She was a ball of fluff at eight weeks and came from a farm in Corryong.

When she came to me the farmer told me that she had been raised on milk from their dairy. 

Molly was funny, bossy, playful, intelligent and we had loads of happy times together. 

My grandchildren loved her, played with her for hours.

If they stayed overnight she would sleep for hours  after they went home. 

They are now grown up and married. 

I miss her every day and still look for her each morning.

Dogs and cats are a bonus to us when our children grow up, they give us so much love and they cannot answer back. 

Sometimes I wished she could talk. 

At the end she was blind, deaf and she had a bad heart along with other problems.

But each night she would greet a friend of mine, Marion, with a little dance and a yelp or two, 

When the vet put her to sleep she barked twice right at the end. The vet said that was something she had never seen a dog do.

I think my Molly was saying goodbye. My friend Alison came with me, so we took her home and buried her.

Goodbye Molly dog, and thank you for your time with me. 

The theme of this year’s NAIDOC week – Because of her, we can – celebrates the role of women in leadership, but for all the plaudits there is a distinct lack of political will from those handing out the bouquets.

Political leadership has never been more important and never been so lacking in light of the rejection of the ‘Uluru statement from the heart’ by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

The reality of NAIDOC’s theme is ‘Because of him we won’t’ reflecting on the failure of the prime minister toward real action for Indigenous recognition in our constitution.

Malcolm Turnbull has an almost inexhaustible supply of glass trinkets, epithets, smoke and mirrors that he hands out between cocktail parties as a substitute for real action. The absence of Indigenous recognition in our constitution and the appalling record in terms of education, incarnation and health remain the stain on our international reputation.

Talk has never been cheaper.

The rhetoric of ‘shared Australian values’ is icing on a non-existent cake served up at every forum hosted by our national leader. Australian values are pumped up and paraded on the ANZAC steroid demanding that we take our history seriously as we move forward.

When our constitution fails to address disposition, injustice and local crimes against humanity we are hijacked in a vehicle whose political drivers have their foot flat to the floor, are too nervous to glance in the rear view mirror and turn up the music hoping that those filling the tank don’t ask too many questions as to where we are headed.

The winner of the letter of the week has to be Marie Scullin, of North Albury. You can collect your prize from the offices of The Border Mail, at 1 McKoy Street, Wodonga. Send your letter submissions to letters@bordermail.com.au.