Article Published in Torres News – Dated: 16-22 December 2013:
Author Archives: w3media
Australian South Sea Islanders Receive Federal Grant for Community, Cultural and Economic Capacity Building.
Australian South Sea Islanders (ASSI) Receive $50,000 Federal Grant for Community, Cultural and Economic Capacity Building.
Emelda Davis, President of The Australian South Sea Islanders-Port Jackson (ASSI-PJ) announced today that she “would like to sincerely thank Senator Kate Lundy, Minister for Multicultural Affairs Canberra for the receipt of a $50,000 Community Development Grant. The monies will be used to stage three educational and fact-finding, community capacity building workshops for ASSI people over the next 12 months.”
Patron for the ASSI.PJ, Mrs Bonita Mabo added her support, saying that “This is the first ever major funding that Australian South Sea Islanders have seen in 150 years in recognition of the contribution made by our people including our forefathers to the building of this great nation. I would like to thank the Prime Minister and Senator Kate Lundy for their support.”
Ms Davis said that “The funding is a very overdue, but much appreciated, Federal initiative representing an historic milestone in the history of the acknowledgement of the significant contributions made by Australian South Sea Islanders within the Australian community. It will be used to progress the much needed process of cultural education, connection and healing between ASSI and broader community groups in Australia.”
2013 marks a significant 150 years since 55,000 South Sea Islanders (95% male) were bought to Queensland, Australia on 62,000 indentured contracts to establish sugar, maritime and pastoral industries. Many of these men and women did not return to their Island homes and 15,000 (a third) lost their lives to common disease to which they lacked immunity.
During the implementation of the White Australia Policy a mass deportation of some 7,000 SSI’s occurred, and 1,600 were allowed to remain under humanitarian circumstances. Several hundred more had crossed the border into NSW in the 1890s and 1900s to escape the more severe conditions in Queensland.
1992 saw the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission published a Report which called for recognition of the ASSI community as a distinct ethnic group within Australian. This was followed by Commonwealth recognition in 1994.
In 1995 NSW Premier Bob Carr advised ministers to include ASSI’s in all programs and services. This memorandum has been overlooked to date.
In 2000 Premier Peter Beattie recognised ASSIs in Queensland, yet despite these official gestures there was little sustained government assistance to the ASSI community.
On 15th August 2013 Alex Greenwich, Independent Member for Sydney supported the ASSI-PJ with a timely motion seeking meaningful debate recognising ASSIs and gaining unanimous support from all parties in the NSW Parliament – seeing two Ministers and five Members speak strongly in favour of the overdue recognition of ASSI.
For NSW, 2013 marks 166 years since the first South Sea Islanders were bought to Eden by entrepreneur Ben Boyd who had already used Aboriginal, Maori and Pacific Islands labourers in his whaling industry ventures. Worried about not having sufficient labour for his pastoral properties, in 1847 he decided to experiment with bringing in a Pacific Islanders workforce, without waiting for government permission. This was a humanitarian disaster.
Ms Davis said: ‘Our organisation prides it self on being the interim national representative body that has led by example through meaningful collaboration with governments, and educational, community organisations and agencies. The ASSI.PJ team acknowledges the trust and respect that has been entrusted through the grants that are now being received by this group through the Commonwealth.’
Capacity building workshops are titled ‘Wantok 150’ and will take place in Mackay, QLD and Tweed Heads, NSW.
A major forum was held in Brisbane at the State Library Queensland in early November with the Library also donating $10,000 worth of resources in recognition of 150 years.
New group to represent South Sea Islanders | SBS News
New group to represent South Sea Islanders | SBS News
Australian South Sea Islanders have established a national body to lobby for their interests at a federal level.
At a meeting in Brisbane, representatives of the estimated 40,000 strong community in Australia elected a national president and board.
They represent the descendants of so-called “blackbirds”, Pacific islanders who were kidnapped or broughtas contract labourers to Queensland to work in the agricultural industry between 1863 and 1906.
President Emelda Davis from the Port Jackson branch of the group, told Queensland correspondent Stefan Armbruster it is a long overdue development.
“This is huge for Australian South Sea Islanders simply because it’s been 40 years since the last significant conference addressing the national voice,” Emelda Davis says.
“We believe we’re that ready to do the work to lobby governments and work with the international platforms to assist us to reconnect with our families and capacity-building.”
Listen to the full interview at SBS World News.
Australian South Sea Islanders National Representative Board
Australian South Sea Islanders National Representative Board.
The election held at WANTOK 2013, on the 3rd of November heralded the Australian South Sea Islanders National Representative Board… a landmark achievement.
The board members are – Natalie Pakoa – President, Dennis Bobongie – Vice President, Alan Johnson – Treasurer, Jennifer Darr – Secretary, Lesley Yasso, Natalie Franks, Louise Pfeffer, Sandra Georgio, Christine Monday, Darryl Lingwoodock, Fiona Mount, Emelda Davis.
Professor Gracelyn Smallwood speaks out to Australian South Sea Islanders
Professor Gracelyn Smallwood speaks out to Australian South Sea Islanders with her talk on ‘Community Cohesion and Activism’ at this year’s Wantok 2013 National Forum.
As a surviving descendant of the Blackbirding trade in Australia between 1863 and 1908, Professor Smallwood will be presenting a talk on ‘Community Cohesion and Activism’ at this years Wantok 2013 Australian South Sea Islanders National Forum in her capacity as leader of the Historical Advisory Panel to the ASSI.PJ interim national body.
Smallwood says… “When people in general don’t understand the history of Slavery they internalise their pain and take it out on the very people that are trying to promote unity, justice and reparation”. She looks forward to presenting at Wantok 2013 and answering any questions.
Emelda Davis says… “The ASSI-PJ board are humbled that Professor Smallwood is a volunteer advisor to the interim national body with her high range of qualifications. We look forward to Gracelyn’s presentation and continued work with our organisation.”
As well as a being scholar in residence at Drexel University Philadelphia USA, Gracelyn has lectured in cross-cultural studies at the East-West Centre in Hawaii and has also lectured at Universities in the West Indies comparing the philosophy of the late Marcus Garvey, Civil Rights Movement of the world with that of the South Sea Islander (Kanaka Slavery in Australia). Continue reading
The Vanuatu delegation participating in Wantok 2013
The Vanuatu delegation participating in Wantok 2013
The Vanuatu delegation participating in Wantok 2013 – Australian South Sea Islanders National Forum are (from left to right sitting in the front row): Former MP David Abel (CEO, Australia-Vanuatu Connections Inc), Hon. Ralph Regenvanu (Minister of Lands), Chief Richard Fandunamata (Vice-Chair, Vanuatu Indigenous Descendants Association), Chief Simon Kaukare (Chair, Vanuatu Indigenous Descendants Association).
The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Vanuatu Indigenous Descendants Association will be representing the Malvatumauri National Council of Chiefs, on behalf of all chiefs of Vanuatu.Minister Regenvanu will be representing Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil and the Government of Vanuatu at the Conference.
Minister Regenvanu will be traveling to Brisbane to join the rest of the delegation on Thursday (31st October).
The ASSI-PJ welcomes the delegation to Brisbane and looks forward to their valuable input at this historic event.
Wantok 2013 to be opened by Hon. Jane Prentice on behalf of Prime Minister Tony Abbott
This year’s Wantok 2013 to be opened by Hon. Jane Prentice on behalf of Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Dignitaries that will be attending the opening ceremony including:
Hon. Jane Prentice MP – on behalf of Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
Aunty Carole Currie – South East Queensland Elder from Jugura Country – Welcome.
Cr. Angela Owen-Taylor – Deputy Lord Mayor, Brisbane.
Please Download the amended 3 Day Programme by clicking the link below:
file updated: 29th October 2013
Professor Gracelyn Smallwood Honored by the United Nations for her Distinguished Contribution to Community
Professor Gracelyn Smallwood honored by the United Nations.
Emelda Davis says…”as president of the ASSI.PJ, and on behalf of the board, we would like to congratulate Professor Gracelyn Smallwood on her 45 years of commitment to her relentless community work and most recent international achievement of recognition for the pestigious United Nations Association of Australia’s Queensland Community Award – Individual, in recognition of her service to education and to public health. The award acknowledges her contribution to Australian Universities, to HIV Aids and consultative work to the World Health Organization.”
The award was presented on the 24th October 2013 by the Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency Penelope Wensley AC at Government House in Brisbane.
This was a mainstream award with two other Indigenous recipients also receiving awards, namely Les Malezer and Professor Boni Robertson.
Professor Gracelyn Smallwood – AO, MSc, RN. A Vanuatu descendant and proud Birri-gubba Woman & Elder for the Birri people in Townsville Gracelyn was awarded Queensland Aboriginal of the Year in 1986; an Order of Australia medal in 1992 for service to public health, particularly HIV-AIDS education; and in 1994 was the first woman, Indigenous person and non-peadiatrician to receive the Henry Kemp Memorial Award at the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Scholarship in cross-cultural comparative health of Maori and First Nations in New Mexico and Arizona, and then Polynesian disadvantage in Hawaii.
Gracelyn has lectured in cross-cultural studies at the East-West Centre in Hawaii and was Associate Professor and Director of the University of Southern Queensland’s Kumbari/Ngurpai Lag Higher Education Centre for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders from 1995 to 1999. She has lectured at Thursday Island, the University of Honolulu, and participated as a speaker at a W.H.O conference in public health. Currently works at the largely Indigenous Cleveland Youth Detention Centre as nurse and mentor, and at Townsville Hospital as a nurse and midwife; Associate Professor and Indigenous Advisor to the Vice-Chancellor at James Cook University a driving force behind JCU’s progressive Reconciliation Statement.
As a surviving descendant of the Blackbirding trade in Australia between 1863 and 1908, Professor Smallwood will be presenting a talk on ‘Community Cohesion and Activism’ at this years Wantok 2013 Australian South Sea Islanders National Forum in her capacity as leader of the Historical Advisory Panel to the ASSI.PJ interim national body.