Ali Corke

Rural Australians for Refugees, Apollo Bay, Vic

I had the pleasure of screening ‘Scattered People’ to Year 7 and 8 students at Apollo Bay P12 College yesterday, as part of our program for Refugee Week. 

What a remarkable film! The students were captivated, and I could see that many were really affected by it. Afterwards, they spoke of the unfairness of incarceration and TPVs, the horrible systems that Australia had developed, and then they started thinking about ways in which they can become involved. They also loved the way music was included, and how it played such a big role in helping refugees feel involved. 

Apollo Bay is an idyllic place (it’s often called ‘Paradise by the Sea’) and with only 3,000 fulltime residents, the young people here never feel lonely or threatened. Also, since no refugees live here, they have little experience of meeting or engaging with refugees. However, with the full support of the Principal, I think this will be changing next term. We do have an active branch of RAR here, and during the holidays I will think about activities that will engage the students such as arranging for refugee students in Melbourne to come to the Bay for a surfing weekend. Pre-Covid we (ABRAR) frequently held events, but none specifically for children, so it will be interesting to see what develops.

So everyone, take a bow. The film is excellent, engaging and leaves a lasting impression.  It certainly raised some issues and new thoughts among the students, and will, I think, be the forerunner of many events.

Well done for making the film, for attracting such lovely musicians to work with you, and for shining a light in the dark corners of Australia’s immigration policies.

City of Marion, Adelaide,SA

Celebrating Refugee Week 2022 -  Sold Out – 175 tickets

Scattered People: A song can take you home.

175 people from diverse backgrounds and ages attended the two hour event, enjoying a multilayered program which provided different aspects of the refugee experience. The program was launched by Mayor Hanna.

The screening of the Award Winning film Scattered People was educational, and creatively portrayed recent traumatic experiences of people from refugee backgrounds journeys coming to Australia.  The documentary was interwoven with interviews from well-known Australian musicians, who provided valuable support, friendship, and hope for a better future through the power of music, connecting people to positive experiences in their new country. Guest Speaker, Deb Stringer, CEO Australian Refugee Association Inc, spoke about the political contexts, providing an overview of the international situation, and local organisations where people can get more information and/or volunteer to support new arrivals.  

If yes, how has this made a difference to you? 

How powerful and meaningful music can bring people together to accept cultural diversity Music speaks a language of its own.

I learned about where refugees go when they come to Australia. 

It has made a difference because I now know what an asylum seeker is.

It placed the refugee crisis in a new perspective.

It made me happy and gave me some ideas of how to help make a difference. Thank you! 

It is eye opening, giving us a sense of responsibility towards people seeking asylum and refugee here. 

An excellent presentation which opened my eyes to Persian music, and also the feelings and suffering of refugees.  

I enjoyed… the short film… empowering and listening to Mas and Saha’s stories, very enlightening and powerful and understanding of the extreme difficulties for asylum seekers and refugees.

How powerfully moving, everybody should see the film. It opens your eyes. 

The love and diversity and the hope from the film, speakers and large number of people attending.