SL_Newsletter.Ed3-Iss1.0908

Printed with Compliments of Cr Charlie Pisasale’s Electorate Office 1

Free English Classes

Support Links offers free

English classes at the Ipswich

Library. It also assists migrants

and refugees through in-home

tutoring.

Mondays: 10am-11.30am

Tuesdays: 10am-11.30am

Thursday: 10am-11.30am

Support Links Multicultural Group - Newsletter Edition 3: Issue 1 –Aug 2009

Support Links provides fun, learning, support

and friendship to people from many diverse

cultures, faiths and backgrounds. The group

meets regularly on Monday mornings at 12pm

at the Leichhardt Community Centre (Youth

Centre) Cnr Old Toowoomba Rd & Denman St,

Leichhardt.

It is proudly supported by : Ipswich City Council,

Ipswich Libraries, West Moreton Health and Leichardt

Community Centre. Support Links recently became a sub-

committee of Harmony Arts Inc.

Co-ordinator: Stella Gibbs

Tel: 07 3282 6852

Mobile: 0408 816 856

Email: [email protected]

Community Workshops

Yoga Classes

Free classes for Harmony Support-

Links and IMP members.

$10 for general public.

Every Second Tuesday from 6pm to

8pm (next session 4 August, 2009) at

Yoga Studio Nada, 11 Connors St,

North Ipswich. (General Level)

Thursday’s from 8.30am

at Humanities Building, 56 South St,

Ipswich. (Level One)

Contact teacher on 0411 015 991 or

teacher assistant on 0408 816 856.

English, a pathway to better opportunities....by Stella Gibbs A dedicated band of volunteers have been enhancing the lives of so many migrants and refugees in Ipswich for several years. They have given their time and energy so generously and I would like to mention them all from time to time so they know what a valued asset they are to Support Links and Ipswich. Our students come from Thailand, Philippines, India, Fiji, China, Korea, Sudan, Poland, Russia, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iran and many other countries. Monday‟s class is run by Colleen Marsh, Emma Faananan and Joan Sharp. Between them they spread love and laughter as well as learning. When the class is finished the tutors take the students to the Leichhardt Community Centre for the Support Links get-togethers. Tuesday‟s class is run by Maria Stevenson, Jean Mellor and our newest recruit Celia Thornton. We have some new students from the Univer-sity of Qld who have joined us this week. Thursday‟s class is run by Bev O‟Sullivan and Elaine Drennan. We also have a dedicated band of Home Tutors who visit students in their homes. This is especially of benefit to young mothers and carers and students needing more literacy and numeracy skills. Linda Cowell heads this team and her enthusiasm and dedication never ceases to amaze me. She works tirelessly to assist as many students as she can fit into her week. I would also like to thank the following people for their assistance: Margaret Doran, Leonie Mc Namara, John Charles, Leanne Ferguson, Margaret Hertwick, Sanat Jarasyndrera, Jill Savage, Barbara Stephens, Neville Buchanan, Des Hunt, Kathy Sherson and Colleen Tustain. My apologies if I‟ve missed out on anyone, due to my senior moments! Thank you all for the contributions you have made throughout the years to make Ipswich a better place to live and to have extended a warm welcome to newcomers!

Title of artwork

Contributions to Newsletter

If you would like to advertise a function, festival, workshop, CD‟s or books, or you would like to share some interesting anecdotes, stories, poems, jokes, news items, or favourite recipes, please contact: Editor: Astrid Tholens

Tel: 07 3202 2291

[email protected]

D’Arcy Doyle Statues by Astrid Tholens

Printed with Compliments of Cr Charlie Pisasale’s Electorate Office 2

Calendar of Events

August 27, 2009, at 10am—2pm

Festival of Respect and Gratitude

Humanities Building Auditorium,

South St, Ipswich. All are welcome.

August 7, 2009, at 7.30pm

The Inspiring Story of Abebe

Fekadu

Asylum Seeker from Ethiopia-1998

Australian Paralympian-2008

St Paul‟s Hall, of D‟Arcy Doyle

Place, Ipswich.

Cost: $5 with all proceeds going to

refugees support. Contact Margaret

07 3813 0470 or Leanne 07 3294 6267

September 20, 2009

Multicultural Peace Fair in support

of UN Peace Day.

Are you interested in participat-

ing? There is room for about

fifteen cultural and community

tents and performances. The focus

is on Youth and Peace, and we are

looking for expressions of interest.

Location: Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens.

Contact: Richard Cowley, Convenor

Phone: 07 3366 1709

Email: [email protected].

Festival of Respect and Gratitude...... Presented by Harmony Support Links and celebrating the elderly in our community during National Seniors Week

Dancing, Singing, Easy Exercises, Information Stalls, with special guest Dr Liu Xin presenting a talk on alternative coping strategies for chronic diseases. The Festival of Respect and Gratitude theme developed from the Vu Lan Festival which promoted and celebrated respect for and gratitude towards elderly family members, including all cultural groups.

Adebe Fekadu - presents a talk about his incredible journey to represent Australia as a power-lifter at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. Gaby Heuft from the Refugee Claimants Support Centre which supported Abebe along the way, will also speak about the challenging, but inspiring work of settling refugees in Australia.

Can I Help You? Customer

Service Basics, presented by

Byron Mulligan

This is a full-day workshop

for young people, teaching a

range of skills employers of

all industries want from their

employees.

Byron Mulligan is a youth

projects manager who has

worked across Australia de-

livering workshops, training

& events for young people,

and has worked extensively

in schools and with govern-

ment & community organiza-

tions. He has worked in com-

munity services and small-

businesses for more than

fifteen years and has a

passion for creating social

change by supporting the

personal development of

young people.

Program Cost: $80 per person

Enq: 0429 032 076 or

[email protected]

Come Test

Drive the

ARTS!

Complemen-

tary tickets

available.

To register

online for

tickets, visit: www.testdrivet

hearts.com

*La Boite Theatre *QUT Gardens

Theatre *Qld Music

Festival *Judith Wright

Centre *Opera Qld

*Qld Ballet *Roundhouse

Theatre

*Qld Music Festival

*Qld Performing Arts Centre

Made in Africa - Cafe & online Shop

This Cafe is a taste of Africa in the middle of

Moorooka, serving patrons delicious injera

(pancake-like bread) topped with various morsels

including beef, lamb and vegetables, accompa-

nied by free-trade coffee.

Aside from indulging in the heady Ethiopian

cuisine, browse through a selection of African

home-ware and clothing, plus a unique selection

of African arts & crafts to decorate your house.

Our aim is simply to create an income generating

program for African artists, crafts-people and

small producers.

Visit our Cafe/Restaurant/Shop at Ranchhold Arcade,

Shop 8-9, 197-201 Beaudesert Rd, Moorooka or

website: www.madeinafrica.com.au

It‟s Your RIGHT- aims to increase awareness about the protection and promotion of human rights in Australia while developing English language skills. A teaching Resource about human rights and responsibilities in Australia for adult English as a Second Lan-guage (ESL) Learners. Visit the website:

www.humanrights.gov.au/

education/esl

Or contact Australian Hu-

man Rights Commission

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol

“There‟s no use trying” Alice said, “one

can‟t believe in impossible things.”

“I daresay, you haven‟t had much

Practice,” said the Queen.

“When I was your age I always did it

for half-an-hour a day. Sometimes I‟ve

believed as many as six impossible

things before breakfast.”

Printed with Compliments of Cr Charlie Pisasale’s Electorate Office 3

August 15, 2009-8pm

Performance by Anwar Abudragh

Anwar Abudragh seeks to reinvent

Iraqi classical music by enriching the

classical tradition with his musical

experience in working with artists

and musicians from different

horizons.

Accompanying him are Iraqi and local

musicians on Arabic, Turkish and

Persian instruments and the

sensational dancing of Tamara Taylor.

Brisbane Powerhouse, 119 Lamington St,

New Farm

Bookings: 07 3358 8600

Tickets: full $27, conc. $18

Enjoy his music on You Tube.com

August 7, from 4pm to 6pm

August 8, from 11am to 3pm

Iraqi Maqam Workshops

Anwar will conduct practical and

engaging workshops for musicians

who like to sing or play middle-

Eastern instruments. He will hold Iraqi

Maqam workshops with teenagers

from Brisbane‟s refugee community

on Fri 7 August, and with adults on

Sat 8 August. Students will be intro-

duced to classical Iraqi Maqam, a tra-

ditional song.

On Sunday 9 Aug, 12-1pm, a commu-

nity concert, presented by BEMAC &

BAMEDAM and the Romero Centre,

will be held by Anwar Abudragh and

those students who wish to participate.

BEMAC, 120 Main St, Kangaroo Point

Bookings: Phone 07 3391 4433.

letter home from Bonegilla 1956 (ICE — Poems & Stories by Angelika

Fremd)

after the ship unloaded us,

we were taken to a flat plain

singed brown by the same sun

we had left in a gentler mood.

square wooden huts

squatted on knee-high grass.

our chests were held tight

by the giant grip of this land.

i did not grow pale

like all the others.

i was fourteen then

and in love.

we lay still in high grass

behind the huts and listened

to unfamiliar night noises.

our tongues had been lamed

only our skins knew how to speak.

then we were on different lists.

his family went to Sydney

and we stayed behind.

he wrote me a letter in broken words.

we would meet again, he said,

when we were Australians.

i didn’t think we’d meet again.

this country was too big,

and when we had become Australians

we would be different.

Anwar

Abudragh

Classical Iraqi

Musician

& Singer

1000 Voices-Disability life stories project—Griffith university

Our aim with this project is to collect and display 1000 life narratives

from people with a disability from around the world to have their

own voice in determining how their lives are seen and heard. These

life narratives will be presented in a number of multimedia and

textual formats to accommodate our participating narrators‟

communication abilities and needs. If you would like to support this

project, please contact Project Director:

Professor Lesley Chenoweth at [email protected]

Photography

and

computer art

Self

Reflection

by

Astrid

Tholens

Dutch migrants feature on wall in

Heritage Park at Bonegilla Migrant Camp

WORDS OF PEACE TV SERIES Message of Prem Rawat Qld Community TV (QCTV)

Tuesday „s & Thursday‟s 1.30pm

Sunday‟s 5.30pm

Prem Rawat (aka Maharaji)

Prem Rawat is a man of singular

vision and clarity. He is a teacher

with a core message: the peace

people are looking for is already

within. He has dedicated his life

to the dissemination of this

message and has spoken in

person to millions of people on

six continents.

His words are translated into

many languages and are now

accessible in most countries via

TV broadcasts and video, in print

and online. Whatever the

language or the medium, the

message remains the same: there

is a very practical way of getting

in touch with the peace that

already exists within each

person, and world peace begins

with individual peace.

www.wopg.org

Enq: 1300 303 169

Printed with Compliments of Cr Charlie Pisasale’s Electorate Office 4

Poem written by Ali Mullaie

Freeing Ali - The Human Face of the

Pacific Solution by Michael Gordon

Warm gale

As warm as a mother‟s heart

Caresses the sun-burned skin

on my face

I contemplate the blue sky

But crouch by the wall of

A swallow‟s cage.

GOING AWAKE, by Mitch Ditkoff

Two minutes ago, as I was getting into bed, it dawned on me what

a pleasure it is to sleep. The act of getting under the covers, laying

down my head, and letting go of the world is an extraordinary

experience. In that state, there is nothing to do. Nowhere to go. No

one to call. In that state, breathing is the only game in town—or

should I say, being breathed.

One breath in. One breath out. One breath in. One breath out. I

Imagine what life would be like if we let go to waking in the same

way we let go to sleep.

The Heart of the Matter, by Mitch Ditkoff (www.ideachampions.com)

What is important in this life? Read Mitch‟s blog about love, longing, letting

go, gratitude, happiness, presence and the effort required to wake up and

smell the roses.

Chrystelle‟s Story Cont........Section 3 : Destination the Sun

The south of France was tempting. Just before I left I met another

girl my age who was going there too. She had some friends where we

could stay. We told our parents that we would catch a train so they

wouldn‟t worry, but hitch-hiking was a lot more fun and didn‟t cost any

money! That‟s the way we went down south, our destination THE SUN!

After fifteen hours, and many lifts, we arrived in „St Marie de la Mer‟,

a little town on the coast near Montpellier. What an achievement! It was

pure happiness to be there and swim in the Mediterranean Sea. I was a bit

taken back when I walked into my friend‟s flat when there was nothing but

concrete walls with only a TV and a sofa inside. I had a shower in a small

room with a motorbike.

The following day I was determined to find a job with accommoda-

tion. I looked for work all day and then I met a woman called Nadia. She

invited me to stay at her place until I found a job. I accepted her invitation

as she looked friendly enough, in her thirties, and she had a daughter. A

few days later I had an interview for a job in a hotel called „Le Quai d‟Azur‟,

in the little fisherman‟s village „Le Grau du Roi‟.

I arrived at my appointment very confident and asked the young

man with the dark brown eyes, who was folding serviettes, if I could talk to

the manager, and he said “It‟s me!”. He explained to me what the job in-

volved, showed me the room I would be staying in, and introduced me to

the other girl who worked there. Awesome! I had a job and a good place to

stay. My job was to prepare breakfast with fresh croissants and orange juice

and serve it on the terrace, as well as clean all the twenty-four rooms.

At 1 pm we were finished and free to go to the beach, just a 5minute walk

away . The four months went by very quickly.

St

Marie

de la

Mer-

France

Scattered People (CD) - Soft groove, ethnic vocals & global instruments - melodic West meets reflective East, rhythmic Africans and vibrant Latinos. Be moved and inspired by the voices and the stories of asylum seekers and refugees from Ethio-pia, East Timor, Sri Lanka, El Salva-dor, China, Chile, Russia Afghani-stan, Burundi, Chile and the Congo as they express their desire for a „normal life‟ in their new Australian home. A life in which skills are valued, safety is assured, and where they feel welcome. Their collective desire is for „sweet freedom.‟ They speak of their distress and their nostalgia at having to leave their homes, their families and their familiar culture. Listen to the tracks by visiting:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/scatteredpeople