Rookwood Cemetery Discoveries

 In Australia we are commemorating NAIDOC week, a time when we celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. I prepare this weeks blog in  Parramatta, Western Sydney, the land of the Burramattagal people of the Dharug nation. I acknowledge their traditons and culture and pay respect to their elders both past, present and emerging. When I think of Indigenous sports people, many names come to mind. From the first Indigenous Australian Cricket team that toured England in 1868 with it's standout performer Johnny Mullagh, the boxer Lionel Rose through to the runner, Cathy Freeman and beyond with so many further achievements in politics, acting, the list goes on. This week's blog honours the life of an indigenous individual and I wish to warn those who may be culturally affected  that a photograph of that individual follows. A very fine boxer. RANOLD (RON) RICHARDS Ron was born in May 1910 at the Deebing Creek Aboriginal Presb...

 In Australia we are celebrating National Reconciliation Week which we assign increasingly great social importance to. I prepare this weeks blog in  Parramatta, Western Sydney, the land of the Burramattagal people of the Dharug nation. I acknowledge their traditions and culture and pay respect to their elders both past, present and emerging. This week's blog honours the life of an indigenous individual and I wish to warn those who may be culturally affected  that a photograph of this individual follows. Since the early times of the establishment of the European colony in NSW, government agencies, explorers, surveyors and members of the general public have called upon the tracking abilities of Indigenous men and women. The skills of trackers were drawn from bush and hunting knowledge held by Indigenous groups throughout NSW. A good tracker could pick up the smallest change in the landscape and quickly work out in which direction a person or animal was moving. The NSW Polic...