Let’s get real. If we are to rewrite history to make right, there is some mighty righting to do, and it will call upon all citizens worldwide to pack up and get walking, because all of us are trespassing on what were lands occupied by others.
We know humans were here at the time of Captain Philip taking possession, but we don’t know if they were the descendants of those living here 60,000 years ago. It could be that the humans of 200 years ago were themselves conquerors. That’s the beauty of Aboriginals not writing their history down – they can claim anything.
What we do know is that there is no way that the descendants of Captain Philip’s time would be in possession of this land today – it would have been claimed by Spain, the French, the Dutch, the Philippines, the Malaysians, the Japanese, Hitler – indeed by anyone armed with more than a spear. Let not the Aboriginal descendants of today forget that. They were doomed – just as all nations unable to guard themselves today are doomed.
It’s great for the Aboriginal descendants of today to still believe in Dreamtime dreams, but dreams would not have stopped the conquerors with superior arms.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
