The Glen Waverley Uniting Church PSALTERLink to AsylumSeekerSupport > AsylumSeekerSupportGroup > CouncilAgenda20230515 > CouncilMinutes20230515
Asylum Seeker Support Group
On 2023 May 1, at 2:09 pm, Robin Pope <[email protected]> wrote: Hi David, I want to let you (and the Outreach Committee) know that I have decided to hang up my hat and discontinue leadership of the group called Asylum Seeker Support Group, which has not met since Covid restrictions were lifted. Our membership is distinctly aged and some are now unable to actively continue working with the group. I think it is time for a younger, more invigorated leader to recruit new members in support of those Asylum Seekers still seeking resolution of their situation. Would you let the Outreach Committee know of my decision? I will notify the remaining members of the group of my decision. They are : Maria Gillies, Geoff Willis, Bobbie Rooks, Moira Mannix, Lyn Maslen, Barbara Chamberlain. Regards Robin Pope
A request for further information on the group was answered with:
We have recently had our contact for donations for asylum seekers, cease his activity. We used to deliver directly to his house in Glen /waverley and he transported the goods to his outlet in Dandenong. However, this is now closed, and any recent donations that have come in I have taken the the ASRC (Asylum Seeker Resource Centre) in Dandenong. They only have facilities to accept goods for their food bank, so we have advised parishioners that any donations of clothing, linen etc should be placed in the bins in the church carpark, for Broadmeadows. Any furniture or other household items we directed to Eastern Emergency Relief, which operates through volunteers from Monday to Friday. I was also the church rep on the Outer Eastern Asylum Seeker Support Network, which had reps from a number of churches. However, the chairman Graham McAnalley is no longer able to lead this group as his wife has serious health problems, and Graham is well into his eighties, and noone has stepped in to replace him, so it seems to be more or less moribund. Apart from that, we have done very little since Covid. We used to attend the Palm Sunday marches over the years, and some of us continue to pepper our politicians with letters! I used to try to get in a guest speaker/preacher each year. Unfortunately Refugee Week clashes with the anniversary of the Uniting Church in June, and I never succeeded in getting it recognised in our services at that time, as the anniversary always took precedence. I think the general feeling in the public is that the current Labor government’s moves to offer permanent visas to a large cohort of asylum seekers has resulted in people feeling that ‘the problem is dealt with’, whereas there are still some in detention on Manus and Nauru and many without hope of a permanent visa. It has always been a political football for governments to impress Australians with its strength on ‘security’, and Labor’s recent moves have been the most positive for decades - but not enough! I have just found an old notice we put in the bulletin some time ago, which gives an outline: Asylum Seeker Support Group This group was formed to support asylum seekers as they seek security from past traumas through permanent residency in Australia. We have links with other similar organisations, particularly the Outer Eastern Asylum Seeker Support Network (OEASSN) and the Dandenong Asylum Seeker Centre which we support with material donations which are collected through the boxes in the foyer. Our main activities are fund-raising through various activities such as concerts, BBQs, stalls, sale of honey, sale of donated goods, applications for a portion of the COP funding. We also organise various speakers for the purpose of raising consciousness about the situation in which asylum seekers are placed. Members also engage in writing letters to politicians to let them know of our concerns for this vulnerable group. Assistance from anyone interested in helping is always welcome. Contacts: Robin Pope (9753 3648 or [email protected]) or Lyn Maslen (9899 2821 or [email protected]) Hope this helps! Regards Robin