CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
A year 10 student with access to the internet has been left without answers today, after quizzing his high school history teacher about why she hasn’t felt the need to teach the class about several pivotal policies and incidents that played a large part in the birth of Australian society.
Jordan Wylie (15) was shocked to learn that not much happened between the mass migration of the late 1800s Gold Rush and the iconic Whitlam Dismissal.
“We touched on Gallipoli and how important it was for our country’s identity, the same with Kokoda… But not much seemed to happen on Australian soil for about 100 years” he said.
“I mean, they showed us Rabbit Proof Fence but that was for drama class”
“Like, where did all the Aboriginals go? Pretty sure my grandpa said people used to have licenses to shoot Aboriginal people?”
Jordan’s teacher, a 23-year-old evangelic Christian from the suburbs by the name of Mary says she’s not sure what the inquisitive and possibly ill-informed teenager is talking about, but suspects he might be underestimating the amount of personal anguish and intergenerational trauma that was resolved during Kevin Rudd’s 2007 apology.
“I’m not sure about that Jordan” she says, without once considering that the state government’s high school curriculum might be slightly revisionist.
“I think you might be telling porkies [laughter]”
