What a great experience and story! Thanks for sharing with us and setting the story straight!
Joseph Mathews worked with the Aboriginal elders from Australia at the Singapore ITI in 1969 to create this song. These elders were a powerful mostly silent presence throughout the first two weeks of the ITI.
Work on the song with these elders was a very significant event at the ITI in which a new story for Aboriginal people in Australia for the future was being articulated. Joseph was so delighted working with the elders edit after edit to get
the story just right.
I know because I was re-typing draft after draft (no computers about) and
Joe was dancing around back and forth between the elders and the office.
A fond memory of that time.
Jeanette Stanfield
Sent from my Bell Samsung device over Canada's largest network.
-------- Original message --------
From: Michael Shaw via Dialogue <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>
Date: 2023-09-21 4:34 p.m. (GMT-05:00)
To: 'Colleague Dialogue' <dialogue@lists.wedgeblade.net>
Cc: d.michael.shaw@comcast.net
Subject: [Dialogue] Run into the future, run!
This song (copied below) has been running through my mind for several days. The catchy tune makes it a kind of earwig. I’m wondering if anybody knows the backstory on the words, the tune, and most importantly, the context in which it
was created.

Peace,
Michael Shaw
206.852.7993
040414