Refugee Embassy Journeys to Adelaide Dave McKay and Ross Parry will be driving the mobile "Refugee Embassy" from Woomera to Adelaide on Friday (May 3), so that they can present a document to the South Australian Premier, Mike Rann, thanking him for his efforts to defend the rights of refugee children in Woomera.
This will be the first time that the embassy, a banner-draped mini-bus, has been away from Woomera since its birth on Easter Monday. The decision to establish an embassy in Woomera followed a weekend of demonstrations outside the detention centre there, by nearly 1,000 people, a demonstration that saw fifty detainees escape, eleven of whom are still on the loose. "We wanted to help refugees through legal means" McKay explains. "So Ross and I informed police in Woomera on Easter Sunday that we were going to stay on and seek permission to visit detainees on a regular basis." McKay was rewarded for his candour by being arrested for trespassing, just minutes after the last busload of demonstrators departed from the campsite in front of the detention centre, on April 1... 'an April Fools joke on us by the police negotiators,' McKay calls it. A condition of bail was that he could not even enter the township of Woomera until May 27, when he will appear in court in Port Augusta. "It was obviously an attempt to stop the embassy before it got a chance to start," says McKay, who, with fellow Quaker Ross Parry, both from Newcastle, N.S.W., simply moved to the Pimba Roadhouse, at the turnoff to Woomera from the Stuart Highway. "It was a blessing in disguise," says Parry, whose job it is to discuss issues with tourists and locals who spot the embassy parked at the roadhouse. "We see far more people here than we ever would have in front of the detention centre." On one side of the blue and white bus, which is identical to the ones used at the detention centre, are the words "Refugee Embassy", while the reverse side says "Refugee Empathy". "We don't think of ourselves as ambassadors in any strictly legal sense," says McKay, "but we do feel an overwhelming responsibility to express empathy to the asylum seekers who are being accommodated at Woomera." Nevertheless, the embassy was approached by United Nations representatives last week, seeking a report on their experiences with regard to gaining access to detainees. In four weeks of trying, the duo have only been able to secure a single visit to the reception centre, but they are hopeful that things may soon change. They were told by the Centre Manager Designate, Mike Hughes, that access to the centre was terminated because of their involvement with the Easter demonstration. However, the pair have given assurances that they will not participate in demonstrations against the Government or against the Centre Management if they can have their status changed so that they will be able to visit detainees five days a week. Toward that end, the appearance at Parliament House in Adelaide on Friday will not be a protest. "It's more of a pro... a pro... well just a pro-demo," says McKay. "We are pro-anyone who will take a stand in favour of the emotional needs of these deeply traumatised asylum seekers, and we feel that Mike Rann has set a sterling example by campaigning for the rights of children at Woomera." The time for Friday's meeting in front of Parliament House will not be announced until word has been received back from the Premier's office with regard to when he can be present for the presentation. The media will be informed as soon as we know ourselves. Dave McKay and Ross Parry Refugee Embassy Post Restante, Woomera 5720 Phone: 0407-238805 UTS CRICOS Provider Code: 00099F DISCLAIMER ===================================================================== This email message and any accompanying attachments may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, use, disseminate, distribute or copy this message or attachments. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete this message. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender expressly, and with authority, states them to be the views the University of Technology Sydney. Before opening any attachments, please check them for viruses and defects. =====================================================================
