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 1st 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 5th 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.