Newsletter for 1 March 2016 RAR Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

Fund Raising for our Group

We currently have a fundraising effort going on to help us continue our activities and have raised $290 (as of 25 Feb) with a target of $500. A generous supporter has also given/loaned us a brand new gazebo which should prove slightly more weather resistant than our current, much loved but rather battered one.

If you can help out in any way just contact us through our email bellingen.rar@gmail.com or message us through our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Rural-Australians-for-Refugees-Bellingen-and-Nambucca-Districts-269696303205083/?ref=hl.

If you would like to donate to our Target 500 appeal, direct credit can be made to our BCU account Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca BSB 704 328 Account Number 238 205

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Help us with our research.

Supporters at our meeting on 21 February went away inspired to take action.

The following is valuable research into number of Asylum Seekers/ Refugees held on Nauru, obtained from the Human Rights Commission by one of our supporters.

"The number of children in detention in Nauru has been decreasing but this is largely because the children have been released from the detention facility, not necessarily because they have left Nauru altogether.

According to the latest statistics from the Department of Immigration, there are 484 people (including 54 children) detained in Nauru (http://www.border.gov.au/ReportsandPublications/Documents/statistics/immigration-detention-statistics-31-jan-2016.pdf).

A further 839 people are living in the Nauruan community after having been found to be refugees and released from detention (http://newsroom.border.gov.au/channels/media-releases/releases/operation-sovereign-borders-monthly-update-january-2). "

Then another person was inspired to write to Peter Dutton see http://bellorar.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/letter-to-peter-dutton-on-children-out.html 

Getting our supporters to contribute to improving our knowledge and to write politicians confronting them with this information is a great idea.

If you would like to carry out some research, have a look at "Useful Links on the blog http://bellorar.blogspot.com.au/p/useful-links.html

Next Market stall will be in Bellingen on Saturday 19 March 2016

Refugee wants to return to Manus Island

"One of the first refugees to be resettled in Papua New Guinea has pleaded to be returned to Manus Island, saying life in limbo is better than living with fear, loneliness and poverty in the city of Lae."

for full article see http://bellorar.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/refugee-wants-to-return-to-manus-island.html

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Our blog is at http://bellorar.blogspot.com.au and includes articles from many sources and letters to politicians and newspapers

check out the index of subjects on the blog

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Keep Track  of "Let them stay" protests on our Facebook

Twitter Account @RARBellingenNam

Email address bellingen.rar@gmail.com

The National RAR web site is at  www.ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org.au 

David Wallin