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| Invited Speaker: Kenny Dean, Manager Aboriginal Health Promotions Southern Aboriginal Corporation Albany WA. NOONGAR MEN OF THE
SOUTHWEST. In 1996 Noongar men of the Southwest held their first gathering since the 1940's. The first men's gathering was held at the Wandering mission in May 1996 and after recommendations for a further gathering of men, the second was held at the Mogumber mission in October 1996. The Missions History. Both the Wandering and Mogumber missions were established between the 1915 and 1918 periods. This was the Government's idea to re-educate the Aboriginal people of the southwest. To take children often forcibly from their families and placed in these missions, Adult Aboriginal people were also forcibly removed for almost any reason at all. Mostly away from town, "out of sight out of mind". Aboriginal people were just herded like animals out of the town areas of the Southwest. Goldfields, Northwest, Gasgoyne and the Kimberly areas. The Government did all of this without consideration to indigenous people's lives and what the effects would have on indigenous people later on in their lives. The religious people, Catholic and Baptists and others tried to look after indigenous people, but had no idea about our lifestyles and culture and tried to convert indigenous people into their lifestyles (way of living) and religion which, in some missions, they did in a wrongful way by hard discipline and punishment, they just did not understand our ways. However I do believe some missions was very helpful towards indigenous people. These missions, Wandering and Mogumber, were later handed over to the WA Aboriginal Lands Trust (1976 onwards). Then in the 1980's the ALT handed the missions over to the peak Aboriginal Resource Agencies, the Southern Aboriginal Corporation (Wandering farm) and the Wheatbelt Aboriginal Corporation (Mogumber) for the use and benefit of all Noongar people in those regions. Both these places are now being farmed by the resource agencies. Then came other gatherings such as the Father and Son Learning together camp at Albany (1997), and the Indigenous Men's Conference held in Fremantle WA in November 1997. The Indigenous Men's Conference saw indigenous men attend from all over Australia.Since attending these gatherings myself as an organiser and facilitator, I have found that there is a lot of concern regarding the well being of indigenous men in a way that they put their health last. A report states that all men look after their cars better than their own health. Out of the Wandering and Mogumber men's gatherings came two reports that were put into a ' NOONGAR MEN'S HEALTH MANUAL' for Noongar men to read and present as facilitators at men's meetings in their own towns and areas. The other concerns from the men's gatherings were,
What is the *Noongar Men’s Manual. This manual looks at issues raised at the Noongar Men’s Conference held at Wandering in May 1996. Each section deals with an issue that Noongar men at that conference wanted to talk about. The manual was first going to deal only with men’s health. After the Noongar Men’s Conference, it was clear that our health was best served by supporting Noongar men in looking at the things that touch their lives. Taken from the manual It is true that the health of Noongar men is a real worry in our region. Noongar men die 20 years sooner than non-Aboriginal men, go to hospital 3 times more often. This isn’t because we are made that way. We need to look at what we have experienced in the white society, what has been taken from us, and what we can do today. The Noongar Men’s Manual was produced from the issues raised at the Wandering and Wandering Men’s gatherings. Noongar men in the South West of WA have taken the first step in taking their rightful place in society as leaders within their communities and will continue to do so into the year 2000. *NOONGAR, Aboriginal people of the Southwest their lifestyles, culture and language. |
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