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Our visits to Villawood Detention Centre (VIDC) have continued throughout the year on a weekly or fortnightly basis, including visits by four new members who have become regular and much appreciated visitors. The generous monthly allocation by VDSA has enabled us to purchase both food items and other items to help relieve the distress, suffering and helplessness of Asylum Seekers. Other items consist of, for example, phone cards, batteries, DVDs, games, comics, activity books, material for sewing, art folders and art paper. The art paper has enabled one of our friends to create coffee-based art that will be for sale with all funds going to the artists concerned. Some members attended the book launch on December 1^st 2013 at Berkelouw Book Shop, Paddington, of 4 Zines containing drawings by members of the Refugee Art Project group, including those of our artist friend in Stage 2.

The practice of taking DVDs borrowed from municipal libraries has been discontinued because of the risk of occasional items going missing in the confusion of communal living or not being returned on time. This makes having our own collection, created in 2012 and regularly being added on, more important.

Various members attended court in relation to the Rooftop Protest trials and subsequently visited at least some of those who received prison sentences. Monthly prison payments were made by VDSA, primarily to two asylum seekers in particular, to enable them to make basic purchases. The allocation of funds to gaol inmates (including for the outside purchase of personal items not provided by the prison system) was decided on a needs basis and it is anticipated that these payments will continue (for the one still in gaol) until approximately mid-2014. Much gratitude has been expressed by those inmates (most now back at Villawood) because the funds and outside purchases allowed them to survive the privations of prison existence with greater dignity. They have also expressed gratitude for the visits made to them while in gaol (unfortunately, the one remaining in jail is at present in Cooma so a greater effort will be required in the coming months to visit him).

VDSA has also acted as a conduit for concerned individuals (e.g. two individuals from the Blue Mountains) and associations to donate to those in jail. The largest contributor in this sense was FILEF [Federazione Italiana Lavoratori Emigrati e Famiglie] who very generously donated $800.00. In 2013 FILEF also made a generous donation of $500.00 used by VDSA to add to its lending library of DVDs in various languages including English. They have been lent over the months to both adults and children in detention and will continue to be lent, except for those that are copies as the Immigration Department no longer allows copies of DVDs to be given or lent to detainees. Together with books, games and newspapers, the DVDs have contributed to relieving the suffering, dislocation, distress and profound boredom experienced by most, if not all, detainees. Some DVDs have gone missing, primarily because of the Immigration Department practice of giving individuals and families only a few hours’ notice to pack their belongings before releasing them or sending them sometimes to other states.

Our visits have appeared to bring comfort, distraction and relief to asylum seekers and refugees, both in gaol and at Villawood where some are now in their 5^th year of detention. Our presence among Villawood detainees of different ethnic backgrounds – mainly Afghan Hazaras, Rohingyian Burmese, SriLankan Tamils, Iranians, Kurds, Vietnamese, and others. One of our friends recently told us that to talk with us was much better than going to the psychologist, both for his English and his mental health.

While visiting has become more difficult because of the 24-hour notice now required by all 3 VIDC sections, the group is motivated to continue its activity, while welcoming new members to join our ranks.

In addition to its regular activities, on November 24 2013, in collaboration with Filef, VDSA organized an Inform/Action Afternoon ‘Asylum Seekers or Illegals?’ to shed light on the refugees plight.

“During 2013 our Valerio Daniel De Simoni Association group of volunteers (in alphabetical order: Dina, Elio, Genevieve, Giulia, Helen, Jacquie, John, Karen, Kathryn, Kerry, Louise, Mariella, Michelle, Nicoletta, Paola, Rioko, Silvia, Vittoria) has regularly provided once a month the promised lunches for the clients of the ASC to help relieve their distress and misfortune.

Instructions concerning the preparation and conduct of the lunches were prepared by the ASC.   They were a useful reference point and have been conscientiously observed.

However each group in charge has been free to cook and offer a menu of their choice.   As a result a wide assortment of tasty meals has been prepared on each occasion, all reflecting diverse cooking approaches and an interesting range of culinary traditions.   I believe that the way we have spontaneously structured our work has been effective and motivating and – in my view – could continue in the future providing everybody agrees/is happy about it.

Our lunches – according to Maura Corkery, Volunteer Coordinator at the ASC – have been extremely well received.  In fact, a wonderful success on each single occasion.   All of us who have been involved have found the experience touching, rewarding and motivating.

I can consequently state on the occasion of the current AGM:  Mission accomplished in regard to our Association Lunches Project for the ASC.  Having said this I sincerely hope that all those involved will be willing to continue contributing to this initiative in 2014.  Meanwhile I thank them all for their skills, generosity and fantastic cooperation.  Mariella Totaro Genevois”

Mariella asked if members willing to volunteer for next year could kindly advise her.                         

Vittoria and Rosie took 1st lunch for 20 people to the Centre. The employees were very welcoming and helpful and one, Victoria, had lived in Italy for few years, so was very happy to practice her Italian with us! Food included organic pasta with tomato sauce offered by Pasta Emilia, bread offered by Iggys, plus peas and mixed salad. Fruit: grapes and apples.

The guests arrived few at a time and in total only 10 came, we sat down to eat with them, as it’s the case, and we also invited people from the centre to eat with us, they did appreciate the goodies. Around 2pm we started to put things away and to clean up. If there are left overs, they can be put in plastic containers, with date written on top.

Guests wash their own plate glass and cutlery and we our own things and whatever we have used from the centre. They have a dishwasher so things can be put in there. We have to leave everything clean, sink tops and tables.

From the Logbook of Visits to Refugees in Villawood

Vittoria and Marisa visited M. R. and M.D. in Blaxland. M. J. was having his interview in Blaxland and we left before he finished. According to his friends he was feeling confident before going for his interview. The interview had started at 10 and would continue for 4 or 5 hours. We met G., a nurse from Blackheath, who was visiting M. from Afghan who was rather disturbed. According to M. R. he will be released soon and will be staying with G., who is already giving hospitality to other refugees recently released into the community.

We brought a panettone for good cheer and some playing cards for them. Also we gave a diary to M. to record his thoughts. We found both M. in good spirit. R. talked about his work experience in Pakistan with a computer program used by engineers to plan public construction work, such as roads and bridges. He was wondering whether he would be able to use his experience in this field in Australia.’

From the Logbook of Visits to Refugees in Silverwater

‘Yesterday 9am I visited M. R. at Silverwater. It has been an almost traumatic experience, one that makes you again and again aware of how prisons are made not to reeducate but to contain and repress. Together with Alison and Fabia (from RAC, she is the one who gave me all the names of our refugees) who were visiting M. D., we had to go through several eye photos, face photos, digital finger prints before being able to enter the visiting area made of 3 big rooms with metal tables and chairs sealed to the floor. Each room has glass walls. So while waiting for M. R. I was able to see in the other room M. D. waiting for Alison and Fabia.

We couldn’t talk, we could only communicate with hands and face. He showed me his white uniform and laughed, we waved and sent kisses. After a while M. R. arrived. Apparently inmates don’t have the right to know in advance when and who is visiting them. So M. was pleasantly surprised I/we had found out about their transferral to Silverwater. He seemed calm and told me he had been expecting to be trialled for the protest on the roof.

He was more concerned about the other M. than himself and said he had spoken about him to the welfare person, a nice woman, friend of his lawyer, asking her if M. r. could be put in a cell with only 1 other person. He instead is with 6 other people, but he doesn’t mind. He is reading a lot (they don’t have Internet access, but the library is quite big), does physical exercise and meditate. He is aware he can be deported. He said again he would like to keep a diary and write his story and whatever happened to him.

Alison, Fabia and M. D. came to seat not far from us but the guards said we couldn’t talk with them. It was good though to be all in the same room. At the end of our 1 hour meeting M. asked me to talk to his lawyer to find out about his trial. We left with the promise from Fabia (and possibly Alison ) to go to visit him on Monday.