Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

(Australia)

Contact Branch
wilpf.org.au/contacts.htm

Dates for Tasmanian Branch

NOV. MEETING
Thursday 3 November at 2 p.m. on  
at 254 Macquarie Street in Senator Lisa Singh’s office on the ground floor

Lecture
Breaking Free From        Nuclear Deterrents by Retired Commander Robert Green of the Royal Navy
30 October at the Friends Meeting House  at 2 p.m.-

Human Rights week  -  1-10th Dec.

Tasmanian Branch

Welcome to WILPF in Tasmania

TASMANIAN CHANGES OF  MEETING VENUE AND TIME  -  URGENT

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Tasmanian WILPF is holding its NOV. MEETING at 2 p.m. on Thursday 3 November  at 254 Macquarie Street in Senator Lisa Singh’s office on the ground floor. (RACT was becoming increasingly noisy)

The Christmas Meeting and Seminar to acknowledge Human Rights Week will be held  on Thursday 8th December at 2 p.m. in the former CWL HQ above the Creche off Criterion Street – Guest Speakers will be Anna Crotty (Tents for Peace); Rosemary Epps ( Life for Afghani Women) and Rosemary Tasker (Youth Assembly in Turkey) with Women-song and afternoon tea to help ensure a memorable event . ALL WELCOME – ph 6234 6672 for catering purposes please,  by 2 December.

We will also be taking part in The International WILPF  “Whistleblowers “ 16 day event.
Blow the Whistle to Redefine Security!  The 2011 Campaign theme is “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let's Challenge Militarism and End Violence Against Women!” CONTACT US - ph 6234 6672 to learn more.

There is  also a Lecture -30 October at the Friends Meeting House  at 2 p.m.- Breaking Free From Nuclear Deterrents by Retired Commander Robert Green of the Royal Navy;

Human Rights Week-  1-10 Dec. - WILPF has  made two nominations and we are looking forward to seeing the outcome.

 PREVIOUS EVENTS
Over the past  six months the Tasmanian Branch has been kept actively busy, with one event following the next in rapid succession.  Although we have lost three members we have gained three, so membership is stable at 33.

 In May we held a memorable  Anniversary celebration for our Branch, plus  Eve Masterman’s 104 Birthday and the birthdays of all  our members.

Other activities have included  taking part in the showery Vigil Against Nuclear Weapons in June (organised by WILPF) ;  the 6 August Vigil in pouring rain for Hiroshima Day;  the Peace Picnic on 18 September; being represented at the  function at Parliament House for Malalai Joya (with a donation towards her expenses);  the recent Round Table with Hon. Kevin Rudd MHR and attending the Whistleblower film to support IWDA; apart from attending other group’s events.

WILPF  provided half of a bursary for the Lesley Alcorso Award winner at the Conservatorium of Music which went to Chloe Wood (singer); a letter has been prepared to go out to all schools  for the Eve Masterman Poetry Prize next year and  action is underway to provide a memorial seat in the grounds of the Tasmanian University for Dr. Margot Roe. 

The Tasmanian Branch  has  also made a concerted effort to have letters printed in the Mercury in order to be  more visible to the public; it  achieved eight letters printed in June and four more since. We  supported Section Resolutions for the Costa Rica Congress, the recognition of the aboriginal peoples in the Constitution;  the Polynesian request for independence and the Palestinian request for UN Statehood recognition;  and made a submission towards the Section submission of the Government  NAP Review of UN Resolution 1325;  Members have regularly responded to some Avaaz  and Get-Up petitions; this has provided our frail members who are unable to attend meetings with a means  of contributing to world action.  Two nominations have been made towards Human Rights Awards.  We are also in the process of making tabards  to increase our visibility when we take part in vigils and rallies. As well, we have updated Branch  brochures and fliers for use at rallies and vigils and updated our web-site. Invitations to join have been to several organisations informing them about WILPF Tasmania. A sub-committee is busily collecting and collating the Branch History.

BRIEF REPORT OF A SPEECH BY MALALAI JOYA MADE AT PARLIAMENT HOUSE ON 1 SEPT.
SAWA (Afghanistan) representative, Malalia Joya, ex MP, spoke at several Hobart meetings - all well attended. Points from a speech Malalai made at Parliament -
1.    Violence has increased for women. Death threats against women who speak out are common and carried out. I think she said that the leader of RAWA was assassinated.
2.    The occupation of Afghanistan is not helping women - it is making things worse. it would be better for the military to leave and for humanitarian aid to pour in - not to the corrupt men in power, or the Taliban, but given directly to the poor via  recognised aid agencies. There is more opium etc. now than at any time.
3.    Education is desperately needed to change the culture and denigration of women. Afghan men are so poorly educated.
4.    Obama and his administration have made things worse. The USA does not want to get out of   Afghanistan - they want to access the resources of central Asia - or say who cannot access. The war is an excuse for them to stay. the USA is supporting the warlords; it is another enemy beside the warlords, corrupt officials, and the Taliban.
5.    The media only reports what those in power want us to hear - what we are told is only one side of the story - especially the US story.
6.    We need to write to our PM and ask for the Australian military to leave Afghanistan;  Australia should send aid via recognised aid organisations instead and let the Afghan women work for restoration of civil society and let the men concentrate on rooting  out corruption and warlords rather than fighting the Americans and Australians.

Linley Grant OAM
WILPF TAS . PRESIDENT
17/10/’11

TASMANIAN WILPF CELEBRATION ON 26 May 2011

Tasmanian WILPF members who  were not working celebrated  all our birthdays, but in particular, Eve Masterman’s (above) who was celebrating her 104th Birthday on 30 May and Bronwen Meredith’s (right)92nd birthday a little earlier. We had a candle for recently departed members and another candle for all our birthdays, a  rich fruit cake and a rose each.  Eve  was the first President and Bronwen the first Secretary of Tasmanian WILPF when it reformed after the wartime recess in 1946. They  have both been members continuously for over 60 years.

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