The Death of Mr Ward

Sometimes you read or see something which makes you think that this stuff shouldn't happen in Australia. Amnesty international sent me though an email with details of the shocking death of Mr Ward, and elderly aboriginal man.

What kind of government allows a person to be literally cooked to death in the searing heat of the Western Australian goldfields?

Well, that's exactly what happened on a scorching summer's day last year when Mr Ward, a respected Aboriginal community elder, died an unimaginable death as he was being unnecessarily and inhumanely transported more than 350km to Kalgoorlie jail.

The circumstances of Mr Ward's death defy the imagination. After being arrested for allegedly drink-driving and locked in an overnight cell in Laverton, WA, the elder was driven four hours to Kalgoorlie in a van since deemed unfit for the purpose of transporting people over such long distances [1]

Mr Ward, the youngest of seven children, was a well-known and respected community chairman, law-man, land manager and spokesperson. The condition of the van that contributed to his death makes stomach-churning reading: no natural airflow, broken air-conditioning, and a surface metal temperature of over 50°C.

After collapsing on the floor of the van, Mr Ward suffered serious burns when his skin came into contact with the metal surface. Leading up to the final moments of his life, his body temperature reached 41.7°C. Without a doubt, Mr Ward's treatment is an affront to personal dignity and emblematic of a deep running disregard for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

To take action now follow the link here to the Amnesty international web site

Churches doing charity?

One of the difficult things for church communities is how to do social justice well. It is something that I have and our church community has continually wrested with. Some of the option are::

1) Start some sort of program such as a dinner, soup kitchen. As one friend put it "Christian charity"

This looks great but has a number of issues ::

• Need to have people who are committed
• need administrative and some policies in place.
  
• need to have a medium to large church to make this happen well.
  
• start up and ongoing cost
• a tendency to do thing "for people", not "with people"
• program orientated
  
• Any scene of Christian formation is devoid in the program, for the leaders as well as participants
  

There are real positives, if done well, real social capital can be achieved.

2) Joining what is already happening. If there are local projects happening, join in with the community working along side what is already happening.

For us at Ranges in many ways this has been the only real option in some ways.

• Others take administrative, policy responsibility
• It can mean greater choice for people to choose, where they feel they are called
  
• chance to rub up along side non-Christians

3) Just doing a one off project. We at Ranges have done this well especially regarding environmental stuff. Clean up Australia as well as National tree planting day.
Unfortunately there is not that much ongoing relationships.


All of these have a number of overlapping issues, for me.

The greatest is the 'For people', instead of 'With people'. People participate in the project because it makes them feel good, they are doing something. Not because they want to journey with someone.
Fundamentally it is about 'Spiritual formation'. Is Spiritual formation included in the project where people, leaders and participants on a journey towards a better knowledge, understanding, relationship with God? I would say yes there is an element of 'Spiritual Formation' in any project but how effective and ongoing is it?


In many ways I think that there has to be some responsibility with education with those leading the project encouraged to look at there own Spiritual formation as well as the participants. This maybe one way of overcoming this issues.


Don't get me wrong I still think social justice, projects are worthwhile, but I think we/others can do a lot better.

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