Valla Community Markets January 2015
BRAR has existed for many years, set up in 2001 and this page will remind readers of some of the efforts that have been made to bring compassion to the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.
Bellingen Rural Australians for Refugees
Record of Events
2001-2007
2001
1st weekend Bellingen Global Carnival forum on
refugees addressed by Natasha Verco,
Refugee Action Collective (RAC) – Freedom Bus to Woomera – motivating
Bellingen Shire people to action on behalf of
detainees. List of interested people.
October 10 First meeting in Bellingen of what
became (briefly) Bellingen Refugee
Action Collective. 12 local people
attended, plus Natasha Verco
and Merryn, from Sydney-based RAC. 20
others on the list, unable to attend. Welcome Book to be initiated and circulated - messages to refugees in detention. Weekly meetings followed.
November 17 First stall at monthly Bellingen
Community Markets
November 27 Bellingen RAC decides to become
Bellingen Rural Australians for Refugees. RAR 10 Point Action Plan adopted.
November 29 Forum ‘Refugees in Australia –
What Can We Do to Help Them?’
at Uniting Church Centre. Recorded on CD by local radio 2BBB.
December BRAR
stall selling candles at ‘Candles by Candlelight’ in Bellingen.
2002
January 07 Freedom Bus departs Sydney bound for
all detention centres.
Four Bellingen RAR members on board, including
Co-driver Anne Simpson.
February ? The first letters responding to
detainees who threw notes over detention
centre fences, wrapped around rocks, with their names and I.D. numbers The
beginning of the letter-writing project managed by Walter Schwarz, BRAR.
February 20 Freedom Picnic/Concert in Bellingen
Market Park to celebrate the Homecoming of the Freedom Bus. Footage from the Freedom Bus Journey, live music, stories, reading of
letters from detainees.
Attendance:
500-600 people.
March 7/8 Tiger 11’s soccer team visit, billets
with Bellingen RAR members,
Breakfast at Old Butter Factory Café, followed
by match with High School and community teams.
1.
2.
March 23 Hosting Refugees Workshop attended by
BRAR members.
March 24 Psychic Fair in Bellingen – donations
to BRAR
April 21 BRAR stall at Nambucca Heads –
Valley Community Arts Group.
May Collection of statistics re
professions and trades of detainees.
May 16 Cool Creek Café – performance by
local singer/songwriter Sandy Clarke -
fundraiser for BRAR.
May 18 An Evening of Magic with Yuri the
Storyteller – share of proceeds To BRAR.
May 31 AMES NSW Voluntary Home Tutors’
Course, ACE, Coffs Harbour begins,
Attended by three BRAR members
June 01/02 Continuing course.
June Books Behind Bars project –
aprox. 10,000 books into detention centres.
June 22 ‘Faceless People’ action in Coffs
Harbour area and at forum at The Bunker
gallery.
July 22 Welcome Book sent to Port Hedland
July 26 BRAR protest – Philip Ruddock –
Woolgoolga (a.m.)
BRAR
members joined mass protest at University of New England, Armidale (p.m.).
July 27 ‘Waking Up the Nation’ – film from
the Freedom Bus - presented
at The Memorial Hall.
August 04 BBQ Lunch for Sudanese refugees from
Coffs Harbour at BRAR member’s home
August 05 At meeting Steve Biddulph suggested a
memorial in (in Coffs Harbour)
to the people who died on SIEVX, including a
school competion for
design.
(Later to develop into the SIEV X memorial in Canberra).
August 18 BRAR members present workshops at
Ballina schools
August 25 BRAR representatives attend Planning
Day with Lismore RAR
August 28 Tampa Day - BRAR speakers invited to
Alstonville Anglican Church
3.
September 17 Quiz Night at Cool Creek Café
October 4-6 Bellingen Global Carnival. Punch & Judy show – starring Philip
Ruddock
- Children Overboard/Welcome to Woomera. Stall- 300 badges sold. Forum panel includes Bob
Brown, Jack Thompson and Camilla Cowley.
October 19 BRAR stall at Community Markets marks
the anniversary of the
sinking of the SIEV X. Speakers’ Corner - talk by Ross, Dave and Cherry (Woomera Tent
Embassy).
Memorial service by the Bellinger River led by
Uniting Church Minister – multi-faith
readings, Steve Biddulph re SIEV X, live music and flowers caste into the river.
October 28 Local MP, Luke Hartsuyker
(Nationals) in attendance at BRAR
Meetomg, as invited.
November 23 Farewell party for Steve
Biddulph. Presented with puppet
lookalike
created by Amanda.
December 6,7,8 RAR conference, Mudgee, five BRAR members
attending.
Anne and Julian visit Baxter and Woomera.
2003
February 15 ‘No War’ march through Bellingen and
Community Markets. BRAR
Presence – banner ‘Bellingen Rural Australians
– for Refugees – Against War’. 3000 take part in march.
March 21 First meeting of daytime BRAR group.
May/July BRAR members Irene and David visiting
and taking gifts from BRAR to
Baxter, Port Hedland and then second visit to Baxter.
June 19 International Refugee Day forum at
Coffs Harbour Education Campus.
BRAR stall.
August 29 & 30 Bread’n’Jam 24 hour non-stop event
showcasing performances by local
artists and musicians, plus a forum, including
guest speaker Rosemary
Gillespie (human shield, Iraq), films and
slideshow. Fundraiser.
September 18 ‘Refugitive’ - one-man performance by
Iranian actor/playwright, Shahin Shafaei,
portraying his 22 months, mainly in isolation, in Curtin.
4.
October 24,25,26 ‘Portrait of Sakhi’ – 7.5 min. film about
artist Afghani refugee, Ghulam Sakhi
in which through powerful images he relates the story of his journey. Shown before each feature film at Bellingen
Valley Cinema.
November 26 Recorded at meeting that the
letter-writers now number 1700 nationwide.
Nov/December ‘Toys for Nauru’ campaign in
Bellingen through businesses and
Surgeries co-ordinated by local Doctor and
wife.
2004
January 24 Decision at meeting to focus on the
election this year rather than
fundraising and other events. The SIEV X
Memorial
Project has 86 schools express interest. The kit almost ready.
April 03 Nambucca RAR fundraiser for Baxter
DC at Nambucca Cinema –
‘Molly & Moborak’ plus ‘The Story of the
SIEV X’.
April 10 At meeting Steve Biddulph reported
now 140 schools committed to
SIEV X memorial project.
May 02 Bellingen Community Fiesta – BRAR
information table.
May 19 Blessing of ‘Flotilla of Hope’ at
Coffs Harbour – on the way to Nauru.
May 19 ‘Flotilla of Hope’ bound for Nauru
blessed by Bellingen Uniting Church
Minster and greeted/farewelled by members of
BRAR.
May 22 Five films – ‘Show Mercy’, ‘The
Cage Huse’, ‘Untold Story: The Story of the
SIEV X’, ‘It’s Like That’ and ‘ Molly & Mobarak’ presented
By BRAR and Bellingen Valley Cinema –
fundraiser.
June 19 World Refugee Day – ‘Trees for
Refugees’ –. Rainforest trees planted by the creek in Market Park,
aided by Bellingen Urban Landcare group Plaque:
“In the hope of a permanent future”. Present at the ceremony:
Merlin Luck, the Mayor Mark Troy and singer Sandy Clarke.
August 31 BRAR member Irene visit to Baxter
until 6 August.
September 10 RAR benefit film night at Sawtell Cinema
– ‘Farenheit 9.11’
5.
October 01-03 Global
Carnival. Stall. Hypothetical with Julian Burnside, Anne
Coombs
John Highfield, Cheik Kone, Alanna Sherry and
Tony Kevin. SIEV X film
showing in photography exhibition tent. Information Stall plus wet sponge throw – target
John Howard.
October 07 ‘Put Yourself in Their Shoes’
demonstration outside local M.P. Luke
Hartsuyker’s office in Coffs Harbour. Laid out 86 pairs of shoes, plus
birdcage filled with white doves bearing
children’s names + street march.
October 26-29 SIEV X Exhibition, Sydney
December 10 RAR received 2004 Human Rights Highly
Commended Award for outstanding
service to the community in promoting and protecting
Human rights in Australia.
2005
January 22 Latest figures of number of people in
detention: 800 (in 2001 there were 9,000). 92% overall asylum seekers granted refugee
status.
March 19&20 RAR Highlands Gathering
(conference). Anne and Rob Simpson step
down from 18 months dedication as
Administrators of RAR and received
The 2005 RAR Captain Arne Rinnan Award.
April 25 Ann to visit Baxter and hand over
to new Administrators in Port Pirie.
June 18 Pavement Art Competition in
Bellingen ‘Courage’ – the theme for World
Refugee Day
August 13 Current situation around 20 asylum
seekers remain in Baxter and 32
On Nauru.
September 17 Market stall focus on Temporary
Protection Visas and Bridging Visa E.
October 15 Market stall focus on SIEV X
Anniversary with 353 ‘droplets’
suspended around the stall symbolising the
people who drowned, the
ocean and tears.
October 08 The last official Bellingen RAR
meeting.
December Walter Schwarz closes the RAR
letter-writing program.
6.
2006
BRAR members organised the preparation of poles
for the SIEV X
Memorial in Canberra by BRAR and local schools
in Bellingen Shire.
October Assisted at the site and
participated in the first Memorial Ceremony.
2007
BRAR members assisted at the site and
participated in the second
September 02 Memorial Ceremony with the poles placed in
the ground.
The New Rural Australians for Refugees Bellinge and Nambucca Districts
BRAR meeting at little church Repton Sunday 13 April 2014
BRAR picnic at Nambucca on Sunday 6 April 2014
Spreading the word against persecution
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| History is now repeating itself |
Freedom Bus journey to all detention centres in Australia 2001
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| Freedom Bus |
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| kids at Port Headland detention centre |
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| Port Headland detention centre |
Siev X memorial
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| sievx memorial |
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| Hope
Bellingen RAR at Global Carnival
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| tell the story |
Teddy bears taken to Nauru for asylum seeker children
link to SMH article on flotilla of hope
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| blessing of flotilla of hope at Coffs Harbour |
Asylum Seeker Memorial in Bellingen
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| preparing the memorial garden at market park |
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| Merlin at Memorial opening after his action on Big Brother TV show link to smh article on Merlin's protest on Big Brother program mute protest  |
