Modern History NSW

Examples of Syllabus Inadequacies andSolutions

1. Apartheid

Archbishop Tutu was not specifically mentioned in the Syllabus norwas the Dutch Reformed Church’s support of apartheid, or religion.Religious faith was central to the lives of Archbishop Desmond Tutuand Oliver Tambo (photo on left), long term leader of the AfricanNational Congress in exile. Albie Sachs (centre photo), “anti-apartheid hero”, “connected most powerfully” with these “twopeople”. He said ”Prayer and the sense of God are enormouslyimportant to Tutu, I am “a totally secular person”. “Desmond has amarvellous sense of fun”. (“Tutu A. Sparks & M.A. Tutu; pp 170-1,310).

Tutu “has always insisted he was neither a politician nor a leader ofthe black struggle in South Africa. “Our real leaders,” he would sayrepeatedly in those dark days, ”are in prison and in exile. Thegovernment must release them…to negotiate a new constitution.”His own role, as he saw it, was to fulfil the mandate vested in himas a pastor of the Christian Church, to combat the evil of apartheidand follow God’s intention that his people should be led out ofbondage into full liberation.”

“The truth, though, is that Tutu was in fact an interim leader ofspecial importance, for he fill the void caused by the absence ofthose in prison and exile or otherwise legally silenced…” (Sparks &Tutu p1)

Nelson Mandela once said of Tutu in a birthday tribute:“Desmond Tutu has often spoken about the God in which hebelieves as a being with a great sense of humour. What he himselfbrought to our national life is that uplifting touch of lightness andhumour amid the most serious messages and teachings.” (Sparks &Tutu p226) Disting. Prof. Emeritus Rev Peter Storey was achaplain to Mandela, other “Rivonia” prisoners including A.Kathrada, a Muslim, on Robben Island…Mandela badgeredauthorities to allow the Muslim to pray at holy place for 6yrs(Syllabus p85 See Reference below)[Interest to Muslim students]Storey did much work with Tutu in the SA Council ofChurches(SACC). Tutu was active in ‘Free Mandela Campaign’.(Syll.p85) P1

Apartheid See Also: “Proposed History Syllabus” ProposedHSp5,27

2. Indigenous History

The Syllabus unit on Aboriginal History does not specifically directstudents to study the positive contribution of missionaries and otherchurch people, including Aboriginal missionaries, to Aboriginaladvancement. Religiously motivated groups and individuals haveplayed a very prominent and influential role in the promotion ofAboriginal rights and equality, but the Syllabus ignores this.

See Table of Contents and Index for various aspects of informationavailable.

See ProposedSHS pp5-6

Campaigners celebrated the goodwill of the nation 30 years afterthe success of the 1967 Referendum. Faith Bandler is on our rightof the clergyman.

“As early as August 1910 the Australian Board of Mission (Anglican)had called on governments to agree to… Federal Government tosafeguard the human and civil rights of aborigines.”

Joanne Tuscano “Massacres. Missionaries and Mistakes” (TeachingHistory” Dec 2009, March 2010)

A2: People who changed Australia – Content Focus

There is a lack of acknowledgement of the role of Aboriginal andNon Aboriginal Christians (See Teachers Christian Fellowship ofNSW website:

http://www.tcfofnsw.org.au/htmarticles/History-recommendations.html) (See also Appendix)

This document includes examples of missionaries arguing the casefor the rights of Aboriginal people. Examples are given of thesupport that people such as Charles Perkins and Faith Bandlerreceived from Christians.

https://recognitionandindigenousrights.wordpress.com

For details on content see paragraph at end of “7.Recognition

3.The Fall of the Berlin Wall

A crucial factor in the fall of the Berlin Wall was the role of theChurches. The role of the churches has been given prominence inmany academic studies but the syllabus fails to mention this, sothat teachers are not directed to cover it. The question arises: ifstudents through their own research or reading become aware ofthe church factor and communicate this in their responses to anexamination question, how will their additional understanding beassessed in the Higher School Certificate?

Note: A brief article in the Newsletter of The Uniting ChurchHistorical Society (NSW/ACT), March 2017, refers to the role ofChurches in the Fall of the Berlin Wall Details about the churchesrole are in a following section. See ProposedSHS p6,12, 28

Christian Fuhrer was the Lutheran pastor of St Nicholas Church(Nicolai Kirche ) Leipzig and one of the leading figures andorganisers of the 1989 Monday demonstrations in EastGermany which finally led to the reunification and the end of theGDR in 1990

4. The US Civil Rights Movement

Details about the role of the black Churches, non Black Christians,Christians: Rev Martin Luther King, Rosa Park (see“ChangeMakers”), Christian support at Little Rock High at initiative of DaisyBates, a non Christian, US teachers study guide on Black Churchesfollow.

See ProposedSHS pp 7-10, 14-16,28 King Kitchen Table p16.

See ProposedSHS Religion in USA p16

5. The Arab Palestinian Israeli situation

Religion is vitally important both within the Middle East andoverseas, including USA and Great Britain, in influencing thissituation.

See ProposedSHS p10,28

6. Some Pertinent Questions

1. How can the implementation of the new Modern History Syllabusbe carried out in a way that will counteract the bias and inadequacyof the Syllabus itself?

2. How can teachers program topics so that their teaching is morebalanced and less flawed?

3. How can the Syllabus be taught in a way that properly preparesstudents for university study (and life in general) by equippingthem with a knowledge and understanding of religious influencesthat have motivated people to struggle to change their societies?

4. In excluding the role of religious influences in History, theSyllabus writers have frequently ignored or negated the researchand publications of distinguished academic scholars in the variousfields. These historiographical omissions and distortions will affectthe standing of the Syllabus as a foundation document for theteaching of History.

See ProposedSHS Catholic text p11-12, Religion & History &Dishonesty12-3,16 Discovering Democracy pp 22-26

5. How can Albie Sachs, a totally secular person, expect that aflawed History Syllabus can nurture “integrity and honesty” and“sense of fun” as he described Desmond in the quotation: “Iadmired his capacity to work in this world, but responded to theclarity and honesty and integrity of his vision and his way of dealingwith people. There was also a sense of fun…” (Tutu Sparks & Tutup170)

7. Recognition of Indigenous Rights

This section of the website has been prepared to inform ofthe contribution of missionaries and other church people,including Aboriginal missionaries and church people, to therights of Aboriginal people. This, I hope, can be used to givestudents a more accurate and fair history.

There has been no specific mention of the role of churchpeople in the NSW 2017 Modern History Syllabus, nor as Isee it, it the current ACARA Senior History curriculum.

Omitting church people, it seems, meant that curriculum writerswere ignorant of their significant role, or they are unaware that it isnecessary for textbook writers and publishers to be told specificallythings that are to be studied or topics will be left out. Cleardirections would encourage teachers to provide a fairer history.

Senior administrator did not answer whether “One Blood”was consulted.

It is also of concern that a senior administrator in ACARA would notanswer my enquiry as to whether curriculum writers had read JohnHarris’s book “One Blood”. Harris’ book is an authoritative text onthe missions and is essential reading for anyone concerned with awide range of Aboriginal issues including recognition of rights. Thebook is accessible on line.

Failure to mention missionaries in the F-10 curriculum is ofconcern.

I appreciate there are many reports of negatives concerningmissionaries and that I still need to include more concerning this in

my developing resource. Avoiding teaching about missions becauseof controversy denies students “robustness” and “balance” in thecurriculum.

A reference document titled “Indigenous & Missions” wasprovided as a submission for Syllabus writers on 11th December2015.

Courageous missionaries & Aboriginal people of strongreligious conviction are ignored in the syllabus.

It also denies students and teachers the opportunity of becomingaware of courageous Aboriginal missionaries who have a strongfaith. Aboriginal activists such as William Cooper and WilliamFerguson were also people of strong Christian convictions whichwere nurtured by missionaries and later were a key part of the Dayof Mourning.

Ignoring the positive role of missions also denies Australians theopportunity of being aware of some fine Australians. So much of theIndigenous story is about negative people.

Important to ensure that all missionaries to Aborigines arenot tainted.

Many were appreciated and did much to help people grow spirituallyas well as become educated and develop various technical skills.

In “Sunrise Station Revisited” [Taree NSW] by Pat Davis-Hurst, A.M. says:

“The different approach between the Board Managers and Missionaries wasevident to the Aboriginal. The Aboriginal trusted the Missionaries whereas therelationships with the managers were very strained.” (p15)

Ella Simon in “Through my Eyes’ [Taree] said “Those earlymissionaries were very kind.” (p36) Missionaries have been seen asbridges between various cultures.

See ProposedSHS Indigenous Rights 17-9,Missionaries 20-1

https://recognitionandindigenousrights.wordpress.com/

8. Helping Students and Teachers

We hope that as the website is further developed, we will be able,by:

Providing additional information on a range of topics andSuggesting lines of inquiry andproviding links to resources to enable teachers and their students toaccess important aspects of topics which the Syllabus fails to address.

Reference: Professor Barney Glover, Chair UniversitiesAustralia and Vice-Chancellor, University of Western Sydney.Address to the National Press Club in Canberra 1 March 2017. (Pagenumbers depend on copy of speech that you use). The full speech isavailable at:-www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au [‘Forgetting’MilanKunderaPragueacademics pp8-9, Reference to Charles.Perkins]

Distinguished Prof Emeritus Rev P.Storey:

https://divinity.duke.edu/news/peter-storey-nelson-mandela-i-knew-and-loved [Brief account includes Muslim, of prison life onRobben Is]

http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/ahmed-kathrada

HomeApartheidChange MakersCivil Rights USADay of Mourning to MaboExamples of Syllabus Inadequacies and SolutionsFall of the Berlin WallIndigenous people who changed AustraliaKey Omissions in History Syllabus 3917Key Omissions Modern History 8319Proposed Modern History Syllabus

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