Insight ran an excellent series of interviews with young Aborigines living in Alice Springs last night. The kids opened up and talked about their fights, their drinking, their family problems and their hopes for a better future.
If I have one regret about my book Dragon Bones, it’s that the stories of the Bhutanese people are told in my words, not theirs. It’s now my dream to collect the stories of Aborigines, immigrants and other minority groups in Australia and publish them (in some form) in their own words.
I’ve recently discovered the ‘Sydney Story Factory‘, which looks to be a great way to do that. Thousands of students attend courses and regular tuition on creative writing, with a focus on telling their own stories. All volunteers are screened for working with children so it’s a comfortable environment. Unfortunately, the screenings have always clashed with my other volunteering commitments, so I’m yet to join, but it will happen this year.