Read Online Heat and Light by Ellen van Neerven - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ellen van Neerven
Tags: Literary, Science-Fiction, Historical, australia, Short Stories (Single Author), Cultural Heritage
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of Speech office, in the IT department. On her weekends for some extra cash Julie does tarot card readings in her apartment.
We talk about How Things Are Really Shit Now. Julie said it began ten years ago: she was there. In August 2012, a young Tanya Sparkle went to see Hugh Ngo speak at the Gallery of Modern Art. Julie saw Tanya sitting across from her. She could tell, even with the distance between them, that Tanya was slipping out of her skin to ask a question, and sure enough when the audience was called Tanya announced herself, a long, wielded introduction. She gave a spiel about reconciliation, which she stylised to ‘recon’ and then she said to Hugh, ‘I am an optimist. I believe one day Aboriginal people will get back what they lost and more.’
The crowd grew quiet and looked at each other. Julie snickered.
Hugh raised an eyebrow. ‘What?’ he said. ‘Are you mob gonna give us two countries?’
Tanya Sparkle has really thrived as a female leader of this country. Where J. Gill had been a scapegoat, a cardboard target, as hated and painted as strict headmistresses are, it all went right for Tanya.
When Tanya Sparkle became President I was in the pool sticking laps. I got out, dried my legs, and wondered for the first time where everyone was. The women were all on the street.
President Sparkle has made a few significant reforms in her tenure, particularly to Indigenous affairs. Advancement of native title, health, employment, education, creative control and recognition of culture were the main objectives of the policy.
As Julie says, President Sparkle really shit on the public transport system. Catching a bus has become a nightmare. Sometimes you’d rather spend your money on a cab. A few years ago, all the route numbers were replaced with language names for destinations, such as Turrbal, causing mass commuter confusion. To start with, there were many inaccuracies in the places and the names, the communities were not consulted. The names they did match up with locations weren’t spelt phonetically and not with the community in mind.
It’s hard to know what to do at the major bus interchange. The buses whoosh by and I feel a strong sense of displacement. I’m not sure if it comes from being an Aboriginal person, or if it’s as disconcerting for the rest of the public transport users. When it began, I once got on the Turrbal bus thinking I was going to Toombul shopping centre.
Julie tells stories from working at the Freedom of Speech office. I have a friend who actually went to jail over a text message – they search your phone at random any number of times a year for any sort of provocative material, particularly what they call racial violation. It has been three years since the social media ban.
Julie showed me the Census stats recently: Aboriginal spirituality is on its way to becoming the most popular religion. In the churches now it’s only white guys preaching.
Just after we became a republic, the Australian anthem was changed to the 2012 Jess Mauboy hit, ‘Gotcha’. The national flag is a horrible mash-up job of the old flag and both the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag. It looks like Tanya Sparkle’s seven-year-old son did it in Paint.
Aboriginal art has almost wiped out all other Australian art. A journo said recently in The Australian , ‘If you’re not black, forget it.’ The sad thing is, most Aboriginal artists crack under the enormous pressure and celebrity, from the commodification of their work. You only have to look at my family for examples of that.
President Sparkle is determined to leave her legacy on native title. A second ‘country’ is being built, by using the islands off southern Moreton Bay. If Julie’s story is true, Sparkle really did get the idea off Hugh Ngo at that gallery opening. The re-forming company are going to create new land between the twenty or so islands off the Brisbane coastline, joining them to create a super island. This is
We talk about How Things Are Really Shit Now. Julie said it began ten years ago: she was there. In August 2012, a young Tanya Sparkle went to see Hugh Ngo speak at the Gallery of Modern Art. Julie saw Tanya sitting across from her. She could tell, even with the distance between them, that Tanya was slipping out of her skin to ask a question, and sure enough when the audience was called Tanya announced herself, a long, wielded introduction. She gave a spiel about reconciliation, which she stylised to ‘recon’ and then she said to Hugh, ‘I am an optimist. I believe one day Aboriginal people will get back what they lost and more.’
The crowd grew quiet and looked at each other. Julie snickered.
Hugh raised an eyebrow. ‘What?’ he said. ‘Are you mob gonna give us two countries?’
Tanya Sparkle has really thrived as a female leader of this country. Where J. Gill had been a scapegoat, a cardboard target, as hated and painted as strict headmistresses are, it all went right for Tanya.
When Tanya Sparkle became President I was in the pool sticking laps. I got out, dried my legs, and wondered for the first time where everyone was. The women were all on the street.
President Sparkle has made a few significant reforms in her tenure, particularly to Indigenous affairs. Advancement of native title, health, employment, education, creative control and recognition of culture were the main objectives of the policy.
As Julie says, President Sparkle really shit on the public transport system. Catching a bus has become a nightmare. Sometimes you’d rather spend your money on a cab. A few years ago, all the route numbers were replaced with language names for destinations, such as Turrbal, causing mass commuter confusion. To start with, there were many inaccuracies in the places and the names, the communities were not consulted. The names they did match up with locations weren’t spelt phonetically and not with the community in mind.
It’s hard to know what to do at the major bus interchange. The buses whoosh by and I feel a strong sense of displacement. I’m not sure if it comes from being an Aboriginal person, or if it’s as disconcerting for the rest of the public transport users. When it began, I once got on the Turrbal bus thinking I was going to Toombul shopping centre.
Julie tells stories from working at the Freedom of Speech office. I have a friend who actually went to jail over a text message – they search your phone at random any number of times a year for any sort of provocative material, particularly what they call racial violation. It has been three years since the social media ban.
Julie showed me the Census stats recently: Aboriginal spirituality is on its way to becoming the most popular religion. In the churches now it’s only white guys preaching.
Just after we became a republic, the Australian anthem was changed to the 2012 Jess Mauboy hit, ‘Gotcha’. The national flag is a horrible mash-up job of the old flag and both the Aboriginal flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag. It looks like Tanya Sparkle’s seven-year-old son did it in Paint.
Aboriginal art has almost wiped out all other Australian art. A journo said recently in The Australian , ‘If you’re not black, forget it.’ The sad thing is, most Aboriginal artists crack under the enormous pressure and celebrity, from the commodification of their work. You only have to look at my family for examples of that.
President Sparkle is determined to leave her legacy on native title. A second ‘country’ is being built, by using the islands off southern Moreton Bay. If Julie’s story is true, Sparkle really did get the idea off Hugh Ngo at that gallery opening. The re-forming company are going to create new land between the twenty or so islands off the Brisbane coastline, joining them to create a super island. This is
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