Novocastrian Tales
A Bird
A bird sings for the moment not for posterity Copyright Paul F Walsh OAM 2022
Close Encounters XX
Ignorance was dancing down the street when he met Knowledge. ‘Reconciliation is dead!’ Ignorance shouted. ‘No, it’s not!’ Knowledge replied. ‘Reconciliation is a continuous and expansive process, a limitless journey without maps or discrete destination.’ ‘Could you explain that in English to me?’ Ignorance asked. ‘English is not my first language,’ Knowledge replied. ‘And such an explanation would require a VOICE.’ ‘Yeah, I know,’ Ignorance agreed. ‘You know, mate, you might be the first Aborigine that I’ve ever met!’ ‘Nice to finally meet you,’ Knowledge acknowledged. ‘YES!’ Ignorance said. Copyright Paul F Walsh 2023
Close Encounters XIX
Ignorance was dancing down the street when he met Knowledge. ‘We won!’ he cried. ‘No,’ Knowledge observed. ‘What?’ Ignorance was so shocked that he stopped dancing. ‘Look at the scoreboard, you idiot! We won, 60 to 40!’ ‘But it’s only half-time,’ Knowledge said. ‘And you just scored an own goal.’ ‘NO!’ Ignorance declared. ‘You’re just a sore loser.’ ‘You’re never going to score saying NO all of the time,’ Knowledge explained. ‘So, who’s the real loser here?’ ‘You!’ Ignorance answered. ‘Our side won the cup!’ ‘That’s not a cup,’ Knowledge observed. ‘It’s a poisoned chalice, full of half-time bitter lemons.’
Close Encounters XVIII
Ignorance was dressed up as Knowledge when he walked into the polling booth. When he walked out, he was naked. The Emperor had no clothes! Copyright Paul F Walsh 2023
Close Encounters XVII
Ignorance was walking down the street when he met Knowledge. ‘We’re going to win,’ Ignorance said. ‘If you win, we all lose,’ Knowledge replied. ‘Now don’t be like that,’ Ignorance said. ‘We need you YES people to do the right thing and give the Aborigines a Voice once we win the referendum. You can’t just take your bat and ball and go home, you know. Somebody has to give the Aborigines a way to be heard, mate. I mean, it’s only fair!’ ‘And what will you NO people be doing?’ Knowledge asked. ‘Nothing,’ Ignorance replied. ‘You can’t expect
Close Encounters XVI
Ignorance was walking down the street when he met Knowledge. ‘Let me get this straight,’ Knowledge said. ‘Your response to a statement from the heart is a brain fart?’ Ignorance tried to respond, but suffered a slight explosion between the ears, and then he was deaf to anything further that Knowledge might have said. He was now deaf and dumb, but he still proved the truth of the old adage that empty vessels make the most sound. ‘How noisy you are!’ Knowledge observed. ‘I vote NO to your Voice from the cerebral arse and YES to the quiet statement
Close Encounters XV
Ignorance was walking down the street when he met Knowledge. And he was never the same again. Copyright Paul F Walsh 2023
Close Encounters XIV
Ignorance was walking down the street when he met Knowledge. ‘This whole VOICE thing is unfair,’ Ignorance declared. ‘It’s like Apartheid, mate. They’re trying to divide us by making the Aborigines more special than the rest of us. I’m not in the constitution, so why should they be?’ ‘Well, Ignorance rarely appears in a constitution, but where’s your sense of the Fair Go?’ Knowledge asked. ‘The Aboriginal people are among the most disadvantaged people on earth. They die younger than us, many live under the poverty line and far too many are in our prison system for unjust reasons.’
Close Encounters XIII
Ignorance was walking down the street when he met Knowledge. ‘How do I get Ignorance to vote YES rather than NO?’ Knowledge asked himself. And then the answer came. ‘I will appeal to his heart rather than his head,’ Knowledge decided. ‘What do you feel about the referendum?’ Knowledge asked. ‘I think there’s nothing in it for me,’ Ignorance replied. ‘But what do you feel rather than think?’ Knowledge persisted. ‘Well, my head is saying NO, but my heart is saying YES,’ Ignorance admitted. ‘So, why not follow your heart in the polling booth?’ Knowledge asked. ‘What would my
Close Encounters XII
Ignorance was walking down the street when he met Knowledge. ‘These Aborigines have got too much already, mate,’ Ignorance said. ‘We’ve been throwing money at them for years, and it’s made no difference.’ ‘And you know this how?’ Knowledge asked. ‘It’s common Knowledge on social media, mate!’ Ignorance replied. ‘I doubt it,’ Knowledge said. ‘I rarely appear on social media.’ ‘Well, I read on Bumbook that the Aborigines have a secret plan to take over the country and enslave us all as revenge for what our mob did to them in colonial times,’ Ignorance said. ‘This VOICE thing is