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Hi folks

Plans are well underway for a strong rallying cry and opposition to the Talisman Sabre US/Australian war games in June this year.

We've had three national phone hookups in recent months and are now working determinedly in our respective regions to build awareness about the upcoming events including the national Peace Convergence at Shoalwater Bay.

The Peace Convergence will be a peaceful gathering in the Shoalwater region on

18 – 24 June 2007

with a concentration of action focused on the weekend: Friday 22 June - Sunday 24 June. An invitation is extended to join with the local community to nonviolently oppose the war games during this period.

This is a significant time to be at Shoalwater Bay (and other bases/locations in Australia where Talisman Sabre is taking place). For two weeks beginning 19 June, nearly 14,000 US military personnel along with 12,400 Australian troops will participate in live aerial, ship to shore and land based artillery bombardments in some of Australia’s most precious environments. Shoalwater Bay Training Area which is partly within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park has seen a massive government injection of public funding to upgrade and expand facilities in preparation for these and future war games. (For more information visit www.peaceconvergence.com)

We will be coordinating a series of peace events and activities for the Peace Convergence week including vigils, film nights, public meetings, concerts, and direct action. We are hoping that the week will be colourful and diverse and that you – and your group – will find exciting and meaningful ways of getting involved. We strongly encourage you to consider what kind of action you would like to take and to prepare and organise for that before you come. You may want to do street theatre, hold a silent vigil, sing or perform, organise your own action, or run a workshop – or you may want to help with cooking, legal support, media, sign language interpreting, etc. The Peace Convergence is a network of volunteers who count on your initiative, creativity, support and involvement to make the week a success. Please take time to consider what you/your group would like to offer and how you can make this happen.

Camping accommodation is being secured in the Yeppoon/Byfield area for those traveling up. Billeting options may also be available for those unable to camp – however spaces may be limited.

Convergence Send Off Gig: A concert in Brisbane is kicking off the week on Saturday 16 June at the Arena. We have a commitment from top bands: Ghostwriters, The Herd, Blue King Brown, The Josh Owen Band, Bomba plus a host of other performers who have volunteered to contribute their talents for this event. (We had originally intended to host a large scale concert at Shoalwater itself but logistics, costs and a bigger population base to draw upon has made Brisbane a more realistic choice.) More details will be available soon.

Energy is also going into organising the ‘Peace Train’ which will leave Melbourne picking people up as it heads north along the eastern seaboard. However, we encourage folks in their local area to brainstorm about transport options (such as organising a bus or fundraising for a group booking on the train) for those planning to make the trip to Shoalwater Bay. Which brings us to…

What can you do?
1. We are currently developing a network of co-ordinators/representatives in regional areas and major cities to facilitate local organising and awareness raising. So far we have reps in the following areas:

  • Kuranda
  • Innisfail
  • Ayr
  • Yeppoon/Byfield/Rockhampton
  • Sunshine Coast
  • Brisbane
  • Gold Coast
  • Byron
  • Lismore
  • Kempsey
  • Port Macquarie
  • Newcastle
  • Sydney
  • Melbourne
  • WA

…as well as offers of support and solidarity globally – United States, South Africa, Sweden, UK and Ireland.

We urgently need people to commit to being coordinators in other areas; to be a point of contact to facilitate/initiate one, some or all of the following:

  • Raise awareness: organise events eg. Films nights, public talks, music gigs; write to local media and politicians; generally spread the word.
  • Fundraise
  • Organise transport to Shoalwater
  • Organise solidarity actions

Please send an email responding to this information if you are interested in being a coordinator to annettebrownlie@optusnet.com.au. We can help get you started!

2. Come to Shoalwater Bay in June!!

We will need to have some idea of how many people plan to come to Shoalwater Bay particularly in terms of accommodation. A process will be set up soon to allow people to book accommodation or to indicate if they plan to be at the Peace Convergence. Watch this space.

3. Don’t wait for a coordinator in your area. Do something now!

  • If you’re a muso organize a gig - dates to keep in mind (if an event is not already happening in your area): 4th anniversary of the war (March 17) and Palm Sunday (1 April)
  • If you are a church member solicit your congregation’s permission to inform them publicly in 10-15 minutes what Talisman Sabre 2007 is all about.
  • Get you’re women’s group or men’s group involved.
  • Speak at your local Lions or Rotary Club about what this military relationship means for Australia.
  • Organise a film night showing ‘Blowin’ in the Wind’, or Michael Franti’s doco, ‘I know I’m not alone’, or other great films currently available.
  • Send a letter to your local newspaper and politician about the war games.
  • Get the school kids involved in a peace project.
  • Start an affinity group – a group of people who work together and provide support to each other in deciding and implementing an action.
  • If you are in Brisbane: attend the QNFA (Queensland Nuclear Free Alliance) meetings for local organising on Talisman Sabre - held every second Thursday night. Check events section at www.brisbane.foe.org.au

4. Make a donation!! We urgently need funds particularly for printing leaflets and information sheets, hiring buses and transporting people up to Shoalwater Bay, organising the camp grounds, hiring concert venues…plus more.

Cheques can be made out to:
Brisbane Anti-Bases Coalition
PO Box 5829
WEST END QLD 4101
AUSTRALIA

Donations may also be directly deposited into the "Brisbane Anti-Bases Coalition" cheque account:

Account Name: Brisbane Anti-Bases Coalition
Bank: Members and Education Credit Union, Ltd. (MECU)
BSB: 803140
General Account Number: 23154672

A defence fund has been set up to help with legal costs, fines, travel to court etc. Legal Account Number: 23154671

(Please specify if you would like to contribute to the legal fund and if possible email us to let us know about your donation – so we can thank you!)

For more information about Talisman Sabre 2007 and the Peace Convergence visit www.peaceconvergence.com.
To subscribe or unsubscribe from the mailing list visit http://lists.peaceconvergence.com/mailman/listinfo/ts-07

stop the exercises | close the bases | end the wars