Avoiding Mr Right by Anita Heiss

Peta has a new high-powered job, but it is in Melbourne – far from her favourite beaches, friends and boyfriend. She is a feisty character, never letting people get away with saying anything about aboriginal people as she is proud of her background. Will she be able to stay faithful to James? Will she be able to stay sane in a city she always said she disliked? And what exactly are the qualities of Mr Right?

Riding the black cockatoo by John Danalis

Riding the Black Cockatoo

Sometimes sick days can be rewarding – it meant I could lie in bed and just read the whole of this well-written and totally engrossing book. John’s story follows him on his journey as he goes from a family man learning to become  a teacher, to a sincere supporter of reconciliation.

John makes a casual comment one day (in a class about Indigenous Writing)  about how his family had an Aboriginal skull on their mantelpiece for over 40 years. This is the start of his amazing journey to the return this skull to its rightful resting place. Along the way, he goes through attitudinal and mental changes.  I do wonder what his wife and kids thought of all the goings-on, but I suppose it was his story rather than theirs.

His recall of attitudes towards Aboriginal People in Australia over the last four decades reminded me of how far many of us have come (not far enough and not enough of us, however).