Like the Colonists

An argument in favour of Indian Mynas, placing them into political metaphorical language (Forum, Peninsula News, June 23), might be answered by another metaphor:

Over 200 years ago, the Colonists came to Australia and said "Australia is not inhabited", clearly ignoring the natural ancestors of this land.

It took over 200 years for us to get over ourselves and thankfully, recently, a new Prime Minister became a public voice for us to say "Sorry" to the Stolen Generation and the nation of Aborigines in this land.

It is the same misguided logic as our forefathers used to claim that our native Aborigines - in this case our native Australian birds - are not the true inhabitants of this land!

Righteous ignorance occurred back then to the detriment of our own Aboriginal people and it is a metaphor for what is occurring to our Australian native birds with the Indian Myna!

What is the affect upon our native birdlife since the introduction of the Indian Mynas?

Baby native birds are pecked to death by Indian Mynas.

Their eggs are destroyed by these aggressive pests.

Let's learn from our history but let's not wait 200 years to say "Sorry" to our decimated bird life.

Our native birds are the underdog - and they need our help now!

Gail Pickering Woy Woy