AustLit

'In 19911 had the privilege of being invited to Millner Primary school to talk to a majority Aboriginal class called 'The Mean Machine'. Millner Primary was my old school and I was keen on going back there. My brother, two sisters and I were enroled there in 1968, the year that Millner Primary School first opened it's doors. At that time my family was living at Coconut Grove but moved to Millner in 1969. As I contemplated my visit, I wondered also about what I should say to The Mean Machine whose name was a testament to their teacher's determination to lift their self esteem and academic levels. Without too much effort I decided that what I would really like to say to these kids was something that I wished someone had said to me while I was at school; that it was okay to be Aboriginal. ...'