Meeting 10 April 2025

SOCIAL JUSTICE ADVOCATES OF THE SAPPHIRE COAST

 

GENERAL MEETING APRIL 10, 2025

 

5.30 PM, CWA Rooms, Toallo St,  Pambula

 

 

Attendance: Sue McGee, Martin Mcgee, Mick Brosnan, Gavin Bell, Toby Jennings, Wendy Wait, Russell Jennings, Peter Reid, Penny Oakes, Peter Gorton, Jack Gray, Olwen Morris, Barry Steven, Bruce Pascoe, Lyn Harwood, Blythe Guilfoyle, Tracey Austwick, Dave Gallan, Cheryl Dillon, Helene Garrett, Steve Garrett, Robin Spinks, Alisa Seex, Krista, Peter Whiter, Sharon Wellard, Peter Buggy, Denise Perry, Jo Riley-Fitzer, Geoff Manning, Jayne Boughton-Manning, Sue Chancellor, John Liston, Mick Pryke.

 

Apologies : Christine Welsh, Robyn Kesby, Jan Reynolds

 

Chair – Acknowledgement of Country.

 

Let us pause to consider the changes that the European takeover of the Australian continent has wrought upon the true owners of this country. Over the course of two hundred and fifty years we have inexorably shattered their culture and their spiritual connection to country. And still to this day we fail them.

 

I ask you to take thirty seconds to reflect on what we have done, what we have failed to do, and what we might do, as a country, and as individuals, to improve our relationships with, and the lives of,  our First Nations people.

 

We, as the Social Justice Advocates of the Sapphire Coast, work hard to make amends, to empathise with, and support our local First Nations peoples as they continue their struggle to deal with the loss of their land and their traditional culture. We try.

 

Tonight we have the great honour of hearing from one of the true champions of the First Nations people, Bruce Pascoe. Bruce and his partner Lyn have very kindly travelled from their home near Mallacoota to be with us tonight. We thank you and welcome you Bruce and Lyn, and appreciate your travelling to speak with us tonight.

 

 

CHAIR –  Guest speaker  BRUCE PASCOE

 

Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we are honoured to have Bruce Pascoe as our guest speaker.  Perhaps we should consider ourselves as Bruce’s guests, as in reality we meet on the country of First Nations People

 

To me, Bruce Pascoe is a living legend. A champion. And I am thrilled he has agreed to visit us tonight.

Bruce was born in Richmond, Victoria, in 1947.  He completed his secondary education at University High School.  Bruce  went on to attend the University of Melbourne. After completing a Bachelor of Education, he  taught at Bairnsdale for nine years.

While on leave from his teaching career, Bruce bought a 300-hectare mixed farming property and occasionally worked as an abalone fisherman. In his spare time he began writing short stories, poetry and newspaper articles.

In 1982 he moved back to Melbourne and formed his own publishing company.

From 1982 to 1998 Bruce edited and published a quarterly magazine of short fiction,  which published all forms of short stories by both established and new writers, including Helen Garner, Gillian Mears and Tim Winton.

Bruce is a writer of literary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays and children's literature. 

Bruce  is best known for his work Dark Emu: Black Seeds: Agriculture or Accident?, which was published in 2014. In that book, he points out that traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples engaged in aquaculture, agriculture, engineering and permanent building construction, and that their practices provide possible models for future sustainable development in Australia. Dark Emu won Book of the Year at the NSW Premier's Literary Awards

Bruce has  been Director of the Commonwealth Australian Studies project for the Commonwealth Schools Commission, and has worked extensively on preserving the Wathaurong language, producing a dictionary of the language.

His book for young adults, Fog a Dox, won the Prime Minister's Literary Awards in 2013 and was shortlisted for the 2013 Western Australian Premier's Book Awards ,and the 2013 Deadly Awards .

In September 2020 Bruce was appointed Enterprise Professor in Indigenous Agriculture at the University of Melbourne.

Bruce is a Country Fire Authority volunteer. He battled the 2019–20 bushfires near Mallacoota.

Bruce  now lives on his 60-hectare  farm near Mallacoota.  There, Bruce established Black Duck Foods. Black Duck Foods is an Aboriginal social enterprise that aspires to influence the direction of Australian agriculture toward a more sustainable future, a more inclusive future for Aboriginal peoples and sovereignty over the traditional foods of the First Nations Peoples.  

Bruce says “The old people harvested, propagated, nurtured, and processed a wide range of foods. We are working with the grains and tubers that held our soil together and promoted its fertility. Australia’s post-colo­nial food sys­tem has seri­ous­ly degrad­ed the envi­ron­ment — a result of both the wil­ful and acci­den­tal neglect of the com­plex inter­con­nec­tions between food sys­tems and the wider ecosys­tem. This has been com­pound­ed by the forced aban­don­ment of the Indige­nous Aus­tralian prac­tices of car­ing for Coun­try. Tra­di­tion­al agri­cul­tur­al prac­tices worked in har­mo­ny with the land to pro­vide for peo­ple, while also main­tain­ing Coun­try. 

 Three traditional Indigenous stone tools acquired by SJA were handed on.

They were given to the Social Justice Advocates but clearly they belong in the hands of First Nations People, and we are delighted to hand them to you. You are, of course, welcome to do whatever you think best with them.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Social Justice Advocates are proud to be supporters of Black Duck Foods. We acknowledge and admire their employment of young Indigenous people. We have organised bus trips for school children to the farm. The students (and some oldies) have worked on the farm, helping clear out and burn noxious weeds. We have learned about what they are doing and why. We have  tasted and enjoyed their native fare. We have assisted with financial support.

We will continue to support Black Duck and other First Nations Peoples initiatives. 

And I motion that tonight we pledge a further two thousand five hundred dollars from the SJA General Account to Black Duck. May I have a seconder ?

Thank you, and ladies and gentlemen, please show your appreciation to an international champion of Australian First Nations Peoples, their history, culture, their wisdom and their dignity…………Mr Bruce Pascoe.

 

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SJA comprises a central Executive, whose job it is to support the SJA’s seven sub-groups.

 

The Bega Chapter

The Refugee and Multicultural sub-group

The Indigenous Issues group

The Advocates for Timor Leste

The Climate and Environment Group

The Housing and Homeless Group

The Youth Initiatives Group.

 

Secretary   – correspondence sent and received  

SJA Ute CTP and Registration Renewal

PO Box Renewal

Advocates Of The Sapphire Coast's nomination in the Non-Profit Organisation Awards 2025.

 

 

Chair – moved that we accept that the minutes of the previous general meeting have been circulated and posted on website.

 

Seconded Peter Gorton

 

Treasurer’s Report, including significant donations received and made by SJA

 

CHAIR moved that meeting accept Treasurers report

 

Seconded: Mick Pryke

 

Noted that whilst the General Account indicates a balance of just over 20k,  for the Bega Sub-Group. So, technically the General Account is currently holding very little.

 

****See financial report attached to email

 

 Chair – sub-group reports have been circulated via email and after this meeting will be posted on our website.   I will take them as read.

 

CHAIR – moved that we accept reports as received

 

Seconded:  Penny Oakes

 

 

Sub-group convenors present at the meeting were invited to briefly expand upon any current  sub-group activities? 

 

Bega Valley Advocates For Timor-Leste (BVATL) (Dave Gallan)

 

–          Successful with community grant $5K from Bendigo Bank for Timor Leste.

–          Latin Dance night fun and successful.

–          Flag raising ceremony Bega Littleton gardens wed 21/4

 

Youth Sub-Group     ( Jack Ewen Gray )

 

–          Jack presented the new business cards.

 

Indigenous Affairs      (Olwen Morris/Helene Garrett)

–          Helene Garratt asked for any books resources / educational materials any age any         see report.

–          Cultural awareness day planned date TBC

 

Bega Group      (Jan Reynolds

Refugees / Multicultural     (Gavin Bell)

Environment/Forces for Nature       (Wendy Wait)

 

UPCOMING DATES:

Petition for Sub Acute Mental health Ward at South East Regional Hospital expires April 15: You can find the ePetition here 

https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/la/pages/epetition-details.aspx?q=z_7XcOcSjZITUfX5imlfyQ.

 

5 May White Rock screening   Merimbula   This documentary tackles the issue of exploding populations of sea urchins devastating our ocean kelp forests.

 

https://events.humanitix.com/white-rock-film-and-community-q-and-a-merimbula

 

10 May Potoroo  Palace Working Bee 9-11am. Contact  ForcesForNature@sjasc.org.au

 

17 May  Sea Urchin Facts and Feast Merimbula Wharf  . Details Soon!

 

31 May Revegetation at Bar Beach 9-11am everything provided bring gloves. Details Soon

 

For more information on any of the above events email:  ForcesForNature@sjasc.org.au

robinspinkssjasc@gamil.com

 

And also:

Greenpeace can’t and doesn’t endorse any party or political candidate—we are fiercely independent and non-partisan. But we do, as always, have clear and evidence-based positions on the issues on which we campaign, consistent with our charitable purpose. 

In the middle of a climate and nature crisis, the credible policies that we urgently need right now include: 

Our energy future is already shaping up to be a big issue this election. 

 

Housing and Homeless (convener Mick Brosnan)

 

–          Congratulated Wendy Wait on a very active sub group.

–          SJA are taking BVSC to the land and environment court due to inaction on DA’s     (see report)

–          Community very supportive: we currently have excess funds as we are unable to move forward with further planned crisis accommodation

–          28/4 first meeting re same day granny flats – legal in Reflections Pambula Park but NOT at Church Bega.

–          Call Mick B for clarification if you are unsure if you hear information in the community.

–          Family and domestic violence: keep having the conversation.

–          PNG Toilet block finished , second started but its in a mangrove swamp.

                  Seeking extra funds : need $10 K  see below.

 

1. LOCAL  VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

As an extension of SJAs donation , I am calling for help ( no expertise required) for the pouring of a small shed concrete slab in the coming weeks and then the construction of a shed 

THIS for a lady and child at Lochiel – not far from Bobbins – for whom SJA donated the funds to buy the shed .

 

We are putting a kit bathroom inside of them after the shed is up. This came from the Rotary grant after the disastrous fires of 2019/20 .

 

Gloves and smiles only required ; short days only ; 2 to 5 hours would be fabulous 

 

Days and times TBA soon ——

Slab before Easter , 6x 6 m shed build after Easter .

Email annmickbrosnan@gmail.com

 

2. PNG PROJECT

Trying to raise $10,000 to keep water, sanitation, HYGIENE, a priority at the learning centres . 

 

Anyone wishing to donate to the toilet block build in Port Moresby at the Just in Time learning  centre at Joyce Bay please either:

A) Donate through our treasurer to the above learning centre and he will pass to me OR 

B) Donate through me directly and I will literally take the money to PNG and convert to Kina and work through the WeCare Foundation treasurer Walter at their settlement learning centres ( pre schools ) . 

 

One toilet block completed , the second under way and the need is huge 

Please consider !!!!

 

Thanks so very much folks . 

 

 

Chair – GENERAL BUSINESS : (this was not discussed at the meeting due to running over time.)

 

 

Chair – Certificates of Appreciation awarded since previous meeting :

 

Dick and Jan Dowd from the Shoalhaven area for donating what we estimate to be an immaculate  $50,000 caravan in mid February.

 

I wish to acknowledge the tireless work of Stephen Garratt in assisting the SJA with our Solar Garden project. We have already awarded Stephen a C of A but I just have to say that Stephen is of incalculable benefit to the Solar garden project and his work should not go unrecognised.

 

 

Chair – Key activities since last meeting :

 

Mid February a $50,000 donation to IUTU from an anonymous local donor. Anonymous but well known to SJA.

 

Feb 23, Wendy Wait, assisted by many Advocates organised and ran a very successful Marine Education Day in Tathra. This event part of the Ocean Guardians Program that is aimed at improving the habitat and wildlife of the waterways of the Bega Valley. Well done Wendy and crew.

 

Feb 26 we donated $500 to support BJ Cruse’s 2025 trip to the UN in New York where he will speak about his firsthand exposure of historic Institutionalized Aboriginal child abuse.

 

Late February we received just under 3K from Pambula Rotary for our assistance in running the annual catering nights at Pambula Beach Caravan Park. These are fun to run and a good way to work together with Rotary. Thanks to all those who contributed.

 

The Solar Garden Project Plan is complete. Thanks to Janine Houghton, Stephen Garrett and Lindsey McPherson for their brilliant work on that. The plan enables us to start writing grant applications

 

And while talking about the Solar Garden, the car club hosted an open day on March 16 and the SJA was on hand to speak with visitors about the project. Dr Michael Holland was there and showed great interest and promised to raise it with his colleagues. Sometimes a bit of pork barrelling can be a good thing. Here’s hoping.

 

The SJA is very pleased to announce that we have agreed to include the Atlas Of Life in the Coastal Wilderness amongst our Dedicated Project Partners. Run for the past eleven years by Raymond Daly and a crew of supporters ATLAS is a long term science based community project that works to record and protect the changing biodiversity of the Sapphire Coast. By coming under the SJA umbrella, Atlas will benefit from our existing administrative structures and procedures, while the SJA will benefit from being seen to be supporting the Atlas Project. See the Atlas of Life website and social media sites for more details about Atlas.  This is another prime example of the SJA working to support the endeavours of other community organisations with whom we share values and aspirations.

 

On March 18, Pambula Rotary donated $1000 to our Crisis accommodation program. SJA and Pambula Rotary work closely on many issues and they are strong supporters of the SJA.

 

In late March, the SJASC contributed $395, the cost of the chartered bus, to a multicultural group of students at Bega High attendance at a day long trip to the Bournda Environment Centre. This was background support for the establishment of the SJASC chapter at Bega High.

 

On Tuesday, 5 members of the SJA Executive met with Paul Brown, Founder of Djiringanj Eco Harmony Homes, an Indigenous business venture aimed at producing and selling modular, eco friendly, off grid homes. We agreed to assist Paul through letters of support and a possible auspicing agreement.

 

 

CHAIR – Thank you for attending

 

 

Next meeting:   

AGM JULY 3, 5.30 pm.

Guest speakers Jack Ewen-Gray and Robin Spinks providing an overview of the Youth Groups activities over past year.

 

***NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN FOR ALL POSITIONS

 

EMAIL secretary@sjasc.org.au  or PO BOX 352 Pambula 2549.

Nominations Close 5 pm 01/07/2025 

Meeting closed 7.14 pm

 

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