Seeking Volunteers

On 11/01/2017 By More to the StoryIn Events, get involved

I am always heartened by the amount of people I meet who want to get involved and make a difference in the lives of refugees and asylum seekers. The Australian Red Cross is currently offering one such opportunity in Perth. It is looking for volunteers to help our community better understand the real situation faced by people seeking asylum in Australia.

Volunteers are required to help Red Cross deliver educational workshops to schools and community groups in Western Australia, teaching people about the asylum seeker journey and why people seek protection in Australia.

If this sounds like something you would like to do, The Red Cross is hosting a volunteer training day coming up on Saturday 21 January. More information is on the In Search of Safety Volunteer Training flyer.

The Red Cross is a wonderful global organisation with a commitment to help people in need, regardless of nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It has been working with people impacted by migration – including people seeking protection – for almost 100 years.

2016 in review

On 04/01/201705/01/2017 By More to the StoryIn Australian Asylum Seeking Policy, Events, get involved, Global Trends, politics, Refugee stories, Refugees in WA, Telling other people's stories

I thought I would take this opportunity to reflect on 2016 in relation to refugees, asylum seekers and the importance of stories to help us understand what is happening in the world. There were many low points, but also some inspiring highlights that made me marvel at the strength and humanity of others. I hope you’ll take time to read this longer post from me.

It was a challenging year in Australia and the international community. The conflict in Syria worsened but I am hopeful that the tentative peace deal brokered by the Russians may help. syrian-refugees The escalating violence and insecurity continued in South Sudan and Yemen. We saw an amazing welcome initially from Angela Merkel and Germany in welcoming thousands of fleeing refugees as the crisis of displaced people had a dramatic impact in Europe. Populist groups in the UK, USA, Austria, Denmark, Germany, France and the Netherlands used the world’s biggest refugee crisis to spread fear and hate, inflaming tensions about people who may be different to us. In Australia where I live, the re-emergence of the One Nation party led by Pauline Hanson, has reflected these sentiments.

Walls, both physical and metaphorical, have been built in countries around the world to stop many of the people most in need from seeking help. According to the UNHCR, 1 in every 113 people globally is now either an asylum-seeker, internally displaced or a refugee.

As a writer and former journalist, I followed with fascination and often despair the twitter postings of Bana al-Abed, a young seven-year-old girl whose postings offered the world a glimpse into the deprivation and violence in the besieged city of Aleppo. Bana and her family were recently evacuated to the Turkish capital.

I worried about writer and journalist friends in some of the world’s trouble spots. I could only be thankful that people like my friend Karl Schembri were able to post on the ground reports from tragic situations in Yemen and Syria. Ben Doherty and the team from nauru-files Guardian Australia continued to lead the way with the most in-depth updates on the refugee and asylum seeker situation as it related to Australia. In a global exclusive, the Nauru files which included over 2,000 documents showing the despair and horror of Australia’s offshore detention, were leaked to the Guardian. This was followed by graphic reports on the ABC’s 4 Corners that also screened around the world.

I know, as someone who worked in news for many years, a picture can tell a story “better than a thousand words” In 2015 it was the image of Aylan, the two-year-old Syrian refugee, lying face down on a Turkish beach that seemed to galvanise western countries into responding to the urgency of the Syrian refugee crisis. Australia increased its refugee intake by 12,000 to help Syrian and Iraqi refugees. After a very slow start (why did it take nearly a year?) 2016 finally saw some of these refugees arrive in Australia.

In 2016 it was the image of young Oman in the back of the ambulance, which I am sure will show up in all your news feeds, as one of the photos of the year. oman-in-ambulance This photograph and video seemed particularly poignant and tragic to me. Oman was wearing shorts and a t-shirt featuring a cartoon character. His hands were in his lap. In a moment of pure horror, he lifted his left hand to his face, ran his fingers through his hair and then back down the side of his face before putting his hands back in his lap. He looked at the palm of his hand covered in blood and, unsure what to do, turns it over and wipes it on the seat. In that moment, he could have been our son, our grandson, our brother or our nephew, trying to get something off his hand. He looked straight at the camera, from a bright orange seat in the back of an ambulance where medics were rescuing people amidst the violence and chaos, towards the voices. He blinked and looked away… but I couldn’t look away from Oman.

yusra-mardini On a brighter note there was the uplifting news of a refugee team being selected for the Rio Olympics. I was drawn to 17 year old Yusra Mardini who saw terror in the eyes of her fellow passengers as the inflatable dinghy she was in trying to cross the Mediterranean began taking on water. Most of the people in the boat could not swim, but 17-year-old Yusra could, and she dragged them to safety.

The year ended with good news in Australia with a landmark decision in the Federal Court of Australia that ruled against the Minister of Immigration on the question of citizenship for people of refugee background. The case, brought by the Refugee Council of Australia with pro bono legal support, provides hope for 10,231 people that the department confirmed were in similar situations. This group of people from a refugee background have had their citizenship applications ‘put in the bottom drawer’, as the Department has dragged its feet in offering this large group of new Australians citizenship.

Personally, it was an amazing year with my book More to the story –conversations with refugees published by Margaret River Press selling very well. There are a small number of copies left that can be purchased online. I participated in writers festivals- the highlights being Big Sky in Geraldton and the Perth Writers Festival. I was a guest at community events, such as the Katanning Harmony Festival, where I gave the address on Australia Day. I gave library talks and attended book clubs throughout the year to help raise awareness about refugees and asylum seekers. Throughout the year I met hundreds of people, many of whom told me they were inspired to volunteer for organisations working with people from a refugee background including CARAD, Refugee Rights Action Network and Joining the Dots’ Welcome Dinner Project. More of you have signed up to receive information or made donations to organisations like the Refugee Council of Australia, Australian Red Cross, Amnesty International and Edmund Rice Centre WA where I am proud to serve on the board. I truly believe that hundreds of people who have read the personal stories featured in the book have taken time to reflect on what is happening around the world and in their own lives.

MYAN group 2016 One of the year’s highlights for me was my involvement with Shout Out, a public speaking program for young people from a refugee and migrant background run by the Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network. I feel very privileged to have been a part of helping some fabulous young people to develop their personal stories and public speaking skills.

Perhaps the most satisfying experiences in 2016 came in schools where I spoke. I started the year on a high with the Margaret River Senior High School Social Justice group – why don’t more schools have a group like this? I visited schools in the Geraldton region and elsewhere around Western Australia, and ended my engagements at Churchlands Senior High School with a day full of talks to different classes. We know that many schools around Australia now have More to the Story in their school libraries or are studying it as part of the curriculum.

I continued to be inspired by my close friends – Paul and Naw Bi from Burma; John, Farid and Fauzia from Afghanistan; Piok and Akech from South Sudan. We made more new friends as our lives became more involved with people from a refugee background – some of whom I hope will feature in my next book. We celebrated Karen New Year, Eid and other festivals with people of different cultural backgrounds. We heard sad stories, tragic stories and inspirational and happy stories

And finally I made good progress on my doctoral studies about life writing and human rights in relation to refugees. I am approaching the half way mark of a four year course and I hope my research and writing might make a small difference. As 2016 drew to a close I like to believe that hope can shine a bright light in darkness. There are some thoughts on this from World Vision that you might like to read.

I hope you’ll keep following this website in 2017. You can sign up to follow it and receive information as I post – just click the button on the right. Sometimes it is helpful to have useful information about an issue in one place and don’t forget you can contact me via the website or join in the conversation via the More to the Story facebook page.

I wish everyone peace in the coming year.

Human Rights is Nothing Without Stories

On 12/12/2016 By More to the StoryIn Events, Telling other people's stories

To mark International Human Rights Day on Saturday December 10 I attended a wonderful event at The Centre for Stories in Northbridge, and listened to a great panel of speakers discussing why stories matter. Each had a different perspective and it was one of the most thoughtful afternoons I have experienced.

Chair and Director of the Centre for Human Rights Education at Curtin University, Baden Offord, set the scene for a crowded room of people. We heard from Mary Ann Kenny from Murdoch who also acts as a lawyer for refugees and asylum seekers. Her heart breaking stories illustrated how the power of social media makes it easier for those in detention or in the community care to communicate. Mary Ann’s stories moved us all to tears. John Ryan gave us the view of an educator and talked about what concerns students and teachers in schools have. Yasue Arimutsu gave her first-hand experience of how some Japanese people struggle to find a clear identity and Yirga Gelaw Woldyes shared his own personal story as a boy growing up in Ethiopia. I was particularly taken with his point that it is possible to feel a sense of dislocation in your country when language is taken away or not respected.

After a break for coffee and chocolates at afternoon tea, we re-convened for an open and stimulating discussion. Baden concluded by reminding us that human rights theory is nothing without stories.

As a storyteller, I have always felt that it is impossible to fully understand a place or a person without engaging with all the stories of that place or person. In this way we surely have a better chance of finding a shared humanity. To do that, of course, we need to find better ways of listening and respecting each other. It was suggested to me through the week at a conference called ‘Re-imagining Australia’, that we need to give up something so that there is more room in our lives for contemplation – and that allows for a better way of listening.

One of my favourite Australian writers, Kim Scott, was also at this conference. When it opens, if you visit the new Perth Stadium at Burswood in WA you will see a poem written by Kim and etched around the walls in Noongar and English welcoming people – it is beautiful. I was particularly taken with these lines:

Travelling, we are many peoples;

But our footprints make us one.

Let’s all think more about everyone’s footprints around the world.

baden-and-rose — Rosemary with Baden Offord, Director of the Curtin University Centre for Human Rights Education

int-human-rioghts-day — Baden Offord, Yasue Arimutsu, Mary Ann Kenny, Yira Gelaw Woldyes and John Ryan at The Centre for Stories 2016 International Human Rights Day event

Human Rights Day

On 17/11/201617/11/2016 By More to the StoryIn Events, get involved

The Centre for Stories in Northbridge Western Australia is holding a special event on Human Rights Day, Saturday 10 December, involving Yirga Gelaw Woldeyes, Mary Ann Kenny, Baden Offord, John Ryan and Yasue Arimitsu. You may not know their names, but all these people make a difference in our world. They will be sharing the stories and books that have influenced and impacted upon their human rights work. Come along and listen. If you aren’t in WA – look for an event near you so you can take participate in International Human Rights Day.

Human Rights Day commemorates the day on which, in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In 1950, the Assembly passed a resolution inviting all States and interested organisations to observe 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.

The United Nations asks that on Human Rights Day we reaffirm our common humanity. In our current global environment I hope we can all take time to reflect on these issues more. Whoever we are and wherever we are, we can make a difference…. in the street, in school, at work, in public transport or at the voting booth. It’s up to all of us to understand the issues and the true stories so that we can defend the rights of a refugee or migrant, a person with disabilities, an LGBT person, a woman, a child, indigenous peoples, a minority group, or anyone else at risk of discrimination or violence.

Personally, I can’t think of a better way to mark Human Rights Day than to attend this Centre for Stories event. The speakers are all significant voices in the human rights movement and I’m sure this event will sell out very fast. If you are interested I urge you to reserve your place soon. I’ll look forward to seeing you there or hearing about your activities elsewhere in Australia and around the world.

What students ask me

On 25/08/2016 By More to the StoryIn Events

One of the really enjoyable aspects about being a writer is that I get to visit schools and talk to students. More to the Story – conversations with refugees is being used in a number of high schools around Australia for English, social sciences and a number of other subjects. The response from students and teachers has been heartening.

Recently I visited Churchlands Senior High School in Perth and was so impressed with how the teaching staff were approaching the topic. Apart from reading chapters of my book (which was lovely to see), they had also watched some of the SBS programme Go back to where you came from, as well as examining speeches by Julian Burnside QC, information on the Commonwealth Department of Immigration and Border Security website, different media reports and the Refugee Council of Australia website. The context for several classes was ‘making choices’ which explores the formation and influence of values and attitudes in individuals and society. A number of others were also looking at the power of language and how it is used to empower and disempower.

I find young people ask very different questions compared to adult audiences. I have to say there also seems to be more astonishment and outrage that Australia treats asylum seekers as it does. As one student said to me: ‘I just can’t understand why we treat people like this – it is a fundamental human right to be able to seek asylum. How does this happen?’

There also tend to be more personal questions about the individual people I have written about. For example: What happened to John’s mum in Afghanistan? Why can’t she come to Australia? Why couldn’t Paul immediately apply for refugee status when he escaped Burma? What do kids like us do in a refugee camp? Do you keep in contact with the people in your book? Are they your friends?

I am always pleased to explain yes, the people I have written about in my book have become friends and my life is richer for it.

We have a page for schools on this website (under Resources in the menu) which contains information for teachers on school visits, some teaching notes and a contact form for those interested in me visiting their school.

Churchlands staff (1) — Emma Lawson and Melanie Postmus, two of the lovely teachers at Churchlands Senior High School

An inspiring Refugee Week

On 29/06/2016 By More to the StoryIn Events, Telling other people's stories

I participated in numerous events to celebrate Refugee Week this year. Some of the highlights included:

A terrific talk at the Willagee Library with a very engaged audience;
A WA Greens event with Sarah Hanson–Young and many diverse speakers from refugee and non-refugee backgrounds; and
An informative and entertaining evening with the Edmund Rice Centre WA hosted by the patron Ken Michael, AC. It was great to see so many people sharing stories and learning about each other as part of the event.

Throughout the week I was reminded often of the power of the story. At the Greens event I interviewed South Sudanese, young leader Friday Ziko in front of an audience of 100 people at the State Library. Friday was born in South Sudan but civil war forced his family to flee to Uganda when he was just a baby.

It was two days walk to what we thought was a safe refugee camp. Mum pretty much carried my older brother on her back, her bag on her head and me in her arms for two days. We got to Uganda but when I was four years old, trouble started again. Rebels started coming in at night and burning people’s homes down.

Friday’s memories of that time are dominated by one feeling — fear; a feeling that has been shared by all of the people from refugee backgrounds that I have met and interviewed.

You don’t know if you are going to eat tomorrow, if you are going to live tomorrow. You don’t even go to school because you don’t know if they are going to come and attack the school. We always had to move and move and move.

Friday and his family came to Australia when he was ten years old and his stories helped us all understand the challenges that new arrivals face.

At the Edmund Rice Centre WA event – “My story, Your story, Our story” – it was wonderful to see how many people from a refugee background and non-refugee background learnt from each other in small groups by sharing their stories and thinking of ways to work together to make Australia a better place for everyone. One of the key over-riding needs expressed by those from a refugee background was enhancing access to education and language.

It seems to me that story-telling and listening are important ways we can exchange ideas and help us understand so change can occur.

Friday Ziko from South Sudan — Rosemary chatting with Friday Ziko at the WA Greens event celebrating 2016 Refugee Week

Refugee Week 2016

On 08/06/2016 By More to the StoryIn Events, Refugees in WA

The theme of this year’s Refugee Week celebrations on 19-25 June is “with courage let us all combine” which is taken from the second verse of our national anthem Advance Australia Fair.

Refugee Week is time that we celebrate the vital contribution and wonderful diversity that refugees bring to Australia. It is also a time when we think about the courage and resilience of all refugees, as well as all those who speak out against persecution and injustice around the world.

World Refugee Day is held every year on 20 June as part of the week and the UNHCR reminds us there are more than 60 million refugees around the world, half of whom are women and children.

The Refugee Council of Australia says: “The week is a call for unity and action for a fairer society. The Refugee Week theme encourages Australians to celebrate the best aspects of our nation’s welcome of refugees, frankly acknowledge unjust treatment of asylum seekers and refugees, and commit to working together to ensure that we do better.”

I’m particularly pleased that the national posters (see below) for this year’s Refugee Week features the Butler Falcons, an all-women’s multicultural AFL team organised through the Edmund Rice Centre here in WA.

For more information about Refugee Week, there’s a dedicated website http://www.refugeeweek.org.au which includes bulletins, posters and events. I’ll also keep you updated about news and events during Refugee Week here on this website.

refugee week 2016 poster

Youth Advocacy in WA

On 15/03/201616/03/2016 By More to the StoryIn Events, get involved

It was a real pleasure to attend the first 2016 Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) Forum in WA recently.

The Network is the peak body on multicultural youth issues, representing the needs and interests of young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds. It has offices in every State and Territory and the WA organisation is very active www.myan.org.au/wa/

It holds networking forums regularly for all agencies and groups who are concerned with multi-cultural youth issues. The theme for the first forum was refugees and asylum seekers. During my visit, I met representatives from so many groups and agencies doing outstanding work with our young people: the Red Cross, the Police Department, Princess Margaret Hospital, local Councils, agencies like Communicare as well as organisations like Beyond Blue.

I was invited to speak about my book. I also focused on the need to not just advocate, but to also share positive stories and to correct mis-information so we can engage in better conversations.

My talk was followed by moving and thoughtful presentations from a number of young people who attended a special youth summit about refugees and asylum seekers. Apart from sharing their own personal life stories as refugees, they also presented some suggestions for changing the dialogue about refugees. One of the many things this group has done is start a wonderful Facebook page called Young Refugees of Western Australia which regularly posts positive news stories about young people. Check it out!

I was also delighted to meet Jamila Jafri at the event and to hear her story of fleeing Afghanistan with her mother and her younger brother when she was five years old. She is now 20 and studying at university in Australia. You can read her story on http://behindthewire.org.au/

Big issues and the power of ideas

On 24/02/201603/03/2016 By More to the StoryIn Events, Festivals

Record numbers of Western Australians attended the Perth Writers Festival over four days. I agree with Program Manager, Katherine Dorrington, that the focus on ideas and issues helped bring a more diverse audience to the festival this year. I believe people are hungry for intelligent conversation and different ideas. Even if you didn’t agree with everything that was said, there was a lot to reflect on.

Of course, as a writer, I was inspired by some of the visiting fiction and non-fiction authors. How can anyone not marvel at the beauty of Gail Jones’ language, the breadth of Simon Winchester’s knowledge, the joyfulness of Katherine Rundell’s books for children, the compassion of Patrick Gale’s writing or the powerful storytelling of Etgar Kerat?

But I was especially energised by the debate and discussions about our society and who we are today. Thinkers and writers like George Megalogenis, Don Watson, Jane Caro, Stan Grant and Laura Tingle made me think and ask myself different questions. The sorts of conversations I heard at the festival seem sadly lacking in the general media and among our politicians.

In a society fixated on fast-paced environments, the ten second news grab, the ping of the mobile phone with another message and a “go, go, go” mentality, it’s difficult to find the time to sit down and reflect. But I plan to do this and think more about what I heard and the books I am reading.

As American President John F Kennedy said: “Too often we… enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”

I am a big believer of moving outside my comfort zone to develop informed opinions – so well done Perth Writers Festival. Challenging, inspiring AND entertaining!

There are more photos on the Gallery page.

Rose, Liz Byrski, Melinda Tognini — Signing books with Liz Byrski and Melinda Tognini after our ‘Shared Narratives’ panel

The Perth Writers Festival

On 15/02/201615/02/2016 By More to the StoryIn Events, Festivals

As many of you know the Perth Writers Festival is fast approaching. It’s held from Thursday 18th to Sunday 21st February in the beautiful grounds of the University of Western Australia.

While I’ve been involved in the event for many years, this is my first one wearing a variety of hats – interviewer, author, facilitator and guest speaker to launch a book!

I will be involved in two sessions as an author this year. I’m thrilled to sharing the stage with Stan Grant, Yassmin Abdel-Magied and George Megalogenis in We are Australian on Saturday 20th at 10am. We will be discussing what it really means to be Australian and whether we are still a tolerant, multicultural nation. And later the same day I will be talking about the intricacies of telling someone’s true story with Liz Byrski, Melinda Tognini, Alice Nelson and Bruce Russell in Shared Narratives at 2:30pm.

As I’ve done the past, I am interviewing some terrific writers over several sessions – something I enjoy immensely. I’m really looking forward to meeting Hyeonseo Lee who will be talking about her experiences of being trapped in North Korea, escaping to China and being reunited with her family in South Korea. This session is called The Girl with Seven Names and is on Sunday 21st at 2:30pm.

David Dyer, Katherine Rundell and Patrick Gale all have new books that drip with snow, ice and winter and I’ll be talking with them about the importance of place in their narratives. Winter is Coming is on Friday 19th at 10am.

I’m also facilitating the publishing seminar again this year, which is on Thursday 18 February. For those of you interested in understanding the publishing landscape in Perth, this is an extremely valuable day.

And lastly, as I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I am honoured to have been asked by Liz Byrski and Rachel Robertson to launch a new book called Purple Prose, a collections of stories by women writers on what the colour purple means to them. The launch is on Saturday 20th at 5:30pm.

There is something for everyone at the Perth Writers Festival and I really hope to see you there.