HACN NEWSLETTER Horn Of Africa Communities Network Inc. May / June issue #22

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1 1 HACN NEWSLETTER Horn Of Africa Communities Network Inc. May / June issue #22 ANZAC DAY glorification of war and the boozy afternoon spent in the pubs when the veterans take over the town, and the perceived macho-ness of the whole culture. Have you ever been to the ANZAC day parade? What about to a dawn service? As a kid growing up in a country town my parents used to take me to the ANZAC day march and we would stand together in the big throng watching the scotties and other bands drum by, while all the men in grey suits solemnly marched past. My parents, both world war 2 veterans, only really went to the dawn service after I left home at 17 as taking children to this sacred service was not considered the thing to do, something like taking children to funerals. The dawn service was held in very high regard by my parents who never joined in the march or the drinking in the pubs afterwards. We also celebrated Remembrance Day on November 11- this was something we observed at school. After I left home I went through an anti-war phase when I shifted to Melbourne and came to identify with the baby boomers and their pacifist leanings. Eventually though I stumbled upon an ANZAC day march in St Kilda road sometime in my mid to late twenties. I was transfixed and moved to tears. Yearly I would secretly go to watch the march, alone in the crowd, thinking about my parents and their sufferings as well as the sufferings of all involved in war. Later I found a series of friends to attend the dawn service with me, though some of them maintain their hatred of ANZAC day to this day, detesting the perceived In This Month s Issue: Most years I attend - the ritual is of getting up about 4 am, walking to the train station, meeting my friend, taking the train with hundreds of other folk in beanies and a sober air, 'falling in' at the Shrine. It is the most sacred service I ever attend, more spiritual than the Christmas eve choral services I attend at St Pauls Cathedral, more moving than most funeral services, and other religious events. It is particularly broad in terms of the people who come - I have seen Greeks, Italians, Turks, Vietnamese, Harley Davidson riders, all sorts of people. War and sorrow are great levellers. I would encourage anyone to attend the dawn service and the march and, given a bit of time and exposure to the thousands of others there, I defy you to remain unmoved. Christmas and Easter, mostly shrines to capitalism these days, pale into obsolescence compared to ANZAC day.obsolescence compared to ANZAC day. HACN has a role in dealing with the consequences of war,. We provide practical and relevant service, helping to heal the wounds of those separated from their homelands. By Jane. Anzac Day : P1 Melbourne Coming Events: P7 Australian Citizenship P2 Volunteers needed: Pg 8 HACN Community Activities P4 & 5 1

2 2 Australian Citizenship? So what do YOU think it means to be Australian? There is much talk in government circles of requiring all applicants to prove an understanding (and dare it be said, internal realization) of Australian Values. Values seem to come to us in many forms.. one of which is no doubt through our common History as a Nation. The Aboriginal Peoples of this land have displayed a great understanding of Value. Their very spirits are still forever enshrined in the land on which they lived and died. Their sense of Unity with the Land, Sea, Sky is one which we could do well to emulate. Their values of caring for and being one with the land remain intact. But European Settlement soon took hold, and in this we see other values emerge.. a sense of determination, adventure, exploration. Also a gradual sense of Belonging which many of us know comes from our own achievements. We look back and say Hey.. I did that!.. I was a part of that! Probably the Irish should be given some credit here too. They realized their potential to accomplish something great in a real sense of adventure the Gold Rush Days were a time when men strove to make their fortunes what determination they showed! There is also a great sense of humour, a love of music, of language, of conversation- the sharing of ideas without fear of ridicule. Of course then the two World Wars took hold of Society and through the common urge to fight for King and Country, Australians took up the call to leave behind family and friends and unite against a common foe. Values here have found their way to us.. a sense of Pride in our Nation. Also the rugged Australian spirit of not giving up.. of seeing things through to the end. Of giving ones life to save others on the battlefields of Europe or Asia. There is also the sense of giving encouragement to others to be true to the cause. And now.. you (us!).. We have become the new wave of migrants who will strive to make this great country our own. Perhaps it s in the little things where we can do most to emulate the Values of our adopted country. A defiance against those who would desecrate our shared spaces with their carelessly discarded rubbish, or with their ugly graffiti tags. The need to Re-Cycle Responsibly.. no plastic bags in our blue bins; helping to preserve our precious wildlife by disposing properly of food packaging and plastics.. so that rubbish does not enter the sea via our streets. A sense of mateship we all need to get on together so finding opportunities to work with others to laugh, cry, encourage.. to aim for the common good rather than our own personal advancement. So let s put our Australian Values to work! And in doing so we should find a greater sense of harmony, peace and mateship. By Tim. 2

3 3 Citizenship Pledge: From this time forward, under God, I pledge my loyalty to Australia and its people, whose democratic beliefs I share, whose rights and liberties I respect, and whose laws I will uphold and obey. Community profile for Kenyans In Victoria, it s easy for most people to find their kinship and form communities that provide support and a way to deal with the nostalgia of leaving your home country but for Kenyan s it s harder. We re a scattered kind. Coming across a native Kenyan in Victoria is a matter of who you know and sheer luck. The biggest group of my kind is found in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Some in Pakenham, Clayton, Hallam but recently there s been an influx of Kenyans moving to the West side. In Tarneit there a few young families who are slowly growing larger, finally making it easy for fellow native Kenyan s feel at home and find a way to fit into the social structure of the community. The majority are the Kikuyu, one of Kenya s 42 tribes you might find a few Kamba, Luo or Luhya, Kalenjin.. This came about as most come to Australia as International students and upon completion of studies, most go back home and some remain and slowly, they ve had families and managed to bring over family or helped house a family friend studying in Melbourne. Due to scarcity in numbers, most Kenyans organise meetings every 3 months via the Kenya Community Victoria, Facebook Page. They hold a barbeque; it can be the residents of Tarneit hosting which brings about the few from point Cook and the rest of the crowd from East Melbourne. At every gathering there s always a new face; mothers who have lived here for more than 20 years, some who have moved interstate or new students from home trying to find their footing in the new country by gaining knowledge from veterans. Some people meet at churches, the most prominent is in Brunswick, they meet a few days a week Here there is a higher number of older people from 30 years of age and above rather than teens or people in their mid-twenties. For young Kenyans like me in their twenties, we tend to mingle with the South Sudanese community, whom we can relate to since we come from the same continent and from East Africa and relate to most things. Like culture shock, home sickness, the struggle of pursuing education and navigating expectations from parents both with being older siblings and setting examples, marriage pressures. There s also the struggle of helping our parents transition into the western world mind set. Most Kenyans don t come to Australia as Refugees, hence the low numbers of our native kind. Most are students and the rest are people who came for work and choose Australia and not like majority who prefer, U.S.A or U.K. We find we forget our native language Kiswahili easily because we have very few people who speak it, some people from the surrounding countries like Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Somalia might speak it when they migrated to Kenya before coming to Australia, but its rare. Every February, Kenya Community Victoria organise a trip to Sydney to watch the Kenyan Rugby play. Some people carpool or fly over there. It s the best way for camaraderie and getting to travel around the country and also feel at home, as Rugby and Soccer are the most favoured sports back in Kenya. By Antonina M 3

4 4 On Sunday May 7th we were very ably assisted by our generous volunteers to run a fund raising BBQ at Bunnings, Hoppers Crossing. We would like to sincerely thank our mid-morning crew from Rotary and the Werribee Environmental Community Park Committee. The day was a great success!! In Novenber 2016, The Committee of Werribee Environmental Community Park presented a Certificate of Appreciation to our Karen Seniors gardening group who attend the Community Garden each Thursday to tend their vegetable plots. Many thanks to Bunnings for their continued support for HACN. Our Karen Ladies sewing Group are keen to display the great variety of recent garments they have created!! Our Monday Sewing group is busy as always, enjoying learning new skills and sharing life stories. Horn of Africa Activities: Here at the Horn of Africa community we run activities that are designed to help and benefit people in the community, we ve designated different days to accommodate the skills enhancing activities and to also be able to include everyone. And also do work for the dole programs. 4

5 5 Our Karen Seniors enjoy a well-earnt lunch after their morning s work in the Werribee Community Garden! Apach is a worker and Ayele is a committee member Our cooks are hard at work preparing lunch for our Seniors! On MONDAYS we have: The African Women s sewing class. It starts at 11.00am 2.00pm Its run by an experienced tailor. You have to sign up for the class offered by Ames in order to utilise all the helpful information. On TUESDAYS and WEDNESDAYS we have: The Burmese sewing group. There are people from all ethnic groups; Kaven, Kanchin, Chin, Kavenni, Burmese On WEDNESDAYS we also have: We provide space for the South Sudanese Youth Group who meet here at 5pm-7pm. On THURDAYS and FRIDAYS we have: The Burmese Elders who come in to learn English, participate in interactive activities and the Work for the Dole participants cook lunch for them. 5

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7 Events around Werribee & Melbourne.. WINTER STREET PARTY On Friday 30 June Werribee City Centre will put this on for people of all ages. At this major event a winter wonderland will be created, featuring a range of exciting attractions from 4 to 9 pm. A highlight will be a giant sonic light bubble by Eness -- a living, breathing interactive bubble that responds with light and sound when approached or touched. Along Watton Street you can enjoy street art, choirs, lighting attractions, and roving acts including a roving Ice Queen on stilts. In the Wedge Street Piazza you can have fun in the snow, make lanterns and get your face painted with glow in the dark face paint. At the Wyndham Cultural Centre a free movie for children will be screened at 4pm. WESTERN REGION CONCERT BAND June 3, 2017, 7.30 pm Here to celebrate 40 years of making music! Relive some of their favourite moments in music. Joining WRCB on the night will be special guests including past musical directors, dynamic tenor Michael Lapina and SingWest. Venue: Wyndham Cultural Centre 177 Watton Street Werribee VIC 3030 Cost: Adult $25 Concession $22 3CR RADIOTHON June 6-19 The station broadcasts in approximately 20 languages including English, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Many 3CR presentens are community activists and in a unique position to represent alternative views. Would you like to become a presenter? Contact 3CR. FAIR GO FOR PENSIONERS Rally at State Library one Wednesday in May - check Council of the Aging website for details. Council of the Aging has been assisting older people in Australia for 65 years as a leading advocate, educator and source of trusted information. BUDDHA DAY and MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL May 21, Federation Square. This is a big day for Buddhist communities.. Baby blessings. See website for details. HUMAN RIGHTS ARTS AND FILM FESTIVAL MAY 4-18 MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL JUNE 2-11 ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE SUNDAY MARKET Ongoing on Sundays Sunday markets held just down over the Yarra from Flinders Street Station. Price: Free Times: 10am to 4pm Address: 100 St Kilda Road Melbourne VIC 3004 FOOD JUSTICE TRUCK The FJT, run by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre in Footscray, is a mobile fresh food market that offers ethically sourced and locally produced fresh fruit, vegetables, grains, legumes and bread both to the general public and asylum seeker communities. Groceries are sold to the general public at market rates, and to asylum seekers at a 75% discount. When and where? every Wednesday, in front of Wesley church Melbourne, 148 Lonsdale street Every Friday, 3-6 at Footscray primary school, cnr Geelong rd and Barkly st. 7

8 HELP US HELP OTHERS! HACN is looking for volunteers to help us in To join us in providing valuable Community Outreach programs such as our CALD Seniors Social Group, Women s Cooking & Sewing Groups, or any of the other support services we offer to the refugee & migrant communities of Melbourne, please contact HACN on TODAY! ABOUT HACN The Horn of Africa Communities Network is a not-for-profit community organisation. Our mission is to provide practical and moral support to refugee and migrant communities, of all nationalities, that now call Australia home. Covering all areas of Melbourne, we offer a number of services to community members including advocacy, referrals to social support services, community based programs and general advice and information. Contact Us 3/9 Motto Court HOPPERS CROSSING Ph: (03) or admin@hacn.org.au If you or someone you know is in need of help, please consider Check out our website: 8 HACN would like to acknowledge the support provided by staff and participants in the preparation and distribution of this Newsletter.