The Wire

The 1967 referendum delivered Aboriginal people from an apartheid-like existence and gave them the vote. A new childrens’ book Say Yes reflects on the spirit of togetherness in Australia at that time and the change that the yes vote brought to the lives of indigenous people. Mandy Brown and Margaret Castles were just five years old at the time and the book, written by Margaret’s sister Jennifer,  uses the story of their friendship to underline how different the experiences of indigenous and white children were at that time. Mandy and Margaret  say unlike the 67 experience , the upcoming referendum may do more harm than good to  Aboriginal Australia.