian state - Pastor Sir Douglas Nicholls. It was Don Dunstan who took a genuine interest in our struggle at a time when the voice of Aboriginal people and the issues we faced were barely heard - much less understood - in the halls of power. On behalf of ATSIC, I would like to offer sincere condolences to the Dunstan family. Aboriginal people understand only too well the grief you feel. On behalf of all indigenous people, I want to say: we will remember him. Gatjil Djerrkura Chairman Contacts through the Office of Public Affairs: Brian Johnstone 0419 010 687 Martin Freckmann 018 631 045 Craig Sproule Craig Sproule Office of Public Affairs Ph: 02 6289 3450 Fax: 02 6282 2854 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."
