Newsletter for 6 November 2018 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

_{Roadside demonstration report}

_{Kids off Nauru: the momentum builds}

_{Writing letters to the local press}

_{“These Hands”: a song for refugees}

_{DVD for loan}

_{Roadside demonstration report}

_{Another great roadside demonstration in Bellingen last Thursday, with overwhelming support from passing motorists. Our next demo will be on Thursday 15}^th _{November from 2.30 to 4.00 pm in Toormina, in our usual spot on Hogbin Drive, about 150 metres down the hill from the fire station. Please come and join us if you can.}

_{Kids off Nauru: the momentum builds}

_{As of Saturday 3}^rd _{November, just 35 refugee children remain on Nauru, and the numbers will continue to fall in the days ahead. This is great news, but the battle is far from over, both for these children and their families and for the more than 600 men who remain on Manus, many of whom are seriously unwell. There are stories in the press of families arriving from Nauru and being placed in locked detention centres, separated from their sick, hospitalized children. In addition, the government continues to insist that none of the families brought from Nauru will be resettled in Australia. So, whilst they are now off the island, and the sick children are finally receiving treatment for their conditions which have been created by prolonged detention, their future remains very uncertain. Just days ago, on 2}^nd _{November, the Morrison government was unsuccessful in challenging the Federal Court’s power to order the evacuation of dangerously ill children from Nauru, underlining its intention to make things as difficult as possible for refugees on Nauru and Manus, whilst at the same time bowing to overwhelming public pressure to end this shameful chapter in our history.}

_{Our focus, as Gillian Triggs, the former President of the Human Rights Commission, stated in a radio interview last week, must remain on the push to end the practice of offshore detention for good. She also reminded listeners: “For very obvious reasons one tends to emphasise the children….but of course the same arguments apply to their parents, to their grandparents, but most especially to these young men who are on Manus. They have been there for five years or longer and they are in utter despair with very similar medical indications.”}

_{Writing letters to the local press}

_{A number of our supporters regularly write letter to the local press which appear in the Nambucca, Bellingen and Coffs Harbour papers. Sometimes there are none for a number of weeks, followed by letters in all three papers in quick succession. We have a proposal from one of our supporters for a more coordinated and regular letter-writing campaign, which she is happy to coordinate. The plan is to have a roster of letter-writers to ensure that letters are sent to the local press on a regular, weekly basis by a group of supporters. If, say, ten people sign up, then you would be asked to write to the press just once every ten weeks. It would be easy enough for people to exchange and receive hints/guidance on the “topic for the week”.} 

_{If you would be willing to take part in this initiative, which we think is a great idea, then please contact Margaret Henley at: georgiemargie@gmail.com.}

_{“These Hands”: a song for refugees}

_{Those of you who attended the recent fundraiser will have heard the very moving song by Stewart. He has since recorded the song, which you can listen to by clicking on the link below. Enjoy!}

_{http://tbf.me/a/CGeHKv}

_{DVD for loan}

_{We have a copy of the DVD “Freedom Stories”, which you are welcome to borrow if you wish. Freedom Stories takes a considered and poignant approach to the lives and achievements of a group of former “boat people” from the Tampa era who now call Australia home. With astonishing resilience and enthusiasm to contribute, they have slowly built their lives here. Like those who have followed, these were ordinary people caught up in the consequences of political brinkmanship.}

_{Their stories are genuinely inspiring. If you would like to borrow the DVD, then please get in touch with Mike at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.}

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

_{It includes articles from many sources and letters to politicians and newspapers.}

_{This newsletter is sent to >620 recipients}

_{Our Face book is at https://www.facebook.com/Rural-Australians-for-Refugees-Bellingen-and-Nambucca-Districts-269696303205083/timeline/}

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_{Twitter Account @RARBellingenNam}

_{Email address bellingen.rar@gmail.com}

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

_{The National RAR facebook site is at  RAR Facebook}