A lack of understanding

TO Tony, of Bayview Heights (CP, 16/06). You mention the names of five indigenous people, two of whom have passed from this life, and saying they have different stories to tell than what I have.

I do not care for the stories of Jacinta Price or Ernie Dingo. They haven’t, as I see it, ever stood up in the real struggle of indigenous Australians.

However, the Yunupingu family and the late Mandawuy Yunupingu, in particular, I have a great deal of respect for.

The late Eddie Koikie Mabo I knew personally. I spoke with him on many occasions about his struggle for his home island Mer.

I know Noel Pearson as well and indeed my brother Terry and I attended the meeting at Uluru where the Uluru Statement from the heart was developed.

Noel had a great deal to do with the organisation of this gathering of indigenous people from all over Australia. My brother and I put our signatures to it.

I feel the stories of the late Mandawuy, the late Eddie and Noel Pearson are very much our stories. The true stories of our struggles. We may differ here and there but essentially we remain committed to the struggles of the First Australians. For a non-indigenous person to assume our stories are different shows a complete lack of understanding.

Danny O’Shane, Holloways Beach 1950: Twenty-nine people die when an ANA DC4 aircraft crashes in Western Australia.

1977: Elvis Presley performs his final concert at Indianapolis - he died two months later.

2013: Julia Gillard is toppled by Kevin Rudd in a leadership vote. With a 57-45 win, Rudd (above) is sworn in as prime minister the next day.

2017: Japanese airbag maker Takata files for bankruptcy in the US and Japan after it is overwhelmed by lawsuits and recall costs related to its production of faulty airbag inflators.

2018: Navy divers begin the rescue of a children’s soccer team and their adult coach, trapped in Tham Luang Nang

Non cave in Chiang Rai, Thailand.

2019: The Australian and Papua New Guinea governments agree to extend the provision of services at Manus Island to asylum seekers for a limited period, before the PNG government takes over.