Bob Randall

Uncle Bob was considered one of the most important Aboriginal elders in Australia because of his activism in exposing the “stolen generation.” The “stolen generation” was named for the practice of the Australian government to take mixed-race babies from their mothers to be raised “white” in missionary schools, thousands of miles from their homes. Bob was inspired by an inner voice he understood to have been his mother’s to write the song, “Brown Skin Baby (They Took Me Away),” which became a rallying cry in Australia to end this horrific practice.

I met Uncle Bob Randall and his wife Barbara at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 2009 in Melbourne, Australia through my producer, Clare McGrath. And in one of the most special experiences of my life, Clare and I were invited to spend three days with Uncle Bob and Barbara in their home in the Aboriginal community, Mutitjulu, next to the monolith Uluru, in the Northwest Territory. I had never seen such clear, star-filled skies, nor been so scared by the howling of the dingos at night. I deliberately chose to sleep outside. Over those three days, I got to know Bob and Barbara and learn about the devastation of the Aboriginal peoples and culture that has been happening for generations now in Australia. What makes it so sad is that the same exact thing has been done around the world by western white settlers in every continent against indigenous peoples, including the practice of taking mixed-race babies away from their mothers to raise them “white.”

The most special gift I received being with Uncle Bob was a deepened understanding of God in all of creation. And by all of creation, I especially mean Mother Sun and Mother Earth (Aboriginals consider the moon to be male: Father Moon). Bob spoke of being beaten in the missionary schools. All the children had to comfort themselves were Mother Sun and Mother Earth...and she would hold them.

Bob also conveyed the great interdependency that humans have with animals to the point of his being willing to give himself to the crocodile if the crocodile chose him for a meal. When Bob and Barbara came to Cincinnati for a visit, we held a gathering with them in my home where Bob offered this blessing before the meal: “We thank the fish people for giving of themselves and we thank the plant people for giving of themselves.”

Another great example that Barbara likes to share is a story from when she and Bob were driving on a desolated Australian highway. Barabara said that she had never seen an emu and would love to see one. So Bob said, “Oh you’d like to see an emu?” and he called for an emu. Within a few miles, in the middle of the highway an emu was standing right on the center line of the road.

Bob also described relatives who were related to the weather and could change it. And, of course, trees and stones were his family as much as was the person standing next to him.

Uncle Bob suffered from heart problems and died on May 12, 2015. His memory is strong with me and I am actively in touch with Barbara who has become a friend. Receiving the wisdom of indigenous peoples is one of the great gifts of this project.