A new lane
Kieran Perkins: an elite athlete who sees the value of building grassroots sport and is not interested in handing out “jobs for the boys”? [September 30]. Go for it! Make our sporting world great again.
Michele Sharp
Queens Park, NSW
Is it any wonder Australia struggles with sports sponsorship when a sponsor is told, “I’m not copping your shit”? The insider claims Kieran Perkins stated this “gracefully and respectfully” ... “which Kieran can do as he has this background as a hero”. True heroes don’t treat a sponsor with this sort of contempt and foul language, let alone Gina Rinehart, who is not only Australia’s leading business person but single-handedly turned around the fortunes of Australia’s swimming team and other sporting teams. The real hero of Swimming Australia, with actions rather than swear words, is Rinehart, whose contribution allowed swimmers to commit to training and more, hence Australia’s increasingly dominant performances at Commonwealth Games, the Olympics and World Championships. It’s unfortunate, but Rugby Australia and Swimming Australia face the same issues with administration, with embarrassing outcomes for both sports.
Kate Chapman
Main Beach, Qld
Family truths
David Marr writes that “facing the truth together can change the future” [September 30]. This is in reference to the killings of, and violence towards, Indigenous people by some of his ancestors. His courage in revealing their role is to be commended, particularly as so much of the truth about the frontier wars of the 19th century in colonial Australia has been ignored or airbrushed out of history as written by us whitefellas, with the historian Henry Reynolds being one exception. Until Australians face and learn the truth, can true reconciliation occur? As per the title of one of Reynolds’ books, Why Weren’t We Told?, now is the time for all of us to be told and face the truth to improve the future.
Levane Abdoolcader
Padstow Heights, NSW
David Marr reckons with the skeletons that are inevitably hidden deep in the closets of most Australians. It seems turning 60-ish ignites a burning desire to trace one’s family tree, as we’re faced with existential questions about where we’ve come from. While most hope for a romanticised and adventurous First Fleet or gold rush story, the reality is most non-Indigenous Australians are likely to find stories of crime, hardship, brutality and racism – when they’re lucky enough to find them documented at all. My father claims his ancestors were Irish pirates ruling the seven seas, while my mother proudly contests that her ancestors were free settlers, supposedly free of crime or blemish. The reality? Whether pirate or pure, we’ve benefited thanks to generations of brutal laws and racist ideologies that favoured settlers.
The question around reparation for one’s family history is again something to consider deeply. It’s been fascinating watching several British aristocratic families grapple with the reality that their wealth was built on slavery. Many have taken a stance and decided to repay significant monetary sums to affected descendants. But for the rest of us without millions to spare, how do we respectfully acknowledge the harm done and seek a better future for all? We must make a conscious choice to use our sphere of power to influence change for the better, whether that’s through telling a story, casting a vote or simply having uncomfortable conversations with those around us.
Bonita Graham
Dulwich Hill, NSW
David Marr, the much-published author, has detailed his ancestors’ and others’ massacres of Indigenous people during earlier colonisation. The brutality is terrible and hideously wrong. Marr’s heartfelt motive was to bring the truth to Australians and help us reach the Uluru Statement’s glorious goal of “the coming together after struggle [Makarrata]“. Very soon we have the opportunity to vote Yes to the Indigenous Voice in our parliament. We should do so.
Barbara Fraser
Burwood, Vic
Two of Us
What an impressive story on these two remarkable women, Nicole Laupepa and Jacqui Parker [September 30]. I believe they have accurately captured the overall public mood that if the Yes vote on the Voice fails, it will leave a wound on Australia and that reconciliation might become impossible. Despite bickering within the body politic of this country, I believe Nicole and Jacqui are right, and that the vast majority of Australians share their views. It is worth rewatching Paul Keating’s 1992 Redfern speech; it’s one that could be given today.
Justin Lazic
Canberra, ACT
Get It?
My niece works under very stressful conditions in a remote community. Every Saturday I send her the Get It? puzzle, and we solve it together ... she “gets it” more often than I do! She says it brightens her day.
Angie Miller
Bondi Junction, NSW
Wave rider
Satu Vänskä’s comment “This was for life” [September 23] is exactly what I thought when I married Richard Tognetti. Together and loving for 21 years, we were in the tumultuous, sleep-deprived first year with our baby, Leonardo, trying to balance careers in winemaking and as a travelling musician, when Vänskä came onto the scene. I lead a very private life, happily married to a wonderful and kind architect. We have a daughter, Lily, as well as Leonardo. Reading Amanda Hooton’s article, however, has unearthed a painful and difficult time. What lasts “for life” are the broken pieces in any child whose family is irrevocably torn apart.
Susie Roberts
Mosman, NSW
Readers’ Prize
The winner of our September reader letter prize is Duncan Cameron of Lane Cove, NSW. Duncan wins a Smeg espresso coffee machine, RRP$499.
October prize: Smeg coffee grinder
The writer of the best letter to the editor in October will win a Smeg coffee grinder offering 30 grinding levels and 350-gram storage capacity, RRP$389.
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All letters are edited for reasons of clarity, syntax and space.
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