In an Aboriginal settlement of a hundred or so souls, people gathered under trees to escape the heat of the day. Some whiled away the time playing cards, others just sat there doing nothing. Though it was a school day, groups of children roamed the streets, milling with the stray dogs and rubbish. The air of despondency and despair was palpable.
Driving through these communities, I wondered why don’t they pick up their rubbish, look after their houses, and send their children to school. But after a while, I began to realise that perhaps residents were too depressed to care about such mundane things as picking up rubbish and maintaining their homes.
