Sejarah #1 Ambon Tsunami And R A Kartini’s Approach

Tsunamis are both Acts Of God and geological phenomena.

On the 17th of February, 1674, a very severe Tsunami in the island of Ambon, in what was then known as the Spice Islands, saw the rush inland of ocean water water 100 meters high killing over 2,000 people.

Approximately two and a quarter centuries later, writing after the event about a local flooding disaster in Java in 1899, socially conscious women’s rights pioneer Javanese princess, Raden Ajeng Kartini, wrote of the plight of the people:

“If the “West Wind,” as now, causes the rising of the waters in the rivers, and the dikes break, the rulers do all that is possible to mitigate the distress. Last year a fishing village lay for a whole week under water; day and night Father remained at the scene of the disaster. Out of special funds that were at the disposal of the Government, the breaks in the dikes were restored for some kilometers. But who was to give back to the people what the water had taken away from them? And what of the fish in the rivers destroyed by the floods?” (12th January, 1900)

Words of R.A. Kartini from 1900 with an image from the aftermath of the Aceh tsunami of 2004.

Geoff Fox, 17th February, 2023, Down Under

Memorial Trees #2 An Aboriginal Reinvention Of The Dedication

When different cultures meet in a spirit of creative freedom, amazing things can happen.

In the following micro-movie made in his Wominjeka Garden earlier this week, Uncle Glenn Loughrey turned the soil for a memorial planting and found eight words which constitute brilliant insight into what the Australian tradition of memorial tree plantings can become.

Lest We Forget.

Bunjil watches over us.

Let Bunjil fly!

To resolve the differences between competing cultures, we must seek what’s good and keep away from what’s wrong. (Amar Makruf Nahi Mungkar)

Geoff Fox, 24th September, 2022, Naarm, Down Under

Memorial Trees #1 For Those Who Served And Suffered So We Could Be Free

Watch the hands of Aussie men in dancing dedication to commemorate the courage of those who kept us free.

This is not a very highly formalised planting and dedication of a Memorial Tree.

Its a relaxed meeting of friends in a small town in one woman’s front yard.

The way they go about this reflects the values of past heroes who served for their loved ones, for their country and for us. They often suffered terribly and were all ready to die for a good life together for everyone.

Lest We Forget

Geoff Fox, 8th September, 2022, Australia

Austral-Indonesian Tujuhbelasan #16 Aussie Slim Says Lets Be Friends

Aussie Slim backs friendship with Indonesia, and our other near neighbours, as the only way to go for Australia.

Aussie Slim is a dinki-di Australian bloke.

Almost no one else in Australia has been able to tune into my ideas about the cultural importance of building deep friendships and connections in our region as he has.

I reckon Aussie knows that when you put the strengths of Australian culture and values with the best of South-East And North-East Asian cultures and values, it is possible to come up with something even better than both.

Geoff Fox, 7th September, 2022, Down Under

Pesan 1945 #1 Wake Up 2022

53 years ago today, as most but not all people believe, Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon.

Bishop David Farrer describes that as a time of “innocence and awe (now) replaced with cynicism and a certain world weariness as we see the ascendancy of greed.”

He wants the mad, modern world to see and value what it has lost.

As Melbourne Discernibles film maker and Apollo landing sceptic, Anna, says, “Now people marvel at Kim Kardashian shaking her rear end.”

Geoff Fox, 21 July, 2022, Terra Nullius

Lessons Of War #2 Who We Are

Geoff Fox, 3rd July 2022, Down under

Perjalanan Hidup #2 Collingwood, Jack Frost and 1945

Dear Colonel Winsome Merrett and Collingwood President Jeff Browne,

When I was a child my dad took me to the footy at Victoria Park and other suburban Melbourne Grounds almost every week.

My favourite player then was Barry Price who wore number 5.

He was a magnificent exponent of the stab pass and drop kick and had reaction times in packs and when in danger of being tackled that were the equal of modern players. And he could find space like Scott Pendlebury.

On Xmas Day last year at the Magpie Nest, I got to talk with Nathan Buckley, another great number 5 for Collingwood , and with Mason Cox (number 46) about Barry Price and Jack Frost (number 45), who was a guy who seemed to me to win nearly every contest when he first started playing.

I have used a photo I took of Jack Frost to celebrate the triumph over fascism when the allies defeated the axis powers in in 1945. On the day that I took this photo I told Jack that his number was very historically significant and suggested that he keep the number if he could. When his career took him to Brisbane he continued wearing number 45.

I told Mason and Bucks about this photo, which was accepted into an art display of mine in the heart of President Jokowi’s world in Indonesia.

Mason said that he had been buddied with Jack Frost when he came to Collingwood because they had adjacent numbers, 45 and 46.

And, as I recall, when I asked Bucks who would be a good person to be a focus for WW2 commemoration at Collingwood Brisbane games or elsewhere, Nathan said “Frosty’s the one.”

Since that time requests by me for discussion of how to follow up on this through a couple of people at The Magpie Nest have been ignored. Perhaps it was above their paygrade.

In addition, I am extremely disappointed that it seems to me to have become impossible now to watch Bucks on Fox Footy at The Magpie Nest.

People cannot solve problems if they do not discuss them.

I call that communication Living In The Word.

Colonel Merrett and President Browne, can either or both of you busy people make time to talk with me?

Sincerely,

Geoff Fox, 30th May, 2022, Melbourne, Australia