Quill to Paper

The question - April 4, 1926. Deal with the faults of others as gently as your own. A valuable lesson passed from one generation to the other. The saying goes, “Fresh air clears the mind.” Well that’s what my mother told me. With Joseph, it was the opposite. The open spaces encouraged him to contemplate life. We arrived at the Melbourne train station, in our Northern Territory rags. Looking at the well-groomed city folk, Joseph asked, “Jonathan, why are they all so dressed up?” My response, “Sundays are special, and everyone is supposed to put on their best clothes and be neatly groomed and be proud of it.” Joseph is going to be confronted by a steep learning curve. A new city or place, a new set of values. Could be interesting times ahead. A most valuable lesson for Joseph to learn in life is that he has to treat everyone as an equal if he wants to be treated as an equal. He had to be proud of who and what he is. He’d otherwise be a no body. I don’t want him to adopt the poor me attitude because of his heritage. Life will be tough for him. I have no doubt that he’ll survive, he has that presence of determination. I don’t think Joseph has grasped the full concept that he’s different to many, or realises the full effect of racial discrimination in this country. It’s something that he hasn’t been confronted with in the past. It’s hard to imagine that being black, could be so hard in a white society. We’ll have to take one day at a time. Excited, eager, disappointed and over ridden by a sense of adventure, not to mention exhaustion, brings closure to another day. Jonathan P. Black School bells - June 8, 1926. Wear your heart on your sleeve and be brave I tell him. The day Joseph has been dreading most, since our move down south, school. How will he go? Will the other children accept him? It’s a nerve-racking experience for me too. Sitting here alone, pondering over his day, waiting for him to come home. Joseph is the first aboriginal child excepted into Golden Vale Private School. From this morning’s entrance, things will be a bit shaky to start with. I dare say he’ll be in a scrap at recess, lunchtime and at home time. I hope he has enough sense not to use his boxing skills. That will only land him in more trouble. Children can be so cruel to one another. This is something he’s been sheltered from up until now. I shudder at the thought of this mornings entrance, makes me shake. As he walked into register, students yelled abuse. One child’s mother shouted, “You black bastard, go back to where you belong.” What hope does a child have, when their parents are like that? Other’s spat at him, laughed at him, grabbed his hair and clothes, and pushed and shoved him, not the ideal start to his schooling. Joseph knows if he puts a foot wrong, he’ll be thrown out. They’ll look at any chance to get rid of him. If he can stay out of trouble until things settle down, all will be good. Jonathan P. Black Boundaries - December 3, 1926. A promise can be a prison. This boy needs boundaries, he needs to knuckle down and concentrate, or he’s going to go no where. I thought I taught him discipline, it’s all now out the window. Where has his respect gone? That boy makes me so angry. This is part of my role in raising Joseph, not only teaching him about boxing, but also everyday. Everyone knows you need boundaries, no matter what age. People need to learn right from wrong, bad from good, the kind of morals we all take for granted to get through everyday life. Over step these boundaries and the more we suffer. To help Joseph, the best way I can, with boxing and life in general, I have to understand my own boundaries. Then and only then, if I can partially understand Joseph’s’, we’ll be on the track to success. Without boundaries in boxing there’d be no discipline, a required element to be an all round fighter. I don’t think Joseph has a full concept of the boundaries yet. He often pushes them when he’s staying out late, with mates, not doing his schoolwork or not focussing on boxing is when and where, I need to step in and redefine those boundaries. Jonathan P. Black