11 September 2019

Podcast 15 - Refugee Week in South East NSW with ANU Professor of Diplomacy

| Ian Campbell
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Welcome Refugees from Refugee Council of Australia

Welcome Refugees from Refugee Council of Australia. Please note the balloons are tied up!

Refugee Week is being marked around the region, the theme is a clever play on words borrowed from our national anthem – “With courage let us all combine.”

The aim of the week is to celebrate the contribution refugees make to Australian society and to ultimately build a better understanding between different communities.

A range of cultural, social, and advocacy events are planned across the Eurobodalla, Bega Valley and Snowy Monaro in the coming days.

At Cooma on Thursday (June 22) there is a film screening, “Constance on the Edge” between 5:30 and 7:30 at the Cooma Multicultural Centre on Mittagang Rd.

‘Constance on the Edge’ follows a charismatic mother of six, as she confronts her painful past in war-torn Sudan, risking everything in Australia so her family can thrive. Filmed over 10 years in Wagga Wagga, the documentary is an unflinchingly honest portrayal of one refugee family’s resettlement story in regional New South Wales.

The Bega Valley branch of Rural Australians for Refugees has a packed program of movie screenings, dinners, and author talks and on Friday (June 23) at 10 am in Littleton Gardens Bega, a rally to raise awareness of Refugee Welcome Zones.

And in the Eurobodalla, locals are invited to join a celebration in Moruya on Saturday morning (June 24) as the Welcome Scroll visits as part its national journey.

The Welcome Scroll is 5 metres long, features hand turned red gum handles and the signatures of representatives from over 140 Refugee Welcome Zones around the country – including the signature of Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes.

Head to Russ Martin Park between 10 and 12 this Saturday, they’ll be food and live music and you can check out the Moruya Markets at the same time.

South East NSW busy as always!

To this week’s podcast – William Maley, Professor of Diplomacy at the Australian National University, and Vice President of the Refugee Council of Australia, has just been in the region as a guest of the Social Justice Advocates of the Sapphire Coast.

Bill’s book “What is a Refugee?” is a guide to the complex issues that surface whenever refugees are discussed, while also telling the stories of families and individuals who have sought refuge.

Bill came to Merimbula keen to motivate and inform advocacy around the issue, hoping for a more humane approach to refugees from the Australian Government and sections of Australian society.

He spoke for almost an hour to around 200 people, I’ve boiled it down to about 17 minutes, I’ve cleaned the audio up as best I can but there is a little bit of background noise, which I hope you can forgive.

Thanks for tuning into About Regional, your feedback, story ideas, and advertising inquiries are welcome, just flick me an email – [email protected]

Thanks to my partners in this week’s podcast – Light to Light Camps – pristine beaches, great food, hot showers and comfy beds. This is your chance to explore the Wilderness Coast in style.

See you out and about in South East NSW.

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Magella Blinksell1:51 pm 21 Jun 17

Relevance and topicality once again ‘About Regional!’ Another enlightening podcast about our great region!

Here’s a prime example of the WIN WIN that comes from resettlement in Refugee Welcome Zones. An example from north west Victoria, and a region where the Welcome Scroll will travel to, when it returns south, after visits to Bega, Moruya , Braidwood, Goulburn and Wollongong.

In the past 5 years more than 160 Karen refugees from Myanmar have been resettled in the town of Nhill.
A report by Deloitte Access Economics and the AMES settlement agency found that this resettlement initiative in the Wimmera added more than $40 million and 70 jobs to their once ailing local economy.

It’s a robust example of the immense social and economic contributions that refugees can make to local business, social life and to the revitalisation of ailing regional districts and economies .

Food for thought! 🙂

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