Big difference

BOB LOFTUS’S remarkably uninformed letter comparing and contrasting the experiences of the Aboriginal Stolen Generation and the British child migrants passes over in silence the feature that united the two policies.

Aboriginal children were stolen as part of a deliberate policy to destroy Aboriginality while the British children were imported in order to increase the number of white people in Australia. 

Both policies were founded on the racist ideology of white superiority. It is sickening to see that ideology still persisting in Australia.

Barry Healy
White Gum Valley

Vandalised

I COUNT myself fortunate to live in Fremantle, but in the last six years I have lived here my 15-year-old car has been vandalised no less than four times, the latest being last night when a window was smashed so the scum that did it could gain entry. 

This is a message to all of those who feel it’s their right to steal from others; I never leave any valuables in my car, never have. 

So, please move along and maybe take the time to reflect on finding gainful employment.

The police of course, were not interested. 

They are underfunded and overworked. 

However, I wonder what the response might have been had I lived in a different postcode.

I would also ask why we never see any police patrols in our area considering the amount of vandalism? 

Name and address supplied

Police praise

IN these dark and uncertain times, where the police are under so much scrutiny and bad press I want to take a moment and say …. they aren’t all bad. 

Saturday night, downtown Freo,  young girl goes out to the pub, hasn’t been out in months, ends up at Metros to the wee small hours of  the morning. 

Fast forward to 6am, I get a frantic call – she is the girlfriend of my son and unlike my son who loses phone, wallet, keys, ID etc on an almost daily basis, she never does.

She wants to come home but is in hysterics because her phone is missing but with that, her bank card and ID.

I rush to pick her up. We assume its in an Uber but I get her to login to her iCloud. 

It’s in the street in Fremantle, probably fallen from her bag. 

We race to Freo, 20 minutes away, the phone stays motionless so we are excited we are gonna get it back. 

We get there; it’s moved.

Around to the 7/11 on High Street. 

We wonder if it’s just the GPS’s pinpoint inaccuracy. 

The streets are awash with the homeless and I’m in my leopard print onesie Nike Air Max pulled over, in the middle of the street calling her phone. 

Along comes, Sgt Ibbotson, PC Knuckey and PC Green.

I approach the three police officers, apologise for my fashion disaster and honestly expect a care factor of zero that we are hunting for an opportunistic thief.

It’s 7am and they are beginning their morning beat walk. 

They are actually interested and offer to grab a car and come and help. We are so grateful. 

The phone moves again.

We now know someone for sure has the phone. 

We follow it to the next GPS pin.

Two of the officers wander around the Homeswest houses as I ring the phone. Still nothing. 

It moves again. Sgt Ibbotson studies my phone for a moment and disappears around the corner.

A few minutes later I am driving around the area with my son’s girlfriend looking and listening. 

Sgt Ibbotson has been standing talking to two homeless people for a few minutes. We assume no luck there. The other two officers are still listening and searching elsewhere.

We turn around; he  has the phone and cards. Of course the homeless people had spent $100 on the card. I mean, if you are homeless and found a bankcard? Food and ciggies would be your next stop.  

Thing is there were thousands on the card; she had just transferred her savings for the car she was buying today.  

Point is, technically it was her fault. A few too many drinks and a careless moment not putting it in her bag. 

I was prepared to get my crazy on and find the person that had it but having the cops take 45 min out of their day to help, well, we were so grateful.

The lesson here is, not all cops are bad and corrupt and today we met three of the good ones. It might be a small thing – they haven’t saved an old lady from being accosted, or prevented a stabbing or anything really significant.  

In fact, it makes it more poignant that they chose to help solve a small, insignificant, boring thing.  

They genuinely wanted to help and we would like to say “Thanks” to them for making a difference and going above the call of duty.

Angela Cornelio
Attadale