There'll be no epitaphs for Pearl

In copperplate upon a stone

No funeral of State or trace

Of civic honor to remark

Her passing though her feet have trod

The Halls of Justice haunting God

And man and woman child and fool

Who makes the Nation's Law a tool

Of massacre and hate

Injustice, land theft tortured fate

Befall the rightful heirs their sons

Must fall to strychnine and the guns

The last descendants to imprisonment

The will negated, overthrown

The phantom killer called the Crown

By Acts repeals the Right

Of victims of its conquering lusts

And holds the land by might.

Yet in some far off distant land

A Royal Seal a trembling hand

May moved by conscience still repeal

Infamous Acts and heed appeals

Before a Falkland comes

A Cuban Syria Red war drum

Sounds to the thieves 'retreat'

And prophets, patriots standing forth

Shall speak as Pearl did for the worth

Of life and justice for her race

Somewhere somehow to reach the heart

And soul of death's white face.

 

Kevin Gilbert paying homage to Pearl Gibbs

Latest Papers

The working papers collection comprises historical papers as well as current ideas and works in progress on some of the major issues and topics of our times.

Gatirri School: A Teacher who Lives There (released 12 October 2026)
Gatirri School at Mata Mata grew from the teaching of Mrs P.B. Burarrwaŋa, one of the first fully trained Yolŋu teachers.
» more
Food: Diet and Nutrition on the Homelands (released 12 October 2026)
What people eat at Mata Mata and other north-east Arnhem Land homelands depends on the country and sea, the store and whether there is power to keep food cold.
» more
Power: Making Homelands Sustainable (released 11 October 2026)
Homelands can be self sufficient through solar power saving tens of thousands of litres of diesel per annum
» more
Roads: Central Arnhem Highway (released 9 October 2026)
The road that no-one wants to fund..
» more
Bush Taxis: How People and Goods Get Around when there is no other option (released 9 October 2026)
On the homelands a bush taxi is often an act of desperation that leaves people with no money, with debts, and under formidable personal pressure.
» more
Where Gove's Money Went (released 8 October 2026)
Homelands around one of the world's most lucrative bauxite mine have received very little funding.. so where did the money go? This paper tries to come up with the answers.
» more
Boats (released 8 October 2026)
This companion paper in the Planes, Roads, Automobiles set turns to the sea.
» more
Planes (released 7 October 2026)
When a homeland has no working vehicle, planes become the fallback — at far greater cost.
» more
Planes, Roads, Automobiles. (released 7 October 2026)
Mata Mata is a Yolŋu homeland in North East Arnhem Land, founded by Gatirri Burarrwaŋa and family around 1948 and supported by Marthakal Homelands & Resource Centre. It has no working vehicle. Homelands have a strong health record, but homeland programs do not fund a transport system, and private vehicles are a gap that families fill themselves.
» more
The name that was written down (released 5 October 2026)
No great revelations here just some notes on issues that perhaps those living in cities and mainstream life have not thought about too much.
» more

Pages