The graduation ceremony

I had travelled with other members of the Council for Australian Catholic Women, who had flown to Darwin from where we split up and went in different directions to speak with aboriginal women about their situation in the local church and in society generally. There were only 2 men in our group ± myself and a priest from Tasmania. We felt a little self-conscious, not knowing if the Aboriginal women would speak-up in front of us. We wondered if there might have been some taboo on speaking in front of men or, if they might have considered it an intrusion if they wanted to touch on secret-womens-business!! As it turned out they did speak freely in front of us, although they were a little shy about doing so. Miriam Rose Unger was a delight to listen to. She has a calm presence and a wise, deliberative manner about her. Among the many interesting insights she shared with us, she told us that it was the sacred task of the women in the tribe to carry the fire when her people went on walkabout. On those cold, drizzly, damp days or on hot, steamy days or on windy days ± carrying the fire was a real challenge. The way in which the fire was carried from place to place was that the hot coals were placed in shell-cones and carefully wrapped with bark. The fire was checked along the way. $WMRXUQ