Dear scattered friends,
A quick catch-up before Christmas. Needless to say, the men are still in detention at Pinkenba – sleeping during the day, on the internet at night searching for news of their homeland.
sleep all day
surf at night
the internet – a lonely light
on all we know
and our tears will flow
as we surf the net at night
homeland is weeping
news of the day
stories we’re reading
break our hearts but we can’t turn away
There is a Christmas tree prominently located in the common room where we gather with our guitars. Not a common sight for the Persians and the Iraqis, those from Afghanistan, Kuwait and Syria. But it’s there anyway. Hopefully by osmosis, the message of peace on earth will find its way into this jaded context. We resisted any inclination to sing Christmas carols apart from John Lennon’s classic ‘War is over – if you want it’:
and so this is Christmas
for weak and for strong
for rich and for poor ones
the world is so wrong
There has been some movement in the Centre with good news for a relative few – enabling their transit into community detention. Most continue the wait that began on Christmas Island sixteen months ago. Others have had their claims for asylum rejected. The resultant depression becomes contagious.
Our morning music sessions are not well attended. As we’ve mentioned before, most of the detainees are sleeping so we’ve come up with a plan in consultation with SERCO: the plan is that we come at night instead of in the day. The details are currently being negotiated though Simon and Aleathea came last Tuesday night from 8pm – 10pm to test the proposal, positioned themselves in the outdoor recreation area – played, sang and talked. More men joined in, others gathered in groups and tuned in.
Occasionally a young singer comes out of the shadows and joins us. He has virtually no English but when we can persuade him to sing for us, he rubs his eyes and wrings his hands, runs his fingers through his hair ‘til he’s at the point of tears then he wrings his hands again – it’s a painful process but then the vocals begin slowly and gather strength. His eyes are usually moist by this time but we are all transfixed – his singing is beautiful. When it’s over as I mentioned in my last update, he bows courteously, touches his heart with his hand and disappears back into the shadows from where he came.
The other night though, his mood was lighter, his smiles were spontaneous. He has had some good news. He is “on a favourable course” according to Mahin the interpreter. His application for protection has been approved subject to police checks (which can take a further 3-12 months apparently). But he is happy – better days ahead. One of the SERCO staff said to him “This is a nice Christmas present”. He reacted in horror thinking with his very rudimentary understanding of English that she was hinting at his impending return to Christmas Island. That word will never be the same.
Remember the young man who “sang always with great passion and his wife for whom he would always vacate his comfortable chair” who was transferred to the Inverbrackie Family Detention Centre in South Australia? His name is Ali and his young wife is Sareh. They now live in community detention in Clayfield here in Brisbane. Last week Scattered People member Lou drove down from Maleny, picked them up together with Sareh’s sister Saviz and her husband Rahman and took them to her home in the country for a couple of days with her own family. During that time they attended the Buddies’ picnic at Mooloolaba (Buddies are a Sunshine Coast support group for refugees and asylum seekers). Here is an excerpt (with permission) of Lou’s email to me following that experience:
Hi Brian, well the weather treated us well and the sun shone when we got to Mooloolaba. The picnic was a great success. I spent most of my time with them on the beach and Ali and Sephr spent a lot of time in the water. I’ve travelled so far in two days and have shown the two families some great sights, a walk in the rainforest and down to the big dam today and a great dinner of different pizzas. We played cards until 12.30 this morning and lots of laughs. Maggie and I showed them the game of CHEAT and I think Australians are better liars than Iranians so we caught them out every time. It was a great experience for me and my kids, they were all very loving towards Maggie and Darcy. I know that this is a good thing for my kids to learn to be more tolerant and understanding of others. I hope to have them all again soon. As the train arrived at the station each of these six new Iranian/Australians embraced Maggie and I with such warmth and I felt very happy to have met such new and wonderful friends and that I could make a difference and share my beautiful part of the world with them. See you next Thursday. Lou
When we took our guitars to the Detention Centre on that very first day – Thursday June 9, 2011, we were uncertain where this ‘program’ would lead. Reading the above email excerpt will give you, our broader network, a sense of the ever-expanding circle of friends that has become possible. If you want to be part of that and invite Ali and Sareh – or any of the others to a picnic or for a meal at your home, that would be wonderful – they would appreciate it immensely – please give me a call (07 3624 2403)
Ali and Sareh have subsequently come back into the Detention Centre with us to give hope to the men who are struggling from one day to the next. Ali and Rahman came with us yesterday.
We did have a newcomer though: Paul Vidler, a young Brisbane blues player who contacted us via the Adelaide-based initiative ‘Welcome to Australia’. He brought with him three guitars – one that he played through the morning sessions, one that he gave to the Centre as a gift for the men to use and one that he gave to Ali as a present after hearing of his love for music and his desire to play the guitar. These are good things. Ali is a little overwhelmed with the welcome he is receiving. The keyboards donated to the Detention Centre by Lou and Mick her husband are attracting much interest on the part of the detainees. No one can play though – they’ve asked about a teacher. I said I would put the word out amongst this network for any volunteer keyboard teacher who could go in to Pinkenba perhaps once a week or a fortnight in the afternoon or evening preferably to assist the men with the musical basics. Please let me know if you hear of anybody who would be prepared to assist in this way.
The industrial diver Abed and Neda his sister of ‘My Heart Will Go On’ acclaim, have also moved back to Brisbane living in community detention. Word is that they are doing well, maximising any opportunity they have to join a Neighbourhood Centre English class or engage in practice conversation. Sadly though, Neda’s best friend has disappeared in the latest boat sinking off the coast of Java. She is terribly distressed with a fading hope that her friend will be located as one of the survivors.
Prior to SERCO Activities officer Nicole leaving for another job three weeks ago, she came up with an idea to draw on the skills and available time of the detainees – furniture restoration. Her idea has been refined by Kirsten her replacement and will soon be implemented. Lifeline/UnitingCare Community has responded positively to the initiative. A truck from the Lifeline store will bring on a regular basis 3 or 4 items of furniture needing repair and attention. These items will be worked on by those interested and then stored in one of the outer buildings – waiting for their ‘restorers’ to be relocated into community detention. They will take these prized items with them.
Damaged pieces – once useful and appreciated – needing to be useful and appreciated again.
Scattered People will continue through the break at the Detention Centre – in the form of Simon and his sister Aleathea sitting in the common area on Wednesday nights, playing guitars, mandolins, flutes and singing.
There is no break for the detainees.
Best wishes to each of you over Christmas – may the new year bring hope for all of us.
The Scattered People team
December 23rd 2011