Some of the Highlights in the Magazine:

Editorial

Viewpoint: Changing the Water

Traditional Owners Fly High at Truscott

Obituary

KCP Magazine

Friends, where are we going?

In an edition of a Broome secular newspaper late last year there appeared a photograph of a pseudo-wedding ceremony of a same sex couple on Cable beach. The accompanying article opined that this must be a "first in Broome". Although the make-believe event was meaningless in terms of law and effect it was treated to the sort of publicity not normally shown to real weddings. On the same page, in fact adjacent to the beach photo, was a brief entry describing the new brand-label for the tourist industry in Broome -'Broome Let Yourself Go'. Was this unhappy coincidence that the two articles appeared next to one another or was it something else?

It has been suggested that in the light of modern 'devolution' in Broome that perhaps a better brand-cum-label for the town would be - 'Broome - Where Are You Going' or even, 'Broome - Where Have You Gone?'

What is noteworthy about Broome's march down the road of materialism is the speed with which it has lost its uniqueness. Even until the mid-eighties the old pearl-town was a place of special cultural attributes. The pace of development was within reach of everyone's understanding and appreciation. Lord Alistair McAlpine fell in love with Broome, he said, because it was so 'unique' - a word meaning remarkable, rare or unusual. Since the beginnings of Cable Beach Club in the late eighties the remarkable, the rare and the unusual have been replaced with a carbon copy of numerous towns found along the holiday playgrounds of the northern east coast. The place is fast becoming mundane, common and even plastic.

What has happened is that in the name of progress and development massive investments have poured into the town. At some time in the recent past some people perceived that there was a 'quick buck' to be made here. These investors expect returns and so far they have not been disappointed. Land prices have sky-rocketed, rentals are through the roof and housing costs are beyond the means of many who were born here and others who have come here because they honestly thought the town was 'unique'. In a word, the town, its priorities, and the structures that afford power have been sold to the highest bidder.

Optimists and those who live a life in hope ask, 'Broome, where are you going?' Hidden in the midst of the rampant consumerism of present day Broome are the values that matter most to those who seek an honest existence and a peace-filled future. Such values are based on integrity, family, authentic relationships and the belief that materialism cannot satisfy our most sacred needs.

It is no accident that the charade of a phony "commitment" ceremony occurs at a time when materialism and consumerism are at their height. So long as God has been overlooked for the dollar, so long as we attempt to make God in our own image and so long as we relegate essential values to the bottom of our priorities, then we can expect nothing less than phoniness and deceitfulness in our lives. Where are we going? It is never the right time to let ourselves go! God has a plan for us.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the Bishop of Broome.

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