Report on meeting of RAR Bellingen and Districts group 20 November 2016

Report on our meeting of Sunday 20th November 2016

A great turnout  of 24 people for our meeting at the home of Mike and Marlene in Valla Beach on 20th November. The purpose of the gathering was to review our work to date, to discuss future actions, and to enjoy one another's company over lunch.

Review of our activities in 2016

We have had a very busy and productive year, thanks to the efforts of a committed core group of people who have regularly offered their time and energy to our programme of activities, which have included:

·      attendance at 16 markets to promote the case for the humane and lawful treatment of asylum seekers, and for the closure of offshore detention centres.

·     

r     regular, fortnightly roadside demonstrations to keep the asylum seeker issues in the public eye.

·      letters to the press and to politicians.

·      numerous petitions throughout the year, aimed at keeping up the pressure on our politicians.

·      fundraising activities, which have enabled us to support several refugee charities and advocacy groups.

·      a Facebook page which is updated almost daily.

·      our blog, which contains a huge amount of information, including the many letters sent to the press and to parliamentarians.

·      a weekly newsletter, which is circulated to some 450 supporters.

  

Finances

 So far this year, we have donated  $2,870 to the ChilOut charity, $2,000 to the Refugee Advice and Casework Service, and $450 to the Asylum Seeker Centre. This has been possible as a result of our highly successful Simon Tedeschi concert, which raised more than $4,800, and through the profits from our market sales. We currently have $1,190 in our BCU account.

Home among the Gumtrees

Margaret updated the meeting on progress with the Home Among the Gumtrees initiative. We have a number of people who have offered to support the project, and there will be a further update shortly. The organisers in Sydney are planning to become an incorporated group and are hoping that some of our supporters will take up membership.

Where do we go from here?

A number of issues and conclusions emerged:

·      it was agreed that we need to keep up the pressure and be ready to react and adapt our strategy as government policy shifts.

·      agreed that we need to emphasise our responsibility as a nation to "bring them here".

·      We should support any initiatives to increase our humanitarian intake.

·      We should consider developing more regular press releases, with photos, in addition to letters to the press. This should include reminding people, including local editors, that we are a local group of 450 members.

·      We should seek to derive maximum publicity from the petition to Luke Hartsuyker. We should also seek the views of other political parties/candidates about the issues raised in the petition.

·      We should try to work on changing perceptions in the Labor party about its national policy in relation to refugees.

·      We need to design a new bumper sticker, and then distribute our remaining ones without charge for people to use.

·      Can we promote forums/ films which highlight refugee issues?

·      The idea of a tent installation was also floated, as was the possibility of a mass demonstration in Canberra.

It was acknowledged that new initiatives need to be owned and embraced by individuals or a small group if they are to get off the ground.

The meeting was followed by a most enjoyable lunch and social.

Newsletter for 22 November 2016 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen ands Nambucca Districts

Next market stall - Valla Beach 3rd December

RAR annual meeting and get together report

Petition to the Prime Minister

Roadside demonstration - Bellingen Thursday 24th Nov

Invitation to Bellingen bookreading

Bellingen market report

We had another very successful market stall under sunny skies in Bellingen on Saturday. As usual, there was a lot of interest in our campaign from market goers, and we collected about 100 signatures on the petition to our local member of parliament. A big thank you to all our supporters who turned up to help, or who dropped in for a chat.

Our final market of  the year – number 16 – will be at Valla Beach on Saturday 3rd December. If you can help out for an hour or two, please let Mike know by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.  If you have been able to collect any signatures for our petition, please bring them along to the market. 

Meeting and social gathering report

Our meeting on Sunday, followed by lunch, was a most productive and enjoyable occasion, with 24 people in attendance. We reviewed our 2016 activities and engaged in wide-ranging discussion under the headline “Where do we go from here?” The unanimous conclusion was that we must keep up the pressure, as it is clearly having an impact, whilst being ready to react and adapt to changing circumstances, particularly in relation to offshore detention.

A more detailed report will be published on our blog in the coming days.

The meeting was followed by lunch on the deck, with delicious food provided by everyone who came  along. A very successful and enjoyable event!

Petition to the Prime Minister

You may recall that, in early October, we sent a petition to the Prime Minister, signed by 1,400 people, calling for an end to offshore detention. We have recently received a lengthy response, signed by “T.B.”, which you can find on our blog. As usual, the issues which we raised were not addressed by the respondent, and there was much emphasis on saving lives at sea and protecting our borders. No mention at all of the harsh offshore regime or the impact of punitive, indefinite detention on the mental health of the detainees.

At the time of writing, we have not received any response from the Labor opposition or the Greens, who we also wrote to, and who were copied into the letter to the PM. All the letters can be viewed on our blog.

Next roadside demonstration: Bellingen, Thursday 24th November

Our next roadside demonstration will be held this Thursday from 3.00 pm until 4.30 pm in our usual spot adjacent to the public library on Waterfall Way. If you can join us for a while, we would be delighted to see you. We have lots of banners and placards to share, so why not give it a go? These demonstrations are an excellent way to get our message across to the public about the terrible treatment of asylum seekers languishing on Nauru and Manus. Please join us if you can.

Invitation to a book reading in Bellingen on 3rd December

Dear BRAR members, At now eighty years of age I am no longer as physically active as I used to be in organisations such as BRAR, but my fingers can still do the talking to support your and my cause to free the refugees. Recently I have published my autobiography: “The Lure of the Horizon”  about my childhood under Nazi occupation as well as my teen years in a liberated  Holland still recovering from the ruins of WWII. I also write about my time in an Australian migrant camp, followed by sixty years of observing the contributions that my generation of migrants, many of whom were refugees, have made to the Australia we all enjoy today. My book is a strong voice AGAINST racism and an equally strong voice FOR multiculturalism, as the last in my opinion is the only way we can keep harmony in a nation of which half of the population consists out of migrants and their offspring. I am having a book launch on Saturday December 3, at 3.00 pm at the Fennel Seed Café in Bellingen. I would like to invite BRAR members and supporters to come, buy themselves a drink, sit back and relax and enjoy listening to some excerpts that will be read from my book. I look forward to seeing you. 

Thank you so much, Barbera Moret. 

Sanctuary Australia Fundraising Concert: Bellingen 27th November at 3.00 pm

Sanctuary Australia is a local charity, based in Coffs Harbour, which helps to settle approved refugees into the local community. They have been doing amazing work in the area for many years and rely on the help of sponsors and donors to keep up their work. On Sunday 27th November, starting at 3.00 pm in the Memorial Hall in Bellingen, there will be a fundraising recital with David Helfgott, who will be playing Rachmaninoff, Beethoven and Chopin. The programme will also include Yantra De Vilder, who will present her unique and beautiful award-winning performance of “HAIKU”. Tickets are $68 or $60 concessions.  You can get further details by phone : 6652 2127, or go to the website at: www.sanctuaryaustraliafoundation.org.au.  Or you can book online at: www.stickytickets.com.au/24437. (see flyer attached)

​

Our annual get together and planning lunch. 

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 453 recipients

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

(482 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

Newsletter for 15 November 2016 - Rural Australians for Refugees and Nambucca Districts

Roadside demonstration - Bellingen 24th

Next market stall - Bellingen market 19th Nov

RAR annual meeting and get together 20th November

Government plans to end offshore detention

Roadside demonstration report

Our latest demonstration by the Pacific Highway in Nambucca Heads last week went very well. We had a good turnout of supporters and our banners and placards made quite a splash on a sunny afternoon. As usual, we received a very positive reaction from the vast majority of the motorists who responded to our presence. As we have stated before on many occasions, it is so important to remind the public about the ongoing terrible treatment of asylum seekers by our government, and we would encourage more of our supporters to join us from time to time. Our next demonstration will be in Bellingen, adjacent to the town library on Waterfall Way on Thursday 24th November from 3.00 pm until 4.30 pm.

Our next market: Saturday 19th November at Bellingen Market

Please note that we have a stall at  Bellingen market this coming Saturday and we are looking for help on the stall between 9.00 am and 1.30 pm. If you can help for an hour or two, please let Mike know by emailing him at:  mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.  We will be collecting signatures for our petition to Luke Hartsuyker MP, selling our usual merchandise, collecting donations for the Asylum Seekers Centre and, of course, engaging with market goers about asylum seeker issues. If you are around, please drop in to say hello and sign the petition. If you have printed the petition sheet and collected some signatures, please bring them along to the market.

Meeting and social gathering: Sunday 20th November from 11.30 am

Please don’t forget that our meeting and social is this coming Sunday at 39, Rogers Drive, Valla Beach. We will hold a meeting for about an hour, followed by lunch and social get together. There is a lot to talk about and we need to map out where we go from here in the light of emerging news about offshore detention. Please come and join us if you can. It will be a great opportunity to meet in a relaxed environment and get to know one another a little better. Please let Mike know if you are planning to come along by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.  Everybody welcome! Directions to Rogers Drive were in last week’s newsletter.

Government plans to end offshore detention

The immense pressure on the government to end offshore detention seems to finally be having an impact. This is testament to the hundreds of groups like ours, to the many thousands of individuals who have campaigned relentlessly to end the cruelty, to the international outrage about our government’s appalling attitude to human rights, and of course to the brave professionals who have worked in these hell-holes and have blown the whistle on the cruel and inhumane treatment of asylum seekers. The devil, as always, will be in the detail. The government has stated that it will prioritise children, women and families, so it is not clear where this will leave the many hundreds of men on Manus.  Nor is it clear what will happen to the significant number of refugees who are now “living in the community” on Nauru, other than that they will be given 20-year visas to remain on this desolate island.  The sad reality is that our government, rather than do the right thing, is prepared to engage in trading our asylum seekers in exchange for a group being held in Costa Rica on behalf of the American government. The fact that we are now seemingly happy to go along with this perhaps demonstrates just how low we have sunk. We will need to keep a close eye on the government’s proposals as they become more clear.

In the meantime, the government is still intent on imposing its lifetime banishment from Australia on any refugee currently in detention who is settled in a third country. The Labor opposition has rejected this completely unnecessary and vindictive proposal, which is now before a Senate committee. The outcome is dependent on the position of the Nick Xenophon team. Please ring Xenophon’s office urgently and urge him and his team to reject the government’s proposed legislation. His number is:02 6277 3713. 

Nambucca roadside demonstration last week.

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 453 recipients

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

(482 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

Newsletter for 15 November 2016 - Rural Australians for Refugees and Nambucca Districts

Roadside demonstration - Bellingen 24th

Next market stall - Bellingen market 19th Nov

RAR annual meeting and get together 20th November

Government plans to end offshore detention

Roadside demonstration report

Our latest demonstration by the Pacific Highway in Nambucca Heads last week went very well. We had a good turnout of supporters and our banners and placards made quite a splash on a sunny afternoon. As usual, we received a very positive reaction from the vast majority of the motorists who responded to our presence. As we have stated before on many occasions, it is so important to remind the public about the ongoing terrible treatment of asylum seekers by our government, and we would encourage more of our supporters to join us from time to time. Our next demonstration will be in Bellingen, adjacent to the town library on Waterfall Way on Thursday 24th November from 3.00 pm until 4.30 pm.

Our next market: Saturday 19th November at Bellingen Market

Please note that we have a stall at  Bellingen market this coming Saturday and we are looking for help on the stall between 9.00 am and 1.30 pm. If you can help for an hour or two, please let Mike know by emailing him at:  mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.  We will be collecting signatures for our petition to Luke Hartsuyker MP, selling our usual merchandise, collecting donations for the Asylum Seekers Centre and, of course, engaging with market goers about asylum seeker issues. If you are around, please drop in to say hello and sign the petition. If you have printed the petition sheet and collected some signatures, please bring them along to the market.

Meeting and social gathering: Sunday 20th November from 11.30 am

Please don’t forget that our meeting and social is this coming Sunday at 39, Rogers Drive, Valla Beach. We will hold a meeting for about an hour, followed by lunch and social get together. There is a lot to talk about and we need to map out where we go from here in the light of emerging news about offshore detention. Please come and join us if you can. It will be a great opportunity to meet in a relaxed environment and get to know one another a little better. Please let Mike know if you are planning to come along by emailing him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com.  Everybody welcome! Directions to Rogers Drive were in last week’s newsletter.

Government plans to end offshore detention

The immense pressure on the government to end offshore detention seems to finally be having an impact. This is testament to the hundreds of groups like ours, to the many thousands of individuals who have campaigned relentlessly to end the cruelty, to the international outrage about our government’s appalling attitude to human rights, and of course to the brave professionals who have worked in these hell-holes and have blown the whistle on the cruel and inhumane treatment of asylum seekers. The devil, as always, will be in the detail. The government has stated that it will prioritise children, women and families, so it is not clear where this will leave the many hundreds of men on Manus.  Nor is it clear what will happen to the significant number of refugees who are now “living in the community” on Nauru, other than that they will be given 20-year visas to remain on this desolate island.  The sad reality is that our government, rather than do the right thing, is prepared to engage in trading our asylum seekers in exchange for a group being held in Costa Rica on behalf of the American government. The fact that we are now seemingly happy to go along with this perhaps demonstrates just how low we have sunk. We will need to keep a close eye on the government’s proposals as they become more clear.

In the meantime, the government is still intent on imposing its lifetime banishment from Australia on any refugee currently in detention who is settled in a third country. The Labor opposition has rejected this completely unnecessary and vindictive proposal, which is now before a Senate committee. The outcome is dependent on the position of the Nick Xenophon team. Please ring Xenophon’s office urgently and urge him and his team to reject the government’s proposed legislation. His number is:02 6277 3713. 

Nambucca roadside demonstration last week.

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 453 recipients

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

(482 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

Response from Border Force to Mike's petition letter of 10 October 16 to Prime Minister

     click on letter to enlarge, click away from letter to return to blog

10th October  2016

Dear Mr Turnbull,

Please find enclosed a petition organised by Rural  Australians for Refugees, which has been signed by 1396 people. The petition reads:

"We, the undersigned, call on the leaders of all political parties to work together to bring to an end the cruel, inhumane and unsustainable offshore detention arrangements for asylum seekers and refugees. We specifically ask the Parliament to:

·       process all asylum seekers currently held in offshore detention, without further delay.

·       resettle in Australia all asylum seekers currently in offshore detention centres who are found to be eligible for our protection under international law.

·       permanently close all offshore detention facilities in the months ahead."

Our strong view, now supported by the majority of the Australian people, is that the offshore detention regime needs to be urgently brought to an end. The current policy is deeply shameful, immoral, cruel and hugely expensive. Despite the Government's attempts to hide the appalling physical and mental abuse inflicted on the detainees, the evidence of abuse reported by reputable organisations and individual professionals with first-hand experience of the situation is clear, unambiguous and shocking.

 We should not be treating our fellow human beings, who have committed no crime, in this way. It is utterly reprehensible to use a group of people as human shields to protect us from other would-be asylum seekers. We can do better than this. We therefore call on the Government to take urgent steps to close all offshore facilities without further delay and to bring the asylum seekers and refugees to Australia for processing and resettlement.

On behalf of Rural Australians for Refugees, I look forward to your constructive and positive response.

                                                                                                            Yours sincerely,

                                                                                                            Mike Griffin

Copied to:

Bill Shorten MP

Senator Richard Di Natale

Newsletter for 8 November 2016 Rural Australians for Refugees Bellingen and Nambucca Districts

Roadside demonstration - Nambucca this Thursday

Next market stall - Bellingen market 19th Nov

RAR annual meeting and get together 20th November

Our latest petition

The governments latest cruelty proposal

A few important reminders

Our next roadside demonstration is this Thursday, 10th November  on the Pacific Highway in Nambucca Heads, adjacent to the Plaza shopping centre.

We will be there between 3.00 pm and 4.30 pm, and we are hoping for a strong turnout in the light of recent punitive actions against asylum seekers and refugees. Please consider joining us. We want people to know that there are many Australians who are deeply dismayed by the government’s treatment of asylum seekers and refugees, particularly those languishing without hope in indefinite detention. We have lots of banners and placards to share. If you can join us, please  let Mike know at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com , or just turn up on the day.

Our next market is in Bellingen on Saturday 19th November

John and Mike will be setting up the stall  at the crack of dawn and are looking for helpers between 9.00 am and 1.30 pm. If you can join them for an hour or two, please  let  Mike know in advance. A great opportunity to interact with market goers and to get people to sign our new petition.

Meeting and social gathering on 20th November from 11.30 am

Don’t forget this important date for your diaries. We will hold the meeting from 11.30 am until about 12.30 pm, followed by lunch and social gathering. The plan for the meeting is to report on what we have been doing since we last met in February, evaluate what we have achieved and discuss future actions. Thereafter, it will be a great opportunity for us to relax together on the deck an enjoy good food and conversation. Please bring a plate to share. It would be really helpful if you could let Mike know soon if you are able to come along. Please email him at: mandm.griffin2@bigpond.com. Everybody welcome! The venue is 39, Rogers Drive, Valla Beach. To get there, turn off the old Pacific Highway (now Giinagay Way), onto Valla Beach Road. Proceed along this road until  40 metres before the water tower, at which point, turn left into Kuta Avenue. Proceed along Kuta Avenue until you come to the third turning on the left, which is Rogers Drive. Proceed down Rogers Drive almost to the end, where you will find number 39 on your left. There is plenty of parking on the front garden and the driveway, and there is some off-road parking.

Our latest petition

We have attached the petition again to this newsletter, in the hope that you will print it off and collect signatures from family, friends and colleagues. Our elected representative needs to know that there are many of us who are deeply opposed to the cruel and inhumane punishment of asylum seekers and refugees on Manus and Nauru. The more signatures we can get, the more powerful our message. Please bring completed petition sheets to the market in Bellingen on 19th November, to our meeting on 20th November or to Valla Beach market on 3rd December. Alternatively you can post them to Mike at: Mike Griffin, 39, Rogers Drive, Valla Beach NSW 2448. We are obliged to submit original sheets for these petitions, so electronic copies are not permissible.

The government’s latest asylum seeker legislative proposals

In a further twist to the continued campaign of cruelty towards asylum seekers and refugees, the government has announced new legislation which will impact on all asylum seekers who arrived by boat after 19th July 2013.  As many of you will be aware, the proposals, which are due to be tabled in parliament this week, will permanently ban all of these asylum seekers over the age of eighteen from ever setting foot in Australia. So, a refugee from Manus cannot ever be reunited in Australia with his family who are already here on Protection Visas. Similarly, a refugee who, say, settles in Canada and becomes a citizen of that country, could never ever visit Australia on business, for tourism or to visit family members. As The Saturday Paper editorial put  it: “There is no purpose to this but cruelty. The refugee debate in this country has reached a point where it is answering ministerial confections with punitive policy. It is difficult to write about it with anything other than disgust.” The editorial ends: “We badly need a solution to what is happening to innocent people on Manus and Nauru. This legislation is proof that Dutton has neither the care nor intelligence to offer it. The solution, of course, is simple: bring them here.”

It could be that the Labor party will not support the legislation. Please phone the Opposition Shadow Minister, Shayne Neumann, and urge him and his party to reject this cruelty. His telephone number is: 07 3201 5300.

​

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 453 recipients

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

(482 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