Newsletter for 29 January 2019 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

Roadside demonstration report

Valla Beach market: Saturday 2^nd February, 9.00 am to 1.00 pm

How does the ASC spend our money?

Songs from the Heart Concert: Sunday 17^th February

Roadside demonstration report

A big thank you to the faithful band of supporters who turned up in the hot sunshine for our roadside demonstration in Toormina last Thursday. We had lots of support from passing motorists, together with the usual expressions of disapproval from a tiny minority. Our next demonstration will be on Thursday 7^th February from 2.30 to 4.00 pm next to the Big Banana in Coffs Harbour. Please come and join us if you can, and add your presence to our campaign to end the cruel policy of offshore detention. Let’s keep this appalling situation in the public eye right up to, and if necessary, beyond the next Federal election.

Valla Beach market: Saturday 2^nd February, 9.00 am to 1.00 pm

Our next market stall is at the Valla Beach market this Saturday, from 9.00 am until 1.00 pm. We have our new open letter to Minister Dutton for people to sign, updated leaflets to hand out and merchandise to sell on behalf of the Asylum Seekers Centre (ASC). The markets offer us a great opportunity to interact with people and to help them better understand the harsh reality of our government’s cruel asylum policy. Let’s not forget that there are still more than 1000 people detained indefinitely on Manus and Nauru, and that most of them have been languishing there for up to six years. Only massive public pressure, as happened with the push to remove all the children from Nauru, will shift the policy of the Coalition and the Labor opposition. We must maintain our efforts to bring about a humane and compassionate solution for all these people, who have committed no crime and who have lawfully sought our protection under the Refugee Convention.

If you can help out at our stall for an hour or two, then please let Mike know by emailing him at:mandm.griffin2@bigond.com.

How does the ASC spend our money?

Last year we raised $7,400 for the ASC through our fundraising efforts, and it was pleasing to read in their recent annual report that we are listed as a major sponsor. So how does ASC spend the $3 million that the public donate each year? In 2018, the ASC: carried out 3,459 health assessments; conducted 715 legal consultations; assisted 940 people with applications for Opal cards; provided 132 children with backpacks and equipment to start school; provided 350 people with groceries each week; organized English classes for 271 people; provided $359,000 in financial relief for people experiencing destitution; organized employment workshops for 300 people; helped 256 people to secure paid employment; funded accommodation every night for a number of families; provided hot lunches every day for asylum seekers at the Centre…and much besides.

It is clear that the ASC provides vitally important assistance to one of the most vulnerable groups in our society, and we hope to organize a number of fundraising events this year to support their invaluable work.

Songs from the Heart Concert: Sunday 17^th February

A reminder about the above concert, which will take place on Sunday 17^th February from 2.00 to 4.00 pm in the Nambucca Community and Arts Centre, which is located on Ridge Street in Nambucca Heads. The concert is organized by local classical and jazz pianist Heather Rose, who will be joined by Georgie Chorley on trumpet and Peter Harris Jr on drums. The concert is planned to be a celebration of love, music and friendship and will include some of your favourite classical pieces and well as jazz numbers and a few beautiful love songs ranging from Billie Holliday, Cole Porter and Nat King Cole. Our RAR group is pleased to have a presence at the concert to raise awareness about the plight of refugees and asylum seekers. We will have a stall at the back of the hall, and we will hold a raffle to raise funds for the ASC. At the time of writing, we have the promise of a double pass for the concert of your choice at this year’s Fine Music Festival in Bellingen, a string of freshwater pearls, and a so-far half- full basket of goodies. If you would like to contribute something to help us fill the basket – toiletries, a bottle of wine etc, then please let Mike know by contacting him at:mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com. In addition, we are still seeking volunteers to help out on the day. Please let Mike know if you can help.

Tickets for the concert are $20 for adults, $15 concessions and children free.

You can purchase you tickets online at: http://tix.yt/songs-from-the-hearta-celebration-of-love-music-an. From Helloworld Travel on Bowra Street in Nambucca Heads, on on the door at the time of the concert.

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

Newsletter for 22 January 2019 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

Bellingen market report

Roadside demonstration: Thursday 24^th January from 2.30 to 4.00 pm

Medical Treatment Bill: is Cathy McGowan wavering?

Nauru doctors wins award

Bellingen market report

The first thing to say about the market in Bellingen on Saturday is that it was very hot! The number of market-goers was inevitably somewhat lower than usual because of the heat, but we nonetheless had a very positive time interacting with visitors to our stall and collecting well over 100 signatures on our new open letter to Minister Dutton. We were pleased to welcome Rob Oakeshot, the Independent candidate for Cowper in the upcoming Federal election, to our stall. Rob was happy to sign our letter to Minister Dutton, which calls on the government to evacuate the remaining 1000+ detainees from Manus and Nauru, many of who have been languishing in these distant places for almost six years. The final paragraph of the letter states: “We therefore call on you to finally show some humanity and compassion. These detainees should be brought to Australia without further delay, pending their resettlement in Australia, New Zealand, the US, or other safe countries prepared to accept them. They pose no threat to our border security. This shameful treatment of asylum seekers and refugees must end as a matter of urgency.”

A big thank you to our usual loyal band of supporters for working so hard in the heat to make our morning successful. Our next market stall will be at Valla Beach market on Saturday 2^nd February from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. If you can help out for an hour or two, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.

Roadside demonstration: Thursday 24^th January from 2.30 to 4.00 pm

Our next roadside demonstration is this Thursday on Hogbin Drive in Toormina from 2.30 to 4.00 pm. You will find us in our usual spot about 150 metres down the hill from the fire station, in the direction of the airport. We have lots of banners and placards to share, so please come and join us if you can, and help us to keep the issue of our treatment of refugees and asylum seekers in the public eye. This is especially important as the Federal election approaches. It would be great to welcome some new people to these events.

Medical Treatment Bill: is Cathy McGowan wavering?

You may recall that, before the Christmas parliamentary break, Dr Kerryn Phelps, the Independent MP for Wentworth, introduced a Bill to Parliament which aims to facilitate the evacuation from Nauru or Manus of asylum seekers needing urgent medical attention. The intention of the Bill is to put the medical needs of the patients front and centre, rather than the political calculation of bureaucrats and politicians. The Bill was passed by the Senate and was to be debated in the House, but the government succeeded in avoiding a vote, as it feared that it didn’t have the numbers, given that it (the Bill) had the support of Labor, the Greens and the cross-bench, which includes the Independent MP for Indi, Cathy McGowan. Cathy, who has been a great supporter of RAR and of asylum seekers and refugees throughout her time in Parliament, now seems to be wavering, and has announced that she has not yet decided whether or not she will support the Bill when it returns to Parliament in February. She is currently seeking the views of her electorate on which way she should vote.

Could you please consider emailing Cathy McGowan’s office to urge her to support the Bill when it returns to Parliament? The worst that can happen to the government is an embarrassing loss of a vote on the floor of the house. For refugees and asylum seekers, however, the passage of the Bill could well be a life-or-death issue. Please acknowledge Cathy’s steadfast and principled support for the asylum seeker cause to date, and urge here to remain steadfast in the face of the enormous pressure on her to support the government. Her email address is: cathy.mcgowan.mp@aph.gov.au.

Nauru doctors wins award

Last week, Dr Nick Martin was awarded a prestigious international award for free speech at a ceremony in London, in recognition of his courage in speaking out against the cruel treatment of asylum seekers on Nauru. Dr Martin, the former senior medical officer for International Health and Medical Services (IHMS) on Nauru, spoke out publicly against what he described as Australia’s “inflexible, unswerving, and shameless” offshore detention regime, that deliberately harmed asylum seekers and ignored doctors’ recommendations to treat dangerously ill people. Unsurprisingly, his principled stand on behalf of his patients cost him his job with IHMS at the insistence of Australia’s Border Force.

Speaking at London’s Frontline Club, where he received the award, Dr Martin said that when he saw the extent of the damage being done to refugees and asylum seekers held in Australia’s offshore regime on Nauru, he felt compelled to speak out, quoting the retired Australian army lieutenant general David Morrison: “The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.”

Congratulations to Dr Martin for his courage in speaking out. Let us hope that his actions will encourage others, especially our politicians, to recognise the harm that is being done, and to take decisive action to bring this cruelty to an end.

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/

(579 likes)

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

Letter to Fairfax papers and Coffs Coast Advocate

Dear Editor

A few months ago, there were more than 200 children trapped on Nauru. Following the national campaign to get children off Nauru, in which a local support group for asylum seekers and refugees played an energetic part, the number of children remaining on the island is down to single figures. We now need to redouble our efforts, both locally and nationally, to evacuate the remaining 1000+ asylum seekers and refugees from Nauru and Manus.
You can help these people by writing to or phoning both current politicians and candidates for the federal election. Pressure from the public does work especially in an election year.

Margaret Henley
Mylestom

Newsletter for 15 January 2019 Rural Australians for Refugees 15 January 2019

Roadside demonstration report

Next market: Saturday 19^th January at Bellingen market

Accommodation urgently required

An afternoon of jazz and classical music

Roadside demonstration report

There was a good turnout of supporters for our demonstration in Bellingen last Thursday, and we received enthusiastic support from the great majority of passing motorists. You might reasonably ask why we persist with these regular demonstrations. Simply put, it’s because we passionately believe that it is really important to keep the issue of offshore detention in the public eye as the federal election approaches. There can be no doubt that the issue of detention and “border protection” will feature prominently as the election approaches, and as the major parties compete over which of them can be best relied on to be tough on asylum seekers and to “keep us safe”.

Our next roadside demonstration will be on Hogbin Drive, Toormina, on Thursday 24^th January from 2.30 to 4.00 pm. Please join us if you can. It would be great to welcome some new people to these demos.

Next market: Saturday 19^th January at Bellingen market

Our first market of 2019 is this Saturday, 19^th January, from 9.00 am until 1.30 pm. We have updated our leaflets, created a new open letter to Minister Dutton for people to sign, and we have lots of merchandise to sell on behalf of the Asylum Seekers Centre in Newtown. The markets present a great opportunity to get our message about asylum seeker policy across to market-goers, many of whom are very interested to learn more and to support our efforts to bring about change. We know from our campaigning that public pressure does work. Just a few months ago, there were more than 200 children trapped on Nauru. Following the national campaign to get children off Nauru, in which we played an energetic part, the number of children remaining on the island is down to single figures. We now need to redouble our efforts, both locally and nationally, to evacuate the remaining 1000+ asylum seekers and refugees from Nauru and Manus. If you can help out at the market for an hour or two, then please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com. We will be located in Section E, which is accessed by the Ford Street entrance.

Accommodation urgently required

An asylum seeker mother and her three young children are in urgent need of 

suitable rented accommodation in the area. They have spent some time in Coffs Harbour, and more recently in Bellingen, since arriving in Australia some months ago. For the past several weeks they have been living temporarily in a one-bedroom cabin, thanks to the generosity of one of our supporters, but the accommodation is clearly not suitable for a family. The family are supported by the Red Cross, and have a case worker, but to date they have not been successful in securing suitable rented accommodation.

The mother, who speaks English quite well, does not drive. Her eldest child is seven years old and therefore needs to be in school before the end of this month. For these reasons, they really need accommodation in a town rather than in a rural setting.

If you have suitable accommodation available for rent, or if you know anyone who might be able to help, then please contact Sue Kitson urgently at: skit1949@gmail.com or phone her on: 0434 013 010.

An afternoon of jazz and classical music

Many of you will recall that in June last year, local pianist Heather Rose staged a fundraiser for us in the Nambucca Community and Arts Centre, which raised $1,000 for the Asylum Seekers Centre. Heather is planning to return to the NCAC on 17^th February with some musician friends to play jazz and classical pieces. Whilst this concert is not a RAR fundraiser, Heather has kindly offered to let us have a presence, which will enable us to hold a raffle, sell our merchandise and encourage people to sign our open letter to Minister Dutton. We are therefore looking for items to raffle and for support on the day to sell raffle tickets and to help with the stall. Please let Mike know if you can contribute something for the raffle or if you can help out at the concert by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com. And of course, it would be great if you could come along to the concert to enjoy the music and show appreciation for Heather’s support for our cause.

Details: Sunday 17^th February, 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm at the Nambucca Community and Arts Centre, Ridge Street, Nambucca Heads.

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/

(579 likes)

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