Inspiration

I am part of the sun as my eye is part of me. That I am part of the earth my feet know perfectly, and my blood is part of the sea. There is not any part of me that is alone and absolute except my mind, and we shall find that the mind has no existence by itself, it is only the glitter of the sun on the surfaces of the water.

D. H. Lawrence

SAILING

This is probably not the best picture, I took it with my phone because my camera has died, however, it will do for now. It is a work in progress and I haven't finished it.

The journey is one of exploration whether that be in life or paint. Honing the technique and working the balance of life is sometimes difficult and can take time to adjust to the day to day influences of living. However, the trick is to be patient and wait for the right moment when inspiration bursts forth with new meaning and understanding giving us the reason as to why we participate in the life lane.

It is not always smooth sailing and the waters are sometimes turbulent receding to gentle and then gushing forth to spray water upon our souls, yet the rain is gentle and soft then clears as a slither of the sun shines through the clouds balancing our lives with warmth and light. The direction we travel depends on how well we react and adjust as we sail through the oceans of time.

Indigenous Pre-Recruitment Program

Now as opposed to war as I am, I have to say I learnt something very valuable during my daughters time at bootcamp.

Firstly it is not my decision as to how my children choose to live their lives but it is my role as their mother to support their decisions even if I am not particularly happy about it. Secondly, despite my disapproval of war, this boot camp was the most impressive thing I have ever seen in terms of helping young Indigenous men and women to change their lives in a positive way. It really made an impact on me.

Tough love works....

I was fortunate enough to have a small inside perspective of this program and let me say it was definitely impressive. The ultimate aim of the camp is to encourage Indigenous men and women to join the defence force, however it had a much broader purpose. To develop self esteem, improve education and create a sense of meaning for those who are wondering lost throughout our society. My daughter was probably one of only a couple of people there who were there because they had a goal in mind. The others were there because they wished to take advantage of an opportunity that had the potential to change their lives.

And it resulted in just that. The graduates from this program where extremely motivated and fully aware that when they went home the momentum would end abruptly and it would be up to them to call on the reserve strength that they had learnt whilst at boot camp to make sure that they do not slide down the path of 'nowhere' ever again. From what I could see the program was focused around the ability to look within ourselves, take responsibility and own up to the choices that we have made in our adult life without blaming others and to act on those decisions in a positive way. This bootcamp also gave these young people a sense of place, identity, direction and taught them to let go of the past so that they could focus on a new future free of encumbrances, developed from their own sense of strength and wellbeing learnt from boot camp.

As cynical as I was when my daughter first told me about this program, (not that I could stop her from going) it turned out to be the best thing I had ever seen and I felt overwhelmed with emotion to see these young people, (some of whom came from backgrounds that where leading to 'nowhere') achieve respect, dignity and self esteem in 8 weeks of intensive training that pushed them physically and emotionally to breaking point and come out the other end whole human beings. I have seen and participated in many government programs designed for Aboriginal people that never work and the Australian government continues to run the same programs that don't work in the same way. This is the first program I have seen that actually works.

Very impressive indeed it was. Despite my misgivings about the armed forces I have to say thank you for a job well done. It is the first program that I have seen organised for Indigenous people that had actually created practical skills useful for changing their own lives. Totally amazing.

As you can see I am still overwhelmed by the outcome of this program and the fantastic response of these young men and women who are now going to go on to participate in the life lane in a positive way. Not all of them will join the defence forces, however those that do not join up will be redirected to employers working in partnership with the Australian Government and the Australian Defence Force. These young people will be followed up to make sure their time at boot camp is not wasted and that they will have a chance in life.

As I sing the praises of this program and observed the outcome of the participants I have to say I am still anti-war. It is a shame that we have to have war to create such meaningful discipline of the mind, soul and body to create a sense of direction for people who need guidance.

However, my congratulations to the Australian Defence Force and I can only hope that more of these programs will be run for all young people who need someone to hold out their hand and offer a life line of hope to establish a brighter more positive future.

Impressive indeed!

Indigenous Pre-Recruitment Program

The beautiful smiling face in the middle is my daughter. She is 20, and has always known what she was born for. An amazing person who totally inspires me. Great chick!

Renee wants to fly for NASA, so she has planned a way to get there. Flying for the RAAF is her first step in her journey to achieve her goal.

The following is an article published in the West Australian Newspaper 22 July 2010 written by Joseph Catanzaro.

They arrived at Fairbridge Farm two months ago looking for a new direction in life - 36 young men and women from around WA who had signed up for a ground breaking program.

Yesterday, after surviving an eight-week military boot camp, the same young people stood proudly at attention as they graduated from the State's first Australian Defence Force indigenous pre-recruitment program.

Designed to help young indigenous men and women meet the academic and physical requirements for entry into the ADF, today the graduates will sit an aptitude test in Perth to see what roles they might be offered in the service of their country.

Eight weeks ago, 23-year-old Moora resident Shaun Nannup was unemployed, his frustration causing him to turn to alcohol and violence. Yesterday, he said that the training had given him the confidence and skills to achieve his dream of doing something more. "I'm going to join the army - the armoured corps or maybe the infantry," he said.

Under the direction of indigenous servicemen, the recruits were put through rigorous military and academic training.

Chief instructor WO1 Colin Watego, a 56-year-old soldier who has 37 years experience in the army, said the recruits had not been found wanting.

"This program has helped empower these young folk with confidence and a can-do attitude," he said.

Pinjarra resident Renee Matters, 20, said she thought the sky was now the limit. "My first preference is the air force," she said. "I want to fly jet fighters."

Unity of First People of Australia founder Ernie Bridge said even for those who did not go on to a career in defence, doors had been opened, with several highly impressed companies indicating they had jobs waiting for the graduates.

For Mr Nannup, despair and unemployment are in the past, his gaze now firmly fixed on a bright future. "I'm never going back there." he said. "I'm ready to serve my country now."