I'm sick and tired of the ridiculous welcome to country that happens everywhere these days, from school assemblies to Council meetings to sporting games. Time for it to stop. I was born here, I don't need to be welcomed to my own country and don't need to be lectured to about it either - especially when the one doing the lecturing gets it wrong. Aboriginal people have been living on what is now Australia for about 65,000 years - not the 250,000 plus years according to Brendan Kerin at the GWS Giant’s semi-final against Brisbane at Engie Stadium in Sydney. Sounds like someone's been on the smoking pipe a bit too much.

Besides all this, I recall when I was in school in the 80's having a local elder come to talk to us about Aboriginal history and culture before all this PC garbage and one thing he said stuck with me since like super glue. He said that Aboriginal people had NEVER considered themselves to be owners of the land and that they were merely its custodians, its caretakers, and they believed that by taking care of the land, the land would take care of them.

The welcome to country is just being way over done. Time to stop doing it.

https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/weak-collingwood-great-scorches-afl-welcome-to-country/news-story/aea22ff8f759383e0db61e86ecac75e3

Hear hear!

... and never forget that small groups which could hardly make an impact on the land other than chasing the wildlife never ever had to do much 'caretaking' or 'custodianship'.... let's just leave that one in the Sentiments bag... nice to hear and think is so, but nowhere near anything practical.

It's not as if they operated on some overall plan to 'caretake' anything - mostly just moved around with the seasons and to where the food was.  All nice words.... we appreciate that ... but let's stick to realities.... for a change...

As for Welcome To Country - that wore out with me after once - just like Ruddtler's cringing 'apology' has become some sort of national event to celebrate some major victory over whartey .... and in doing so he started all the rot off and actively aided in the escalating warfare and violence both within Aboriginal communities and against society as a whole.

In bringing the country together he split it into two warring camps, and has never once accepted responsibility for what he failed to achieve, but just went on, in the traditional way, to more and more unearned riches out of treasury.  A country united against itself in this manner cannot stand as it is.... changes must be forthcoming.... starting with this nonsense.

Time to cut this nonsense off at the pass..... ALL of it.

It’s simply made up stupidly.

I often feel sorry for the indigenous having to dress down and dance and sing for the white peoples .

It’s at a stage in local government that you can’t make a coffee without thanking people from the past, present and future.

It’s such a load of rubbish

Daves2017 wrote on Sep 16^th, 2024 at 11:20am:

It’s simply made up stupidly. I often feel sorry for the indigenous having to dress down and dance and sing for the white peoples . It’s at a stage in local government that you can’t make a coffee without thanking people from the past, present and future. It’s such a load of rubbish

This is where it all began - in 1976 in a made up ceremony by Ernie Dingo...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11056815/Welcome-Country-ceremony-created-Ernie-Dingo-Richard-Walley-OAM-1976.html

By introducing unwelcome-to-country ceremonies for white racists like ArmchairPolitician?

Laugh till you cry wrote on Sep 16^th, 2024 at 11:26am:

By introducing unwelcome-to-country ceremonies for white racists like ArmchairPolitician?

How am I racist? What's the difference between forcing everyone to sit through a welcome to country speech and making everyone sit through a prayer before a school assembly? If they want to perform welcome to country ceremonies, then that's fine - they can do that at their gatherings for events that are significant to them. No reason for this to be forced upon everyone else, especially when it's all made up from a lightbulb moment by Ernie Dingo in 1976.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Sep 16^th, 2024 at 10:14am:

I'm sick and tired of the ridiculous welcome to country that happens everywhere these days, from school assemblies to Council meetings to sporting games. Time for it to stop. I was born here, I don't need to be welcomed to my own country and don't need to be lectured to about it either - especially when the one doing the lecturing gets it wrong. Aboriginal people have been living on what is now Australia for about 65,000 years - not the 250,000 plus years according to Brendan Kerin at the GWS Giant’s semi-final against Brisbane at Engie Stadium in Sydney. Sounds like someone's been on the smoking pipe a bit too much. Besides all this, I recall when I was in school in the 80's having a local elder come to talk to us about Aboriginal history and culture before all this PC garbage and one thing he said stuck with me since like super glue. He said that Aboriginal people had NEVER considered themselves to be owners of the land and that they were merely its custodians, its caretakers, and they believed that by taking care of the land, the land would take care of them. The welcome to country is just being way over done. Time to stop doing it. https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/weak-collingwood-great-scorches-afl-welcome-to-country/news-story/aea22ff8f759383e0db61e86ecac75e3

You see, the local Elder is morally humble and superior.  He recognise that we should all look after the land and it then looks after you.  However, other people (here) would interpret this as:  Oh see!  Since you DONT own it.  Now WE own it!  GET out of MY land! 

tickleandrose wrote on Sep 19^th, 2024 at 10:41am:

Armchair_Politician wrote on Sep 16th, 2024 at 10:14am: I'm sick and tired of the ridiculous welcome to country that happens everywhere these days, from school assemblies to Council meetings to sporting games. Time for it to stop. I was born here, I don't need to be welcomed to my own country and don't need to be lectured to about it either - especially when the one doing the lecturing gets it wrong. Aboriginal people have been living on what is now Australia for about 65,000 years - not the 250,000 plus years according to Brendan Kerin at the GWS Giant’s semi-final against Brisbane at Engie Stadium in Sydney. Sounds like someone's been on the smoking pipe a bit too much. Besides all this, I recall when I was in school in the 80's having a local elder come to talk to us about Aboriginal history and culture before all this PC garbage and one thing he said stuck with me since like super glue. He said that Aboriginal people had NEVER considered themselves to be owners of the land and that they were merely its custodians, its caretakers, and they believed that by taking care of the land, the land would take care of them. The welcome to country is just being way over done. Time to stop doing it. https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/weak-collingwood-great-scorches-afl-welcome-to-country/news-story/aea22ff8f759383e0db61e86ecac75e3 You see, the local Elder is morally humble and superior.  He recognise that we should all look after the land and it then looks after you.  However, other people (here) would interpret this as:  Oh see!  Since you DONT own it.  Now WE own it!  GET out of MY land!

What gets me is the speech at every single school assembly at my kids' school. It always refers to "the traditional OWNERS of the land". But throughout history, the Aboriginal people never considered themselves owners of the land, simply its caretakers. Ownership was not something they considered ever.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Sep 19^th, 2024 at 1:40pm:

It always refers to "the traditional OWNERS of the land". But throughout history, the Aboriginal people never considered themselves owners of the land, simply its caretakers.

The concept of ownership of land was not an Aboriginal thing. It was a Western concept forced upon them. And since they NOW live in a Western society, Western concepts apply to them regardless of what they traditionally believed pre-colonisation.

If you want to argue Aboriginal concepts and claim that they must apply now, then you have to agree that you don't own your land either. You can't pick and choose one for them and another for you.

John Smith wrote on Sep 19^th, 2024 at 1:48pm:

Armchair_Politician wrote on Sep 19th, 2024 at 1:40pm: It always refers to "the traditional OWNERS of the land". But throughout history, the Aboriginal people never considered themselves owners of the land, simply its caretakers. The concept of ownership of land was not an Aboriginal thing. It was a Western concept forced upon them. And since they NOW live in a Western society, Western concepts apply to them regardless of what they traditionally believed pre-colonisation. If you want to argue Aboriginal concepts and claim that they must apply now, then you have to agree that you don't own your land either. You can't pick and choose one for them and another for you.

It wasn't 'forced on" anyone. They are free to believe that they belong to the earth and its spirits. They are not forced to become owners, a concept unknown to their traditional way of thinking.
That's why they cannot be 'traditional owners ' which is exactly the oxymoron, putting two incompatible concepts together in an invented neologism.

This illustrates the larger problem : Aborigines can't live simultaneously in the modern world and hold on to pre-historic, stone age  values and customs. These things are incompatible.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Sep 16^th, 2024 at 10:14am:

I'm sick and tired of the ridiculous welcome to country that happens everywhere these days, from school assemblies to Council meetings to sporting games. Time for it to stop. I was born here, I don't need to be welcomed to my own country and don't need to be lectured to about it either - especially when the one doing the lecturing gets it wrong. Aboriginal people have been living on what is now Australia for about 65,000 years - not the 250,000 plus years according to Brendan Kerin at the GWS Giant’s semi-final against Brisbane at Engie Stadium in Sydney. Sounds like someone's been on the smoking pipe a bit too much. Besides all this, I recall when I was in school in the 80's having a local elder come to talk to us about Aboriginal history and culture before all this PC garbage and one thing he said stuck with me since like super glue. He said that Aboriginal people had NEVER considered themselves to be owners of the land and that they were merely its custodians, its caretakers, and they believed that by taking care of the land, the land would take care of them. The welcome to country is just being way over done. Time to stop doing it. https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/weak-collingwood-great-scorches-afl-welcome-to-country/news-story/aea22ff8f759383e0db61e86ecac75e3

Well said Armchair_Politician.

Positive: I think the Welcome to Country 'Ceremony' is very justified when it is used for the traditional essence and state of being of Aboriginal existence: that of the 'LAND' and all its associated aspects.

Negative: What I don't agree with is this Media 'induced' (yes it is) fake-politico of using it for EVERYTHING in a deluge of saturation to ANTAGONISE everyone else who doesn't adhere to their Lefty virtue-signalling (which is wrong anyway) - as WRACISTS!~ >:(

Centrist: Welcome to Country should be only used for things that are in relation to 'the LAND' as Aboriginal 'culture' claims to be what it is all about. Maybe for some Tourists getting off a Cruiseliner to receive a necklace of twine and itchy wattle like/similar to what Hawaiians present?
Do not use it for Sport, Politics, Religion and all things not of 'the LAND'. It's basically cultural extortion.

The Media Lefties once again abusing Politics for their own 'Media' narratives and biases.  ::)

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ALL BS IMO!

The Maori Haka has more relevance to (Welcome to) Sport as a Ceremony than the Aborigines and their Media-induced Welcome to Country... unless they're on about the 'grass' the sport is about to be played upon?
Maybe the Cricket pitch could do with a WTC before start of play?

Frank wrote on Sep 19^th, 2024 at 3:30pm:

It wasn't 'forced on" anyone.

Unless you are saying they are able to camp on your land and hold coroborrees whenever they like, sure it was.

How about you stop playing the fool just once, and actually think about what you are saying :D

John Smith wrote on Sep 19^th, 2024 at 5:10pm:

Frank wrote on Sep 19th, 2024 at 3:30pm: It wasn't 'forced on" anyone. Unless you are saying they are able to camp on your land and hold coroborrees whenever they like, sure it was.

They couldnt do it 'wherever they liked' before 1788, either.  Only on their own tribal territory.  They can do that now.

Frank wrote on Sep 19^th, 2024 at 5:17pm:

John Smith wrote on Sep 19th, 2024 at 5:10pm: Frank wrote on Sep 19th, 2024 at 3:30pm: It wasn't 'forced on" anyone. Unless you are saying they are able to camp on your land and hold coroborrees whenever they like, sure it was. They couldnt do it 'wherever they liked' before 1788, either.  Only on their own tribal territory.  They can do that now.

Yes, I know you're stupid so I'll break it down further for you. So the local tribe can camp in your backyard whenever they like? Hold corroborees and build lean-to's etc?

by the way dumbarse, I said WHENever they like, not WHEREever they like :D :D :D

My wife works for a state government department and at the beginning of each and every Microsoft Teams or Zoom meeting held online via video link, one person has to deliver the "welcome to country" speech. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I just think that's patently absurd to be doing that for a video conference between 6-10 people. If that's how it has to be, then they should also be playing the national anthem with a virtual flag raising ceremony before or after the "welcome to country" thing as well!