Story on Noel Pearson - pdf

Noel Pearson- Narrative/storying
on an Indigenous person's health
journey
Noel Pearson is an aboriginal activist and respected leader of the community. He belongs to
Guugu Yiithirr aboriginal community which is at Hope Vale, a Lutheran mission upon Cape
York Peninsula. He completed his graduation from University of Sydney with a honours degree
in History. He made thesis in his honours which were based on history of Hope Vale Lutheran
mission from the year 1900 to 1950. He was a co-founder and executive, e director of Cape York
Land council in 1990. He was also a legal advisor for the Torres Strait islander and aboriginal
commission. He constantly advised various indigenous organisations within Cape York. Noel
Pearson is a complex, inherently modest, shy and difficult person. He is very demanding from
politicians, media and his own indigenous group. Further, Noel is very difficult to contact,
devastating to debate and impossible to predict. He completely dislikes alcohol and hate its
impact on his indigenous sisters and brothers, the irresponsible conduct and violence it
stimulated along with the inattention of children because unconscious parents cannot nurture or
protect their children properly. Pearson has developed a model for empowering indigenous
society which aim at fostering entrepreneurship in order to improve productivity of economy. In
addition, model focuses on improving education and health outcomes. He is a part of indigenous
aboriginal community of Australia who suffers from mental health and illness accompanied with
depression. Mental illness and depression is a common problem faced by Indigenous people and
it is framed in a big picture which is related to historical events, cultural differences, cultural and
social changes. The main cause of mental illness and depression in these people is loss of culture,
identify and land, overt and covert racism, powerlessness and marginalisation. The Australian
Bureau of Statistics stated that Indigenous people are twice likely to experience psychological
distress as compared to non-indigenous people. Morris and Pearson (2017) concluded that as an
effect of depression carried by people is extending to the well-being of the families, societies

and communities. Former Prime minister Paul Keating once described Noel, as one of the finest
public speaker he ever heard. Pearson's ability to articulate a policy, or an argument makes him
different from any intellectual crowd. In the late 80's, Pearson joined with various other
indigenous leaders who were fighting for land rights. However, it was the first time Australia
saw the effectiveness and clarity of argument by an Aboriginal lawyer. Pearson had a brash tone
along with the zeal of activism which attracted many listeners. The qualities he developed was
due to a strict Lutheran upbringing with his four brothers and sisters at Hopevale community on
Cape York. His father was lay preacher and butcher there. Pearson was proud of his aboriginal
heritage and use to speak constantly on his ideal as well as indigent childhood. He faced many
issues related to health especially mental health in his childhood such as child abuse, racism,
depression. Poverty, etc. (Watt, 2017). He overcome all these issues by his will of doing
something good for the community or society, so that the upcoming generation do not face str
such issues or problems in their upbringing and life. His family has faced many issues such as
poverty, loss of land, racism which was very disturbing for Pearson.
An Australian government debate on indigenous domestic violence, which was
conducted in the year 2003 and 2004. The council of Australian government signed a National
framework on Child protection and Indigenous family violence. Noel Pearson made an argument
on the importance of intervention with regards to a major issue , Ab Aboriginal child sexual
abuse. Reported by Masters and Uhr (2017) concluded that issues of child abuse within northern
territory aboriginal communities is searching a critical point and he initiated the national
emergency response. This response included various interventions such as suspension of racial
discrimination act, deployment of health workers and police, compulsory management of
Aboriginal people's income, compulsory acquisition of Aboriginal land and a ban on alcohol.
Noel indicated qualified support for all these measures but also received several criticisms for the
same. In the year 2012, the outspoken and charismatic indigenous leader Noel Pearson has fallen
quiet for few months due to his undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma. Although the cancer
was in remission, Pearson had critical six months according to the latest problem within a
magazine The Monthly. Noel admitted that he had many bad thoughts during these months. He
also said that cancer was very close to defeating him and he was constantly being drugged which
impacted her vison ability. . Pearson was almost near to death as he told to many reporters and

editors. Even after so much pain he somehow managed to survive and sustain as a most
important and supported leader of the indigenous and aboriginal community (Hudson, 2017).
Noel Pearson said that he came across various complex situation, arguments or critics to
make them a larger point. A main reason that made him an influential person at present is his
ability to survive during a period within which other indigenous leaders or representatives and
organisations were removed while fighting for recognitions and equity (Sheridan and et.al.,
2017). Pearson individually build his agenda and maintained his autonomy while white
authorities and agencies slowly had any power they ever conceded over various indigenous
affairs. He is both pragmatist and idealist, both a supporter and an intelligent critic of state led
interventions in to indigenous lives. It is more reliable to state that Pearson has effectively
navigated the troubled area between governments, mainstream news media, Indigenous people
and Indigenous community whichchanged his involvement in order to dispense his weaknesses
(Foley, 2018). The network he has made-up runs at a region from both government and Pearson
himself. Further, Noel is able to collaborate with initiatives, given the opportunity, but it is able
to endure the collapse of a funding source, the criticism of a single organ, or the ‘reform’ of a
single sector. In the national context, the network Pearson has made-up in Cape York has been
uniquely successful in surviving and earning more and more assistance from journalists,
governments and the non-Indigenous people likewise (Watt, 2018). Noel Pearson's story is very
essential to be shared as it demonstrates how he developed his skills and leadership qualities to
promote benefits and equal status for indigenous and aboriginal community. Moreover, Noel was
focused on seeking help from various supporting agencies as well as policies in favour of people
suffering from mental illness and depression. He faced many issues himself in his childhood
along with his brother and sisters (Hollinsworth, 2017). Pearson started his fight for indigenous
people to provide them a better upbringing and life. His aim was to remove all the negative
elements in the community such as racism, child sex abuse, alcohol and drugs, loss of land, etc.
which are negatively affecting people's mental health (McKenna, 2018). Major aim of Noel
Pearson was to develop equity among people of each and every community, and remove
discrimination that was faced by the people. Pearson has developed a model for empowering
indigenous society which aim at fostering entrepreneurship in order to improve productivity of
economy. In addition, model focuses on improving education and health outcomes. He became a
true and respected leader for indigenous people by making most significant arguments. Noel

Pearson is not only recognised as a great political leader, but he is symbolised as a strong
individuals who fiught for justice and well-being of his people even after getting so close to
death. He survived political conflicts, disputes, cancer and many issues but at last he achieved
success with his enthusiasm, dedication and activism (Windschuttle, 2017).

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Morris, S. and Pearson, N., 2017. Indigenous Constitutional Recognition: Paths to failure and
possible paths to success. Australian Law Journal, 91(5), pp.350-359.
Masters, A.B. and Uhr, J., 2017. Noel Pearson: Civil Leadership and Political Rhetoric.
In Leadership Performance and Rhetoric (pp. 103-117). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Hudson, S., 2017. The forgotten people: Liberal and conservative approaches to recognising
indigenous peoples [Book Review]. Policy: A Journal of Public Policy and Ideas, 33(1),
p.59.
Foley, D., 2018. 19. Aboriginal entrepreneurship: is it a career or a lifestyle change?. Research
Handbook of Diversity and Careers, p.308.
Hollinsworth, D., 2017. Unstable relations: Indigenous people and environmentalism in
contemporary Australia.
Windschuttle, K., 2017. Noel Pearson's nations. Quadrant, 61(7/8), p.4.
Sheridan, J., Murphy, C., Taylor, B. and Benedict, S., 2017. In Conversation with Jim
Sheridan. Studies in Arts and Humanities, 3(1), pp.86-91.
Watt, E., 2017. Pearson’s Mission: Revisiting Noel Pearson’s Revisionist History of Hope
Vale. Journal of Australian Studies, 42(1), pp.34-50.
McKenna, M., 2018. Moment of truth: Response to correspondence. Quarterly Essay, (70),
p.131.
Watt, E., 2018. Pearson’s Mission: Revisiting Noel Pearson’s Revisionist History of Hope
Vale. Journal of Australian Studies, 42(1), pp.34-50.
Online
Noel Pearson remote community. 2015. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/drive/remote-aboriginal-community-
furore/6304578>.