My paternal grandmother, Patricia, became a pediatrician in a time - TopicsExpress



          

My paternal grandmother, Patricia, became a pediatrician in a time when women didnt become doctors. She caught rickety helicopters through the wilderness of Papua New Guinea to help the locals when they fell ill or when accidents occurred. She was one of the strongest voices for Womens Rights in Australia. She also managed to raise 5 children, because she was a fierce and indomitable force of nature. She wanted to prove a woman could be anything and everything she sets her mind to, if she is determined enough. Dont be fooled to think she grew up in privilege: she was raised in housing commission. Tony Abbott is the Minister for Women and discusses my entire gender as though were of lesser intelligence due to our genitalia. He couldnt win a game of chess against the bones of her. My paternal grandfather, Tom, was on the board of education (post military service). He believed education should be free for all people, regardless of race or creed, and thought it a fundamental building block to end war and poverty. He was Head of Education in PNG for several years, hoping to deliver basic education to those that desperately needed it. When he returned to Australia he worked as a counselor and psychologist at a university, making sure these educational institutions were a safe environment for women, ethnic minorities and those with personal issues who had never had access to higher education previously. He was the kindest, gentlest soul I have ever known. Tony Abbotts daughter got a scholarship because of who her father is, despite having more than enough money to pay for it. My maternal grandfather, Stan, lied on his military transcript to join the war effort early. He was 16. He had some insane luck, every time he left a ship it would be destroyed shortly afterwards, but this meant he had to acknowledge the passing of his friends over and over and over and over again. He was thrown out of the navy after 10+ years of service for marrying a woman of colour. He continued working with the Commonwealth and returned to those areas that had been hit by the worst of the war throughout Asia. He liaised with the politicians, engineers and servicemen to begin rebuilding efforts in Taiwan & Japan, winding up in PNG to oversee telecommunications for the entire Australasian region. He loved his HAM radio up until the day he passed, tapping out messages to old comrades in morse code. I doubt Tony Abbott can even tap out SOS. Then again, when Tony Abbott was told about a servicemans passing his only comment was Shit happens. My maternal grandmother, Lona, was originally denied entry to Australia due to the White Australia Policy, despite being married and pregnant to an ex-Navy serviceman. She was a totally stunning half Samoan, half Scottish mix. As a result my mother was born in New Zealand while they waited on the paperwork. She never spoke ill of this harrowing time (just like she never spoke of the racial discrimination she faced) and embraced the Australian cultural identity as though it were her own and committed much of her life to charity. She read the dictionary every night before bed and was an incredibly eloquent wordsmith. Tony Abbott attempted to water down the Racial Discrimination Act and believes that people have the right to be bigots. The ghost of her could beat him at scrabble. Heck, her ghost could beat me at scrabble. R.I.P to my wonderful ancestors, Im so sorry that the sacrifices they made for a better life for all of us are being spat on by someone who has no interest in the future of our country. Part of me cant help but be grateful that they are not here to witness these politicians make a mockery of the hard work they put in for our society. Maybe its the heat. Maybe I miss them terribly today. Maybe its how ashamed I am of the current parliament. I cant help but cry. I dont know how to fix it. My grandparents left me with a legacy of being brave and strong and intelligent and sassy and compassionate and adventurous and I feel like I should have some way of fixing this. But I dont. Im sorry. Im so terribly sorry. How does one make amends to the dead?
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 07:11:41 +0000

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