Caitlin's+Journal

On the 29th of July, the Year 10's of Killester College had the privilege of hearing the power and Aboriginal culture that is story telling by a talented, charismatic man by the name of Boori "Monty" Pryor. He came to Killester as a guest speaker and taught us the ways of the Aboriginal culture in such a skilled way, by making it the under tone in all the stories he told the audience. His humorous tales were absolutely enthralling and had everyone in fits of laughter and giggles. Even though the stories he shared with us were portrayed in such a light, entertaining and comical way, under the surface of the stories there was a deep tonality of conflict and misunderstanding of the Aboriginal culture. He showed us the darker sides of being Aboriginal by using the opposite of grief - laughter. He brought these two opposites together and made us cry of laughter and joy, while telling and teaching and showing us his culture, a few of the struggles and also the brilliant successes in his life. The fact that he was able to laugh, and make jokes and purely enjoy entertaining us with his stories about his life, the life of Aboriginals, the Aboriginal culture ect. portrayed and showed his true inner strength and that no matter what life may through at you, you can always be the last one laughing. He was just utterly brilliant. I honestly believe he is truly an inspiration to all, and because of him and this topic we are currently discussing in depth at school - I now respect and appreciate the different cultures surrounding all of us that much more. I am so grateful that he came to Killester, the experience was a memorable one!