⚪️🔴🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣⚫️ NEW DIRECTION   Ed. No. 63 

- DANCIN' TO THE SAME TUNE + A SYDNEY WORLD EXPO FLAG

 

COMMENT TO THE CITY OF SYDNEY

From: Neville Williams 

Subject: DANCIN' TO THE SAME TUNE - CITY OF SYDNEY - 'STRETCH RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN 2025-2028

Date: 12 February 2025 at 2:47:54 pm AEDT

To: sydneyoursay@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

Cc: CLOVER MOORE 

Dear 'Have Your say' people,

“We all need to be dancin’ to the same tune"

Title: "Dancin' to the same tune"(1997)

Artist: Neville Williams

Size: 116cm (W) x 84cm (H)

Medium: Ink on cartridge paper (2 pieces)

PRIVATE COLLECTION

To see and read more about this artist’s work go to NevilleWilliamsArt

DISCONNECTION

Thank you for the invitation and opportunity to comment on the City of Sydney’s “Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan 2025-2028”.

I acknowledge all of the tireless work put in by people towards the goal of reconciliation. 

I began to read your plans and started to glaze over. As Eliza Doolittle said "words words words I’m so sick of words”. 

A question came to me… "Are we setting the bar too low?"

Most certainly Reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous in this Country is of a fundamental importance to the foundation of our peoples collective well being physically, mentally and spiritually. A great gash across our psyche is something that needs priority healing.

But the recent failed Referendum has exposed an “us” and “them” mindset has taken hold across this land. 

We are becoming locked into unhappiness. Our self programming has gone awry.

And this mindset is not unique to our local running sore. It is evident across the planet to varying degrees of severity. 

There are countless “disconnections” across our world between human beings.

Palestinian and Israeli, Russian and Ukrainian and American Civil decline to name just a few high profile examples.

I just wonder how far we’ve come with this whole issue of ‘reconciliation' and are we approaching the whole subject in the best way?

RECONNECTION

In every action, thought and our deeds us human beings are motivated to find a peace, happiness, joy or sense of satisfaction. We are programmed to find home. 

Yet we seem to be moving farther away from this goal by the day. In actuality what we are looking for is ourselves. How successful are we in finding our answer?

My point is that while reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal is our care we are not going to move forward to any satisfying degree until we are all placed on a level playing field.

Not until we understand and accept that our own well being is our own individual care or responsibility will we advance as a whole.

The issue of our time is “reconnection” to our deeper selves. From this ‘reconnection’ the door then opens to reconnect with each other and as a follow on reconnection with our better stewardship of our larger world environment.

RECONNECTION isn’t even on the agenda presently. 

We can and quite often do find excuses to blame someone else for what we don't want to look at and address about ourselves. This has got to change.

Understanding our own individual self worth and value is what needs to be the foundational focus and a path towards that (goal) needs to be set in place.

We need to make “reconnection” to ourselves, each other and our larger world environment the theme of our times. We need to accept that cleaning our own mirror is our own individual care.

We will remain lost until we are prepared to put in the individual effort to see ourselves and do something about it.

Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal reconciliation will remain unattainable while ever too many are hiding within our own shortcomings. 

This applies to each and every one of us. No exceptions. 

We all need to be dancin’ to the same tune.

Kind regards,  Neville Williams

The dotted outline above indicates the space for a Sydney World Expo Flag that might also be an evolved Australian Flag or even an inspirational Flag pointing towards a new world order for our humanity? Time for us to think outside of our boxes and act globally as well as locally.

 

The space needs to be filled with your commitment and application.

Any flag has two purposes to identify and inspire.

Coming from a life background in the area of corporate identity and knowing what is needed with any type of identifying mark I have made a design for my Sydney World Expo Flag. 

It is well considered historically, culturally, socially and graphically. It is clear.

But I’m not silly enough to place my Flag here. In fact I’m not even going to show you my Flag at this point. I wonder looking around whether this world is worth it anyway. In any case it wouldn’t mean anything at this time we’re too lost in our own lack of clarity.

A representative flag has to be a product of enough peoples support for it to have any value or meaning. While I have shown my original design to a small group of our elders it has since been evolved to make it even clearer.

Frankly speaking I’m not giving you my Flag design because I am not ready to give and you are not ready to receive. It may be a long time coming.

Anyhow, in this new age that is now upon us it is appropriate that you might come up with something original yourself . . . have a go!  Isn't that the Australian way?     

I know the feeling of what it is to give something because you want to do so. Don’t we all? 

It is the most liberating feeling that can be experienced. 

It is a most wonderful gift in itself to the giver. You feel something profound. 

But there's no point giving something where there is no appreciation.

We've got to become conscious in our application to life. That's a choice. - Neville ☺︎

 

NEXT TIME

SYDNEY WORLD EXPO

EXPECTATIONS + EARNESTNESS 

CAN BE BRUTAL (OR BORING)

[ ...and a town called"Surprise!"]

Celebrate life!

_________________

What is your vision for YOO?

👋 Celebrate yoo!

(The public use of the STAN&PETE emoji symbol above is subject to the good and right support of many.)

_________________________

⚪️🔴🟠🟡🟢🔵🟣⚫️