Galiwinku Diary

17/2/26

Sadly and shockingly for the Galiwinku community a young man is stabbed and dies in an altercation with another young man on Saturday 14/2. This is the day after the community comes together in a meeting to discuss the increase in youth crime – mainly breakins at the shops and NGO offices and smashing of car windows. Balanda we know who have been connected here for 30 years say this murder is unprecedented. At one stage I go out in the car on Saturday afternoon and witness an angry mob of young men it seems being revved up in angry revenge and charging down the road. We’re told to stay at home by management. The scariest thing now is escalation and payback and the community being divided in this on clan & family lines.

[Post Script – despite my fears, things do settle down in the community around this violent death. When we are later adopted it turns out that the deceased man is from the household of our adoptive family – the son in law. I later hear that the father in law wishes to forgive the perpetrator who has now fled to another island. We can play a supportive role with our family when they get distressed by a seemingly slow police investigation. I bump into some NAAJA lawyers and I am able to normalise for our family the nature of the police investigation).