Welcome,

My name is P.N.K. John Hartley, I was born in Sydney N.S.W. Australia in Eora country some three thousand miles from my Mothers country I was raised solely by my Mother Vera who is of the Ku-Ku-Yalangi peoples belonging to the rain forest country of Mossman Gorge area in Far North Queensland,( Manjal Dimbi), that is where my Mother was born and grew up,"under the act" and entered in domestic service at age ten, my Father of Irish descent passed into spirit when I was aged eight. Mum was the youngest of Ten children born to George Edgar of "Cooktown" and (Kija) Caroline Rose of Mt Molloy, both my Granny and Granddad were imprisoned at Yarrabah mission, being taken as young children from their Family's, Peoples and Country, many of my Granny Caroline and Granddad Edgar's Family members were imprisoned also at Yarrabah and on Palm Island, having been victims of what has come to be referred to as the "stolen generations"

The effect of this one policy alone has left many of our peoples with a sense of alienation, hopelessness and despair and was condoned and implemented by those who professed to know better. Though born out of country, I return as often as I can to gain strength and maintain my connection to my Family, traditional country and my peoples.

In 1995 as part of a working team I assisted in an Aboriginal men's workshop/conference on violence in Aboriginal communities, of which the No Shame No Violence report was produced. It was from this conference grew the need to develop a way of talking and raising the issue of family violence, and related issue’s in a non threatening way which opens us up, rather than closes us off, believing that even the smallest of things have there beginnings, I began to question firstly from my own experience of violence, having been classified as uncontrollable and sentenced to a correctional institution as a young person I know the hurt, and erosion of spirit which comes of violence I know to that violence as with other adverse behaviours, often mask some inner and deeper hurts generally inflicted upon us by others that we are unable to voice appropriately, I know to trying, to fill the void or emptiness within oneself with alcohol or other substances is like literally throwing our spirit away.

I firstly directed my violence (rage) at others, it then began to manifest in self harm so for me firstly there is a spiraling down and then an inward process and a compression of both these forces, so to look on a collective scale, and ask where did the violence begin within our communities? We need not only talk about violence in the present but how the violence of invasion and the subsequent occupation and process of colonization has, and how it continues to impact on the day to day life of our peoples, this sickness came to our peoples uninvited and unannounced, these aspects however should not be seen as an excuse to deny responsibility in addressing the issue’s ourselves, or to deny our own destructive behaviors, if we are to look around today the warning signs are clear the spiraling down effect is reeking havoc on our children, throughout many communities, petrol sniffing, hurting one another, showing dis-respect, when our children can no longer carry the stories what is our future to be ?, I only know that inaction and silence are like water to a dry garden.

After returning to Australia from Canada I set to work in Adelaide where I was working part-time to develop programs relating to Aboriginal men's violence and managed to put together many of the things that had been shared with me from my many First Nation Friends, Brothers, Sisters and Elders, who took the time to share unselfishly, their advice and experience.

I have come to a small understanding as to the importance of culture and ceremony and that in the main the healing that need's to take place is Spiritual, and that culture cannot be lost or destroyed it is only we as individuals who can become lost, if we look, if we really look with the Ancestors guidance we can find our belonging.

I feel strongly for the need to de-colonize oneself that is of the need to look again to those values and beliefs which have from time immemorial kept our peoples strong, and it is through this process we may begin to re-connect with Spirit, part of that is to put the story together, to piece the threads together strand by strand for that we need to look at the past, so that we can open our eyes and our hearts to where we are now in the present and then coming together without blame to re-generate the circle of our peoples so that we may build a healthy vision of our future and walk towards it in deed for the generations of our children’s still to come, it will take, choice, community involvement and individual commitment though still in the un-known, with a vision of what is to be we can do it.

When we return to the fires of our Ancestors, it is for many of us, a return to life, finding our re-newal, pride and identity in the songs, dances and ceremony of our Ancestors, shedding our shoes and sitting in the clean Earth of our Mother we will listen again, and we will now what is to be, we can be guided, but no-one can give this to us, governments cannot bestow it upon us, the courts cannot grant it to us,it is with us, un-changed from the beginning, it is a gift we must give ourselves, the choice is ours alone to make.

Many thanks and appreciation, to my Partner Cecelia my three daughters, Sara, Elly, Kate and son Jack who all gave freely of their time and heart in participating and developing the Talking circles, and other voluntary activities, my grandchildren, my Ku-Ku Yalangi Elders, Family and Peoples, Turtle Women, and old Mushum Sweetgrass Elder of the Cree First Nation Peoples for their healings and ceremony, my many Brothers and Sisters of the Cree Nation in Spirit always, Knuppaknunka (Sue Charles) of the Jaarra Yorta Yorta, original artist and caretaker of the boards for her artwork and her tears, without whom the boards would not have come into being. Adrian Booth for his Friendship, encouragement and funding assistance, Fraser Hopwood for his commitment and artistry in setting up this web site, my Friend and former co-workers at the center, "none of us work alone".

That we hear clearly the guidance of our ancestors, this is my prayer.

In Spirit,
P.N.K. John Hartley
August 2000