I saw the ugliness of apartheid
Long ago in the Nineteen fifties
In England, in the street, in the faces
Of white South Africans looking cross
Avoiding using the same pavement
Coloureds now walked on happily
And so I made a vow that in my life
I'd smile in friendship with coloured people
To speak with them if there was a chance
To show that they were welcome to me
We could walk on the pavement together
Hand in hand in harmony
I migrated from Britain to Australia
More than fifty years ago to find
That native Australian aboriginees
Were treated with the same disrespect
Despite welcome to all other migrants
To build a land strong and free
Eventually native Australians
Were counted too and given the vote
Rather than being considered part
Of the country's flora and fauna
I like to think that Nelson Mandela
Also helped my own country
Image of both the Aboriginal and Australian flags flying together in Victoria Square, Adelaide, South Australia found at https://journals.worldnomads.com/flyted/photo/28660
