Feedback & Email |

The above mentioned gathering celebration was stage from 6-13 June 1994 at the Barrabadeen Scout Camp in Far North Queensland.

The venue for the caring, sharing, learning gathering was set in a warm serene atmosphere surrounded by the waters of Lake Tinnaroo. There was dormitory style accommodation provided for our older women and camping facilities for others.

People, approximately 500, came together from all parts of Australia to join in the festival set on wellbeing action at a grassroots level. It was also set up as a real reconciliation process bringing black and white together to share and learn from differences and to understand ways to continue a healing process.

Aboriginal women attended from Broome, One Arm Point, Djargin, Ceduna, Darnley Island, Cape York, Innisfail, Tully, Cairns and surrounding districts. Non ATSI people also travelled long distances.

Due to being unable to acquire funds it was impossible to bring those participants from the following South Pacific regions:

• Port Moresby PNG
• West Sepik PNG
• Solomon Islands
• Tonga
• New Caledonia
• Malaysia
• Indonesia
• Japan
• Taiwan
• Vietnam

This was a great disappointment in the sense of real inter-cultural sharing learning; a lot of organising and telephoning without any funds other than personal.

The individual input and teamwork really pulled the festival together as UN funds did not arrive until the last working day before the gathering began.

Down-to-Earth (vic) and the Australian Council of churches came to our aid with short term loans. Unfortunately these also arrived just before the beginning of the Gathering, adding to pressure.

BRIEF OVERVIEW

A brief overview of the happenings of each day of the week is set out below:

Monday 6 June 1994

• Settling in and orientation
• Cairns and district Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Coop Workshop
• Welcoming new arrivals
• Networking
• Discussion of lost relatives
• Introduction to NLP
• Fire circles and storytelling
• Drumming, music and dance

Tuesday 7 June

• Morning sharing
• Office of the Status of Women Workshop
• Discussions on Beijing Women's Conference 1995
• Discussions on Small Islands Conference
• Discussions on Montreal Conference
• Networking
• The importance of NLP Therapy among Indigenous People
• Fire circles and storytelling
• Drumming, music and dance

Wednesday 8 June

• Morning prayer - cancer patient
• Morning sharing gathering
• Visit to Tablelands Women's Resource Centre
• Sharing of Information
• Networking
• Visit to White Rock - Reconciling living relations
• Discussion on international healing gatherings being held in the region
• Fire circles and storytelling
• Drumming, music and dance

Thursday 9 June

• Morning Sharing - speaking from the heart
• Women's discussion
• Men's discussion
• Sharing discussion
• Networking
• Alternatives to psychiatric and correctional services
• Fire circles and storytelling
• Drumming, music and dance

Friday 10 June

• Morning Sharing
• Networking
• Sweat Lodge (8 hour process)
• Intercultural circle dancing
• Shopping - social interaction - Local area visits
• Canoeing, fishing walking
• Fire circles and storytelling
• Drumming, music and dance

Saturday 11 June

• Morning sharing
• Networking
• Preparation of Food for Kup Murri (traditional Island under-ground cooking)
• Intercultural circle dancing
• Musical Workshop - Traditional and contemporary arts
• Sharing Food of Kup Murri with Eddie Mabo Junior
• Cultural Artistry - Dance, tumbling, acrobatics, fire stick twirling and dancing, drumming
• Fire circles and storytelling

Sunday 12 June

• Morning Sharing
• Feedback
• Networking
• Further feedback on the UN Small Island Conference held in the Carribean
• BAMA Healing Centre Visit
• NLP Workshops
• Fire circles and storytelling
• Drumming, music and dance

Monday 13 June

• Feedback and debriefing
• networking
• final farewells

As participants departed much empowered from the week long Festival Gathering the feedback was overwhelming and the rapport seemed set for a life time.

We are extremely grateful to you for enabling us to stage such a Gathering for the first time in Australia.

Feedback & Email |

Laceweb Home Page