Please join us for our first monthly meeting of the year and other activities, actions, and events, and feel free to send us your items of interest and ideas for meetings. (vintageredsqld@gmail.com).
Vintage Reds Meetings are held monthly (first Thursday of the month) onsite at the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU), Level 2 Auditorium – 16 Peel Street, South Brisbane.
News and events will be posted to you at least twice a month.
In this newsletter we have 4 items
1 Vintage Reds Meeting – Thursday 2nd April @ 10am – 12pm, QCU Level 2
2 War in Middle East
Palm Sunday Rally 29 March 3pm @ Kind George Square
AMWU Statement
IPAN Media Release
Search Foundation Statement
3 Bus Trip to Cherbourg Ration Shed – 29th April 2026
4 News
1. Vintage Reds April Meeting – 2nd April, 2026 @ 10-12pm
When: Thursday 2nd April, 10am – 12pm, onsite
Where: Queensland Council of Unions (QCU), Level 2 Auditorium – 16 Peel Street, South Brisbane.
Speaker: Phil Heywood
Our guest speaker in April will be Phil Heywood who will share his expertise and experience as a town planner. Can we live a sustainable , responsible and fulfilling life in cities of the future and how much is in our control?
Come along and discover!
March meeting roundup.
Thank you to all the VR folk who attended our AGM earlier this month. You were rewarded with a great presentation from Rosa Sottile about the project for Migrant Workers. As unionists you understand that to earn a decent and fair income in a safe environment is a human right and the reason Unions exist, so this project is important for some of the most vulnerable workers in our communities.
Also at the AGM we elected our committee who will guide our organisation for another 12 months. John McCollow (convenor) Sue Monk, Kerry Cody, Mary Kelly, Barbara Hartley, Trevor O’Mara, Ross Gwyther, Petter Duffy and Barbara Williams (secretary) were re-elected unopposed. With gratitude, we acknowledged retiring member Patricia Hovey for her support and work on the committee. Patricia was there with enthusiasm from the beginning.
2 War in Middle East
a) Palm Sunday Rally for Peace & Justice – Sunday 29th March, 3pm in King George Square.
Join Refugee Action Collective, Just Peace Queensland & Justice for Palestine (JFP) for the 2026 Palm Sunday Rally for Peace and Justice in Magandjin (Brisbane).
On the 29th March we will mark Palm Sunday with a rally calling for: Free Palestine – Oppose War – Defend Free Speech & Civil Liberties – Oppose Islamophobia – Close the Arms Industry & AUKUS – Defend Indigenous & Refugee Rights!
Speakers will include:
Cameron Leckie – IPAN
Angus Murray – Qld Council for Civil Liberties
Very Reverend Dr Peter Catt – Dean of St John’s Cathedral
Malaak Seleem – Justice for Palestine & BDS Youth Magandjin
Refugee Action Collective
MC’d by Remah Naji
Performances from the Brisbane Combined Unions Choir
Please stand with us this year for Palm Sunday as we call for peace and justice for all.
For the latest updates check the Facebook event
b) AMWU Statement, 2nd March 2026 USA and Israel Attacks on Iran
c) IPAN Media Release,10th March, 2026: IPAN condemns Australian military deployment to Middle East, warns of deeper involvement in illegal war.
d) Search Foundation Statement Stop the illegal US-Israel war on Iran: Australia must act for truth, sovereignty and peace.
3. Bus trip to the Cherbourg Ration Shed Museum, 29th April 2026
The Greenslopes Reconciliation Action Group Inc. is pleased to announce that it will offer this bus trip again in 2026.
When: Wednesday the 29th of April 2026
Time: 7.30am (sharp) to approx. 6.40pm
Where: Departs South Brisbane Railway Station
Cost: $90 (Includes $30 entry fee to Museum and talk)
Some of the Aunties and Uncles who grew up in the Cherbourg dormitories will accompany us on this journey and the Mayor Bruce Simpson will welcome us.
THE BUS WILL DEPART FROM THE SOUTH BRISBANE RAILWAY STATION AT 7:30 AM (SHARP).
We are thrilled that cultural guide Tamara Kerr will be able to join us for our tour. Tamara is a young, First Nations woman making her mark in her community and in her workplace as a Senior Policy Advisor. She has been mentored by Aunty Lesley Williams in this key role, providing advice to Government from a First Nations perspective.
We will be travelling with the bus company Group Transport Australia.
As places on the bus are limited, and the trip was booked out last year, we urge you to register very soon. Registration closes on Wednesday the 15th of April 2026.
You will need to bring:
1. Your own water, and food for morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea
2. Wear runners or walking shoes
3. Bring a hat in case it’s sunny inside the bus
Find this event on Facebook
Book Ticket
NEWS
ACOSS (Australian Council of Social Service) Statement on Robodebt
Disputes Report – Weekly industrial disputes & news
Pacific National; Tasmanian public sector workers; Amazon; NT firefighters; Prosegur; Dynelec; Vic metro local councils & Ventia
Subscribe to Pearls and Irritations John Menadue’s Public Policy Journal. It’s free.
Acknowledgement
Vintage Reds acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands on which we live and work – in Meanjin (Brisbane) the Turrbal and Jagera peoples. We recognise that these lands have never been ceded and pay our respects to elders past and present.
Contact: Barb Williams, E: vintageredsqld@gmail.com M: 0409 056 416
Website: https://vintageredsqld.org.au
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