PRESENTS FREE FILMS At Brisbane City Council Library, Brisbane Square Saturday, 19th May Community Room, Ground Floor 1:30—2:30 p. m FREE VOICE OF LABOUR Tells the history of the Jewish Anarchist workers’ newspaper that was published for 87 years in … Continue reading →
Bring on Bastoy for starters by Gerry Georgatos PhD researcher Australian Deaths in Custody, Masters Social Justice Advocacy, Masters Human Rights Education If you want to know the hearts and minds of a nation, of its consciousness, of its legislators, … Continue reading →
Emad, Gareth and I walked to the starting line at Wategos beach, near the Byron Bay lighthouse.
As we entered the water with the other swimmers, the organisers called off the race because of treacherous conditions. Loud speakers announced that we would be ‘swimming at our own risk’.
We swam anyway.
Many other swimmers did the same.
As we rounded the point from Wategos beach, Emad was dumped by a two metre wave and had to be rescued.
We wish to thank the selfless swimmers who kept Emad afloat until the Surf Life savers arrived in their Zodiac.
Gareth and I continued swimming wide of the big breaking waves. I came across Gareth and could hear him distinctly above the sound of the waves and a nearby surf boat — as Gareth took each breath in mid-stroke he yelled: ‘Free Palestine, Free, Free Palestine‘.
About one kilometer further on we arrived near main beach at Byron Bay where we were both hammered by big breaking waves.
Gareth’s goggles were wiped off his face and my swimming cap with the Palestinian Flag emblem was lost in the cauldron along with one of my flippers.
Gareth and I walked up the beach alongside others swimmers saying how their legs had cramped up as they came into the beach.
We returned to the stall where Maxine had spent the last hour engaging with people asking questions about Palestine and the campaign by MECA to provide clean drinking water to children in the West Bank.
We were happy to be re-united with Emad who told the story of the bravery of the swimmers who saved him in the big swell. In his words he said ‘I drowned’. But he was saved!
Some time later two young girls in swimming costumes came up to the stall holding my Palestinian flagged swimming cap lost in the sea about 20 minutes earlier.
Maxine yelled out ‘Ian, these girls found your cap!” I turned and asked how they knew the cap was mine. The 11 year old girl with braces on her teeth said she and her friend saw the flag flying high on the foreshore and looked at the flag on the cap and put two-and-two together.
Gareth said: ‘What are the chances of that happening!” and Maxine rewarded the girls with a sumptuous home made cake. Thanks girls!
We are swimming to raise money for the Middle East Childrens’ Alliance so Palestinian kids can have clean drinking water despite Israel’s best efforts to desiccate them.
You can sponsor us by making donations at MECA to help meet the basic needs of Palestinian children and give them opportunities to learn, play, and envision a better future. Go to https://www.mecaforpeace.org
A special thank you to Gareth and Maxine for making this small contribution to Palestinian kids lives possible.
To our friends We are writing to you to announce the formation of, and invite you to participate in, the Brisbane University Staff & Students Assembly. BUSSA plans to be a city-wide organisation where workers and students from all universities … Continue reading →
Welcome to this website People from all directions.
A note to indigenous people, Workers BushTelegraph may contain recordings, images and songs of people who are deceased.
We address the following questions:
1. Industrial question: The Master/servant relationship. The struggle for Worker Control.
2. Ownership question: Who owns the land? Rights to the city, right to country. The struggle of indigenous people for land rights and social justice in Australia.
3. Political question: This is the class struggle. Who owns the means of production? Who governs? How are democratic rights won and shared.
'Rob Pyne - a far northern life' — sharing stories of Rob Pyne's struggle inside the ALP and his move to independence. Contains some excellent chapters about his stint in parliament.
Bent Banana Books — Save the Book - discussion on where books are heading and finding books which are different.
Apple Corey — Contains some excellent interviews on Indigenous, union, women, Occupy issues.
Rob Pyne - a far northern life — sharing stories of Rob's struggle inside the ALP and his move to independence. Contains some excellent chapters about his stint in parliament.