Jo Faith, Newtown
Thank you for publishing David Heilpern’s compassionate writing of the emotions he experienced when judging the death of baby who died of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Thank you, David for embracing the grief-stricken First Nations parents. Human understanding, touch and love is so essential when facing such trauma.
A couple of decades back I was a teacher in NSW Prisons. I had been trained in the arts and still believe still that there is an artist that resides in the soul of humans. I designed a program called ‘Literacy in Action’ that was funded by TAFE. I set up an art table, created dramas from real stories of inmates, handed the video camera to anyone that wished to capture the stories and had a whiteboard to introduce literacy. Two of my most creative students were young First Nations youths. Indeed, if I am to share on a deep level I can say that I was the person being taught.
There was so much in-depth creative and sad interaction that I realised the inmates were deserving of a counsellor. I sought same from Corrective Services. I was told in no uncertain tones that my job ‘was to teach and not counsel’.
I loved my students but one day I came to work to learn that my most creative First Nations student had died on the weekend after ‘eating razor blades’. I hit brick walls every time I sought for more information on his death. Then the other First Nations student would stay close to me telling me that ‘he was going to die soon’. His eyes daily lost life. I tried again to get a counsellor – more brick walls.
After three weeks I returned to work to learn that ‘he had died of a heart attack’. I sought explanation and was told that the Director of the Prison wished to speak to me. I was taken to his office. I was confronted with white supremicist authority. The Director was dressed in his full uniform with leather gloves; the uniform impeccable with silver buttons, the shoes with some sort of decorative feature, the head cap very ‘SS’. I felt as if I had been transported back to the Third Reich. This proved true. He told me to stop asking questions and to realise one thing only… I was ‘working in a Fascist regime. Just do my job and ask no questions’. His honesty flawed me.
How can we tolerate such tyranny and cruelty in any system? Was I naive? Maybe…. but the experience never left me – the two students daily speak ‘justice’ from my soul.
