It is refreshing and heartening to read that Kevin Rudd the recently elected Australian Prime Minister has made a historic apology to the Aborigines for injustices committed over 200 years of white colonization, thus removing “a great stain from the nation’s soul”. Kevin is a faithful follower of Christ and to see him bring the reconciling spirit of Christ into the arena of politics and government is just so encouraging. This is an act of courage in contrast to John Howard’s silence and refusal to issue an apology. I wonder what kind of spiritual ramifications this will have in aborigine evangelisation and the softening of the fabled Australian hardness of heart. The International Herald Tribune reported his speech:
“The Parliament is today here assembled to deal with this unfinished business of the nation, to remove a great stain from the nation’s soul, and in a true spirit of reconciliation to open a new chapter in the history of this great land, Australia,” Rudd told Parliament.
This was “Government business, motion No. 1,” the first act of Rudd’s Labor government, which was sworn in Tuesday after a convincing electoral win over the 11-year administration of John Howard, who had for years refused to apologize for the misdeeds of past governments.
Rudd’s apology was particularly addressed to the so-called Stolen Generations, the tens of thousands of indigenous children who were removed, sometimes forcibly, from their families in a policy of assimilation that only ended in the 1970s.
In some states it was part of a policy to “breed out the color,” in the words of Cecil Cook, who held the title of chief protector of Aborigines in the Northern Territory in the 1930s.
“We apologize especially for the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, their communities and their country,” Rudd said as hundreds of members of the Stolen Generations listened in the gallery, some with tears in their eyes. “For the pain, suffering and hurt of these Stolen Generations, their descendants and for their families left behind, we say sorry.
“To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry.”
In my book this is courageous Christian leadership in the marketplace. I have to admit I like it that he has a B.A.(Arts) only, and that he majored in Chinese Studies and speaks fluent Mandarin.
Yesterday, Peter and I pushed the Kinabalu 3 climbers as time is running out and there are only about 3 training sessions left before March 7-11. To be prepared is of utmost importance and though at this time, the forced marches up and down the steps of Dairy Farm and Jungle Fall may not be appreciated, they will later understand why we are stretching them. Their strength and stamina have improved since they first started.
Perhaps this 8 minute video of the challenges that lie ahead will motivate them to train between Sundays too.
Was visiting my mum’s elder brother when I saw a heritage photo hanging on the wall. It was a picture of my mum’s mum and dad. My mum told me my grandad was a nurse in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, and was a disciplinarian. But I learned a few new things about them: for one, they were originally from Kuching, Sarawak.
Two, they don’t look happy when this wedding photo was taken! Were they matchmade? Was it customary in those days to look serious and important at your wedding? Three, they were married in the Anglican St Thomas Cathedral, Kuching. Looks like I’ve anglican roots or its just an in thing to marry in the church. Colonization, you know. Maybe its time I pay a visit to Kuching. I heard I still have distant relatives there.
And as a bonus I managed to photograph my kids too: Matthew, Elaine and Joshua. Here’s one for posterity!
Well thats the first day of the Chinese New Year: visiting relatives and giving and receiving ‘ang pows’(real money in red packets)!
Wishing everyone a happy lunar new year and may the mouse, the humble relative of the rat, have its wish fulfilled this year. It is tired of being pushed around!
Several parents and teenagers are going on this adventure 3 to Mt Kinabalu, S.E. Asia’s highest mountain. They are Darren and dad Eliam; Pastor Thomas and son second-timer Zeph (asst climb leader) ; twins Ivfy and Ka Kit and dad Benson; and Magdalene (admin leader) and daughter Rachel(click on pic for pop-up). Doing something together is a great bonding activity; and doing something great together is a great bonding activity, particularly for men. Training sessions, makan sessions, the drives, buying equipment, rooming together and going through hardships together all give rise to natural opportunities for talking, caring, and uploading memories that our sons and daughters will carry even into their adult lives, and these precious moments will even be stories for the next generation. I have seen the bonds deepen so many times in the past and it is gratifying.
Daniel Chew is climbing the second time and is now a climb leader. Dr Sharon Sim, who climbed the mountain when she was in ODAC, will be with us, so now we do not have to worry about assessing or treating altitude illness. Rachel and Samantha Sin are very fun and close cousins. Then there are Kenneth Poh(left) and Gabriel Soo(right) . Gabriel was so fit that in the last climb, he reached Low’s Peak first, took photos, and then went down to help others up. That’s why he is a climb leader too. The overall leader Peter Lim (below) enjoys physical challenges like marathons; and he works well with youths in such situations, making men out of boys. Add me in as advisor, and we have 16, the targetted number of trekkers we wanted, with a few waiting in the wings for more beds at Laban Rata.
I initially thought of doing a weekly online exercise on the stations of the cross for Lent, but after experimenting, I decided to delete the former posts and leave the stations in the static pages under PRAYER SPACE. This way you can use the stations anytime you want. Go HERE.
It is refreshing and heartening to read that Kevin Rudd the recently elected Australian Prime Minister has made a historic apology to the Aborigines for injustices committed over 200 years of white colonization, thus removing “a great stain from the nation’s soul”. Kevin is a faithful follower of Christ and to see him bring the reconciling spirit of Christ into the arena of politics and government is just so encouraging. This is an act of courage in contrast to John Howard’s silence and refusal to issue an apology. I wonder what kind of spiritual ramifications this will have in aborigine evangelisation and the softening of the fabled Australian hardness of heart. The International Herald Tribune reported his speech:
