Members were met with a pleasant surprise when an unexpectedly large number of people turned up to the Mid North Coast Refugee Support Group annual meeting last week.
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Janette Jones, Lava Kohaupt, Mavis Barnes, Stephen Nicholson, Andrea Pett, and Kathryn Parle were elected to the committee, while many other members offered practical support to the group's activities.
The large attendance shows an increasing concern about the lack of care shown by Australia in dealing with refugees and asylum seekers who have sought refuge here, specifically relating to the Kids Off Nauru campaign currently gaining attention in Canberra.
After the annual meeting a delicious Tamil Feast was offered by a newly settled couple. This feast fed everyone beautifully while providing support for the cooks, as they seek to support themselves here.
Group members attended a Rural Australians for Refugees Kids of Nauru rally on October 16 in Taree, co-coinciding with a nationwide campaign and rally in Canberra.
Numerous medical experts who have been to Nauru are insisting that the health of children on Nauru has deteriorated to such an extent that they must be brought to Australia for treatment.
Guest speaker
Academics for Refugees at Charles Sturt University have welcomed guest speaker Kathryn Parle to speak at their Refugee Action day last week.
Kathryn has worked with asylum seekers for the past nine years, including Nauru, and notes that Children on Nauru are just the tip of an iceberg when it comes to unnecessary suffering being inflicted on asylum seekers and refugees in Australia, at great cost.
The aimlessness, the dangers and indefinite nature of off-shore conditions are destroying people's mental health, and this is already well documented in reports by the Human Rights Commission, and UNHCR.
On the mainland many continue through a difficult process of having refugee status determined, taking many years, while knowing that any protection visa they do acquire is only temporary, they will face further processing, and that no family reunions will apply.
Meanwhile, here in the Hastings, practical support and friendship is being offered to refugees who wish to settle here, and members have been generous in their willingness to be part of the vital show of kindness and assistance in that settlement.
Group members will be attending Laurieton Markets to talk to people about the issues regarding Refugees, and to provide information.
To assist group members, Lava Kohaupt will present a session of cross cultural training in November.