Cooktown

Cooktown is where captain cook first arrived and Vit took me up to grassy hill where you get an amazing panoramic view across the seas. This is where Cook worked out his root across the reefs. We go to the business hubs office were Megan and Mark are working. They are talking with Eddie and Ralinda about how best to go about improving the relatively unsuccessful business hubs office in Cooktown. Lots of tourists come to this town and this along with the rich history makes for a definite market. They have lots of ideas mapped out on a white board but the first port of call is engagement with the indigenous community to find out what their wants and interests are to ensure the community is kept in the driver’s seat for implementation and sustaining new business. At Megan and Mark’s we watch ‘Cathy Freeman going bush’. She visits Aurukun and we see Mavis, Hersey, Kenlock and others on the screen and the success of the tourist fishing boat is also showcased. It is a nice show and displays all the positives of Aurukun but it makes me sad to know that what you’re seeing on screen is a much sanitised, hunky dory picture of the community. I understand it is catered for a different audience and it is about Cathy and Luke rediscovering their aboriginal culture but I can’t help to think that they should also be aware of the innate dysfunction of the community and that the traditional culture of the community is now so jaded with issues of poor health, suicide, the alcohol epidemic and domestic and child abuse – surely two such high profile aboriginal people could be great advocates for the reform of such communities….? I spoke to Pat about this and she agreed with me but said the positive spin of the show was a really good for the people of Aurukun to see and that’s what counts I guess.