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3.7.18

Newsletter for 3 July 2018 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts


Roadside demonstration report
Next Market : Bellingen, Saturday 21st July
The Wendy Sharpe paintings
Our open letter to the Labor Party
News from our national RAR committee
A mother's heartfelt plea

Roadside demonstration report

We had a great turnout for last week's roadside demonstration in Bellingen. A big thank you to the eleven supporters involved. We made a big impact with our three large banners and assorted placards and the response from motorists was overwhelming positive.
Our next demo will take place on 12th July in Coffs Harbour, by the side of the Pacific Highway, opposite the Base hospital, from 2.30 to 4.00 pm. Please come and join us if you can.

Next Market : Bellingen, Saturday 21st July

Our next market stall will be at Bellingen market on Saturday 21st July from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm.  You will find us at site C35, and the entry point is via Gate C/D on Park Street. As usual we'll be talking to market-goers, handing out leaflets, selling merchandise and collecting signatures on our open letter to the Labor Party. If you are able to join us for a while, then please let Mike know by email at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com

The Wendy Sharpe paintings

We are delighted to report that we have received  a reasonable offer for the painting entitled Lili Koi with Pink Light. Our intention therefore is to sell the painting to the bidder unless we receive a higher bid by 5.00 pm on Thursday 5th July. This leaves us with the framed watercolour painting entitled Antarctic Landscape with Bird. If you are interested in buying the painting, then please let Mike have your bid as soon as you can. It's a great opportunity to purchase a painting by a famous artist who has won multiple prizes, including the Archibald and the Sulman prize. We will have the painting on display at the Bellingen market, but if you would like to see a photo of it in the meantime, please get in touch with Mike.

Our open letter to the Labor Party

Thank you to all our supporters who have signed our latest open letter. So far we have collected about 900 signatures, and we would like to get to 2,000 by the closing date of 6th August. A number of RAR groups from around Australia have been sending their completed sheets to us, often with warm words of appreciation. This from a parish priest in South Australia: "May your work and endeavours bring about a compassionate and humanitarian approach for people traumatised by life experiences exacerbated by punitive policies which inflict more anguish upon them."

News from our national RAR committee

Our national committee continues to work immensely hard on behalf of asylum seekers and refugees. Our President and Vice President were in Canberra again recently, meeting with officials and MPs to spell out to them our policy on the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, and pressing them on the most recent government plan to cut off benefits from asylum seekers living in the community whilst their claims for protection are assessed. The committee has also published an excellent ten-point plan, which you can find on our blog. It's well worth a read.  (see posts below)

A mother's heartfelt plea

The mother of Fariborz Karami, who died by suicide on Nauru very recently, has pleaded with the Australian Border Force to allow her to bury her son "anywhere but Nauru or Iran" in an excoriating letter which was published in the Guardian on 28th June. Mansour Beigi, Fariborz's mother, writes:" Do you know me? I am the suffering and miserable mother who repeatedly begged you to help. Frequently, I implored you to assist me. An ill mother who could not stand to see her children in this situation any more. Often, I told you and I wrote to you that my sons are depressed and exhausted "please help a sick and feeble mother". But instead of support, you replied that if I couldn't tolerate it, I should return to my country........  My 26-year-old son had his last breaths in your mouldy tents and closed his beautiful eyes to your abomination, injustice and disgusting policies"
Mansour's other son, 12-year-old Ali, is mentally very unwell, and doctors have stated that, as he is an acute mental health risk, he should be moved from the island.
You might feel moved to email Minister Dutton at: minister@border.gov.au.  



Check out the index of subjects on our blog
  http://bellorar.blogspot.com.au 
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