Babana news edition 2 2014

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Supporting our community since 2006

Babana News – Edition 2, 2014

Contents Chairman’s Report ................................................................................................................................. 2 Congratulations Tony Albert ................................................................................................................... 3 Native Title Win ...................................................................................................................................... 4 Q&A with Kaleesha Morris, Indigenous youth ambassador ................................................................... 5 Coloured Digger Anzac Event ................................................................................................................ 9 NAIDOC Event ..................................................................................................................................... 17 Family Violence Day ............................................................................................................................ 21 Quit Smoking Day ................................................................................................................................ 26 Mental Health Day ................................................................................................................................ 30 Financial Support for Babana ............................................................................................................... 31

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Supporting our community since 2006 ABN: 2715 774 8337 e: [email protected]

Chairman’s Report

I would like to welcome you to our latest edition of Babana News it has been a very busy time since our last edition. We have been a part of some amazing events and have seen some very positive things occurring within our local community. I would also like to thank each of you who supported our Indigenous Employment Program since its inception however due to the changes of the Government this Program will no longer be available in its current form and we are in the process of applying for funding through the new advancement strategy . We will keep you posted on any developments re our submission . We have held some amazing events for the community and have seen each of these continue to grow, this year was one of the biggest for Coloured Diggers and also the Family Violence days. We are planning even bigger things for next year and our organisation committee has already been meeting to work on different elements of the days. We are always looking for volunteers for all of our events so if you or your organisation are interested please let us know. As those of you who have attended our Events and for the information of those who may be intending to , ALL BABANA Community Events are at no-charge to the attendees and we intend to keep it that way as long as finances allow . One of our members must be congratulated not only was he successful in the City of Sydney sculpture, but he has won some substantial awards this year. Tony Albert is a young man who is showing the community that things can change through Art, Tony is also organising a major event for Babana in November so look out for more information in due course. I hope that you enjoy reading this edition and seeing the work that we have done, I also would like to extend an invitation to our Mental Health Day on October 10th, This is am important day as mental health is something that Aboriginal people often don’t seek help for,

Mark Spinks, Chairperson

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Congratulations Tony Albert

Babana would like to acknowledge one of our members who has recently received a prestigious award in the arts. Tony Albert has been a member of our group since the start of this year and each of those who have been involved with him have seen the passion and commitment he has to our people. In august Tony was awarded the top prize in the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award in Darwin. Tony was his award for We Can Be Heroes which is a is a series of photographs of young Aboriginal boys staring at the camera, defiant and proud, with red targets on their chests.

Tony is also working on a major fundraiser for Babana which will be held in November. If you would like further information on this event please contact us at [email protected]

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Native Title Win

All of our members would like to congratulate the members of the Gumbaynggirr tribe on their recent victory with their Native Title Claim. We have a lot of members from the area and seeing the outcome on national television and in the papers shows the importance of these victories. The elders first lodged the claim back in 1996 with the National Native Title Tribunal and it took until this year for the decision to be made. It was also pleasing for the community to see the Federal Court hold their session on country and over 100 people were in attendance and stood and cheered after Judge Jayne Jagot handed down her ruling during a special open-air sitting at Nambucca Heads. The claim extends over a six-square-kilometre piece of coastal land within the Gaagal Wanggaan National Park, just south of the town.

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Q&A with Kaleesha Morris, Indigenous youth ambassador ‘I am driven by the paradox of contemporary Aboriginal societies, our communities are both incredibly vulnerable and resilient at the same time’

Recently one of the UNSW Indigenous students that is heavily involved in the community was featured in The Guardian in her role of Youth Ambassador. Kaleesha shows the strength and integrity that we need as a community to make real change rather than just talking about “closing the gap”. Below is her Q&A from The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/22/qa-with-kaleesha-morris-indigenous-youth-ambassador)

Tell us about who you are My name is Kaleesha. I am 24, and I am a proud Gumbaynggirr and Kulkalgal woman. I was born and raised on my mother’s country in the Clarence Valley by the Northern Rivers of NSW but I have been living on Gadigal/Tharawal country for the past eight years. I love a lot of things, first and foremost my family and country. I also love poetry, art, travelling, neo-soul/jazz music and learning languages. I have been working in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice for the past eight years. I study arts/law at UNSW and currently work with Kingsford Legal Centre (KLC). KLC is a community legal centre providing free legal advice to our local communities, and clinical legal education to UNSW law students. Outside of that, I am a youth ambassador for the Justice Reinvestment for Aboriginal young people NSW Campaign, an organisation which lobbies for various reforms in the criminal justice system and most importantly, stands for reducing Aboriginal incarceration rates and building Aboriginal community empowerment and self-determination

What do you plan to focus on during your week as host of @IndigenousX? This week I will be exploring a variety of issues but those in particular will be country, culture, environmentalism and climate change as well as decolonisation and justice.

What issues are you most passionate about and why?

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In broader terms, I am driven by the paradox of contemporary Aboriginal societies, our communities are both incredibly vulnerable and resilient at the same time. I want people to appreciate the magnitude of each of these aspects and work from them. I often try to raise special awareness of the tragic Aboriginal suicide rates in Australia, as well as the increasing incarceration rates of our people, both realities of which are unacceptable in Australia. I am also particularly passionate about creating action around the global climate change crisis. Activism in this area is crucial for Indigenous peoples in Australia and around the world, communities of whom are often impacted earlier and more significantly than others.

Who are your role models, and why? I am very grateful to have a number of role models. Those at the very forefront are the strong women in my family. My mother is extraordinarily beautiful, loving and very independent and my aunties and grandmothers have all worked extremely hard to raise our family up. I look up to my big sister Nakkiah Lui for her tenacity and her creativity, and I look to the aunties of other communities, like Aunty Rhoda Roberts, Aunty Gracelyn Smallwood and Aunty Patricia Mills, all of whom have blazed trails for young people like myself. I love the works of poets Oodgeroo Noonuccal, Maya Angelou and Sunni Patterson. I also have immense respect for all of those people who have never lost sight of the importance of protecting country and our connections to it and to each other.

What are your hopes for the future? I want to see the large-scale revival of Aboriginal languages. I want the wider Australian public to realise that the Aboriginal peoples inherent rights to protect Country and resources are for their and their children’s benefits as well so we need to be supported in our causes to be equitably involved in decision-making processes. I want a future whereby Aboriginal peoples are truly appreciated and valued for the immense wisdom they can provide in taking care of Australia. I want a future whereby we are all actively seeking to strike and maintain the right balances with our environments and whereby we are all (black and white) free from the myths of colonisation. I work for a future whereby each and every one of us can embrace, respect and connect to the Aboriginal spirit of this country and be much better off for it. Kaleesha also works at Kingsford Legal Centre and if you are in the area drop in and have a yarn with her or one of her colleagues. KLC also provide an outreach service to the local community twice per month at the Yarra Bay Aboriginal Community Health Centre. Information on KLC and this have been included.

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Coloured Digger Anzac Event The Babana Aboriginal Men’s Group, The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Service Association and the Coloured Digger Committee run the annual Coloured Digger Anzac event in Redfern. The Redfern ANZAC Day March and Commemorative Service is held each year by Redfern’s Aboriginal community to honour Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander servicemen, servicewomen and those who served in non---‐military support roles. Honouring Our Unknown Warrior was the main focus of this year’s Redfern event. This year we honour our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Diggers who fought bravely alongside their mates and now lie overseas and unknown far from their own Country. Respect was also paid every year to the women and other family members who kept our families and communities together while loved ones were away and after they returned As an organisation we would like to extend acknowledgements to the important people outside of Babana who helped to make our event a success. Without these individuals and our funding partners City of Sydney Council, Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Redfern foundation we would not have seen such a turn out for the Coloured Diggers March. UNSW Australia students and staff from Commonwealth Bank and KPMG were responsible for volunteering on the day which provided extensive assistance to Volunteer Coordinator The assistance provided by City of Sydney representative Ebony Allen was exceptional and we would like to thank the staff from Redfern Community Centre. Susie Carleton and the Redfern Foundation have again shown their commitment by assisting our organisation Prime Minister and Cabinet staff Carin Percival and Rod Cook have again been influential in ensuring that financial support has been appropriated for this event.

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NAIDOC Event Babana were proud to support Alexandria Park Community School NAIDOC Celebrations via a BBQ catering for 1,000 Students and Adults as well as two Awards for Primary Students and two Secondary Students by way of Store gift card.

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This event provided an opportunity totaling $900 of which half of this amount was contributed by The Master Builders Asociation and we appreciate their involvement as do the Children who received this inaugural award . Chairman Mark Spinks was also invited to attend a special event at Westpac where the 852 branches across Australia raised money our organisation. Mr Michael O’Malley-Jones advised that around $1500 was donated across the sites.

Photo by Tomasz Machnik, Lead Photographer for Flashpoint Labs'

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Family Violence Day Following on from our successful Sailing towards Community Solutions Babana recently held a day dedicated to working on ways that we as a community can address the violence. Family Violence is made up of many different areas which to us in the community are not acceptable. Examples of behaviour that we need to address as an Aboriginal community include:

• an assault; or • a sexual assault or other sexually abusive behaviour; or • stalking; or • repeated derogatory taunts; or • intentionally damaging or destroying property; or • intentionally causing death or injury to an animal; or • unreasonably denying the family member the financial autonomy that he or she would

otherwise have had; or • unreasonably withholding financial support needed to meet the reasonable living expenses of

the family member, or his or her child, at a time when the family member is entirely or predominantly dependent on the person for financial support; or

• preventing the family member from making or keeping connections with his or her family, friends or culture; or

• unlawfully depriving the family member, or any member of the family member’s family, or his or her liberty.

This year we had involvement from Relationships Australia who do a lot of work in the space and through their involvement those who attended were able to realise that there are multiple ways that family violence can occur including:

• spouse/partner abuse (violence among adult partners and ex-partners) • child abuse/neglect (abuse/neglect of children by an adult) • parental abuse (violence perpetrated by a child against their parent), and • sibling abuse (violence between siblings).

It is up to us as strong community members to act on Family Violence and take a stand against those who are involved in any of these acts.

1800 Respect Free assistance is provided to help those facing violence and we encourage the use of the following: 1800 RESPECT is the national family violence and sexual assault counselling service. It is a free, confidential service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 1800 737 732 to speak to a professional counsellor.

Family Relationship Advice The Family Relationship Advice Line provides information and advice on family relationship issues and parenting arrangements after separation. It can also refer callers to local services that can provide assistance. Call 1800 050 321 between 8 am and 8 pm, Monday to Friday, or 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday local time, except national public holidays.

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Kids Helpline Kids Helpline is a free, private and confidential, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people aged between 5 and 25. Call 1800 551 800, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Lifeline Lifeline provides crisis support services. Call 131 114, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Mensline Australia Mensline Australia provides telephone and online support, information and a referral service. They provide counselling support for men to help deal with relationship problems in a practical and effective way. They also provide specialist support to those who use or experience family and domestic violence. Read more about this support on the Mensline Australia website or call 1300 789 978

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Quit Smoking Day The Aboriginal Medical Service Redfern, Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation, Babana Aboriginal Men's Group and Sydney and South Western Sydney Local Health Districts Health Promotion Service and Aboriginal Health Unit have been working in partnership to address smoking within the local Aboriginal communities. Babana regularly holds events to both raise awareness of the issues relating to smoking and also to help our community seek help. If you are interested in quitting smoking please visit the Iquitbecause website http://www.iquitbecause.org.au/support/

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Mental Health Day

Mental Health Day Cruise

Come and help us break the stigma and raise awareness for mental illness.

Special guests include:

NRL Legend Steve “Zip Zip” Ella Other guests to be announced soon. Keep your eye on the Babana website (www.babana.org.au) for regular updates.

Let’s help those who need it find help. No judgement, no shame, just support.

WHEN: 10 October 2014, 10:00am to 2:30pm WHERE: Meet at the Eastern Pontoon, Circular

Quay travelling to Rodd Island for lunch INCLUDED: Lunch and bottled water. HOW MUCH: Free event

This is an alcohol free event Proudly sponsored by

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Financial Support for Babana Babana Aboriginal Men's Group Receive no ongoing funding from government and most of the work we do is unfunded. The work that is carried out is mainly by the volunteers within the organisation and donations to our group will ensure that we continue to grow and prove that Aboriginal run organisation can be successful. We have a page on mycause.com.au that can be used for donations

http://www.mycause.com.au/charity/587/BabanaAboriginalMensGroup Or you can visit the funding section of the Redfern Foundation

http://www.redfernfoundation.org.au/Donations%20Form%20Final.pdf (please ensure you mention Babana as a number of groups are funded through this organisation) If you want to donate directly please email us on [email protected]

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Babana news edition 2 2014