Alice Springs : Australia's Irony Theme Park 3

“..The walk into the waterhole. Water is a sacred thing itself in this country. Nomadic tribal life as it was ended around 1977. This was when whole tribes associated with particular sections of the country cared for the land and kept the waterholes clear and useable and lived a genuinely nomadic, hunter gatherer existence. I recommend a true story documented in the DVD "The last Nomads" A beautifully moving account of a couple who had lived in desert country avoiding social contact for about 40 years as they had initially broken tribal law by marrying outside strict guidelines. The original footage of this couple held me spellbound as they demonstrated a dignity, mutual respect, low key humour and loving mutual consultation which seems to have devastatingly disappeared from the repertoire of the town indigenous population. Sitting aimlessly in the Mall in Alice Springs is not a traditional, tribal or nomadic occupation - and being moved on by the Police Patrols every ten minutes just made me deeply ashamed of how we treat our original inhabitants.” ~ From: “ Alice Springs : Australia’s Irony Theme Park”, Essay under construction by Lyndon Walker.