Nauru Memory - The Fisher Boy At Sunset

Unbeknownst to us, this was to be one of our last memories on Nauru, before we were whisked off the island, and out of work. After arriving back on the island, Nat and I wandered down to the shore and the area of beach where we spent NYE, to take in the sunset.

Here, we encountered a couple of local kids, fishing for that night's family meal.

I am not sure that he caught anything - after this photo, he revealed to us that he had gotten his hook caught on the rocks below, and his line had snapped as a result.

For all the tough memories from Nauru, I will say this - Nauru has the best sky and sunsets I have ever seen, anywhere. Must be something about being a fleck in the middle of all that ocean.

Help Make The World A Little Better: Wrap Of Reads And Links

Since Nauru, I have been actively involved in advocacy in many ways. I am also working within the asylum seeker sector again, which means keeping up to date with policy, current issues and changes, and being aware of stories, conflicts and their impacts.

So I want to start sharing some of that reading, and knowledge. To help you, my readers, be more informed. To be aware of some of the issues, the current situation for the many people war, conflict and persecution impacts, both here in Australia and around the world.

So here is a snapshot of some things you can read, watch and do to stay informed, and help make the world a little better.

Read

The world media has been awash with the situation in Syria, and the impact the ongoing war there has on the flow of people seeking safety in Europe. But can you name the place where more people have been killed this year in conflict?
It's Yemen, where Saudi bombings are happening every day, for the past 200 days.

You can read the 200 Days Of War in Yemen, by UN Dispatch
and
the statistics that Explosions Hurt More Civilians In Yemen Than In Syria This Year.

Yemen is the place of safety and refuge for many asylum seekers and refugees from parts of Africa like Somalia, and so targeting them causes more stress and turmoil for these people.

Watch

Watch this pretty amazing video on Human Rights, by Rights Info:

Write

To your MPs!
Julian Burnside has shared these tips about keeping it short, and with a question, to gain a response and create some dialogue and thought.
Aussies writing to their Labor MP is particularly important between now and November 10, when the party is set to debate it's stance on offshore detention. So let them know what you think!

Join

A Welcome To Australia walk next weekend, October 31, all around Australia. Details of gathering events can be found here, on the Facebook page.

Give

The old bike that you no longer use, and is collecting dust, to the Australian Red Cross bike program - they will tinker with it to run like new, and provide it to an asylum seeker in the community in need. This gift of a bike may help a young person get to school every day, or to let someone ride to a potential new job for a new start at life. This makes a huge positive impact on people's lives!

Donate

Any spare change you can to the fund to support asylum seekers in the Australian community have access to legal assistance for their refugee claim process. Access to funded assistance has been cut, and so organisations who are helping in this most crucial process are doing so on the smell of an oily rag, and donations!

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre legal support and Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre (RILC) both here in Melbourne, servicing Victoria
and
RACS (Refugees Advice and Casework Service) in Sydney


Know of anything else? Share it in a comment below!

A Chapter Closes For Me For Nauru

On Monday I was made redundant from my role in Nauru. Suddenly. Flown home the next day.

I have taken some time away now, and will do loads of self care when I get back to Melbourne next week, to work through all of the experiences. The good and amazing moments, the heart-warming and melting moments. And all the soul-destroying stuff, the heart-breaking stories, events, battles, the tears. The full emotional rollercoaster. Somehow.

I have learnt, and seen, so much.

I have met and had the privilege of spending all this time there with the most amazing lads, who have taught me so much about culture, incredible resilience, love, faith and hope. So much, that I will treasure forever.

I have no doubt this experience has changed me. In so many ways.

Then I need to figure out what's next. I have no idea what that will look like at this stage. But I do know that I will now find a way to fight for our asylum seekers and refugees placed in Nauru by the Australian government, until they are off that island, and safe.

Another Christmas, Plus A NYE, on Nauru

Plotting out our work schedule when we first got this new contract started, our team had dismayed at the prospect of being on island for the Christmas and NYE double within a rotation. Being away from home across the holiday period is always a bit strange, and tough on family. But I had done it last year and knew what we were in for, and with some forewarning, my family had our family gathering a weekend early at home.

The thing is, Nauru LOVES Christmas. They go all out! Decorations galore - and the lit up houses and businesses are worth accidentally doing a lap on the bus around the island. So pretty!

On Christmas morning, our team gathered early together for a breakfast in the Mess, and Secret Santa exchanges, before heading to work.

I managed to score a role to accompany clients to church for the morning, which was a pretty special experience. I definitely have never attended church on Christmas Day before, and as an an atheist, totally went for the amazing singing.

But it was so meaningful to see people so very into the spirit of Christmas, and finding such solace from their faith. I am, as always, in awe of the hope, courage, and support faith brings people.

This church pictured was not that one I went to, but one of the one's on the excursion on the day.

The week in between flew by, with our usual working schedule, and before I knew it it was time to figure out plans for NYE.

In the end, a couple of us headed down to the beautifully lit O-Dn Hotel. We had a couple of beers here, before getting some takeaways and heading down to the beach in front of the hotel.

Our little gathering sat at the waters edge in a haphazard circle in the sand, with the moon shining above us, lighting the shore, the pier and the cantilevers nearby. The moon had a spooky and magical ring around it, which seemed to make the night even more special.

We saw in the countdown at midnight, and then delighted in the local fireworks coming from the main road.

So many of my key, meaningful experiences over this rotation I cannot share, for several reasons. Needless to say, it was a Christmas build up and New Year Eve countdown to remember, with some really amazing people. Some very special memories that will have to remain my very own.

Our theme for the New Year's wishes seemed to naturally be "New Year, new start!" Such hope for this year, 2015, for change and humanity. May it be a happy one ahead, for all!

Criticism Of My Work On Nauru

This comment from Anonymous came through on my blog during my last rotation - one of the toughest rotations I have done.

Wow. I haven't published it because it was posted on a completely unrelated post. But it's a reminder to me of the views of my work by the average Australian. Most reactions show me that a wide section of our community just cannot manage to view the world from someone else's perspective. The reason the work is available in the first place. And the reason my clients are having to endure such harsh conditions. Anonymous reminds me that most people don't seem to consider what the experience is like on Nauru for the people detained there.

My current contract certainly gave me pause when deciding to take it, for the very reason Anonymous has eluded to - a profit organisation has taken on the Welfare services. Sleepless nights were had trying to reconcile this for myself. The protests around the arrangement just before I was set to return to Nauru made me rethink again - I admired the stand the artists had made.

But for me, ultimately, it's about continuity of care for my clients. It's about feeling like I am part of something good within this whole horrible political situation. It's about ensuring that someone who actually cares about the plight of the men I work with is there to be an advocate, a support person, and companion.

Without such support, the men would be very alone in the camp. Their voices for basic things would rarely be listened to. Is that what people like Anonymous would rather? 

Another Round On Nauru

I have just returned from another FIFO round, of 2 weeks, on Nauru. Yesterday was a day of wrapping up my work for my back-to-back in my role, and then flying back to Australia. Lucky me, with my Australian passport. The birth lottery reminder is ever-present.

In this new contract, just like the other, I can;t share too much about the work, or what it's like in the Centre. It's frustrating, working in a place within a harsh government policy, in a tiny country with limited resources; it's also amazing work on the ground with the clients. A rollercoaster of emotions as a worker, daily, hourly, interaction to interaction. Little wins, heart-aching tear-inducing stories, laughs and black tea sessions, and struggles and incredible resilience.

One week this time featured torrential rain and flooding, and broken roads.  The next saw the island's water pump being down (or something), and a resultant severe water shortage across the tiny island country - which lead to the incredulous experience of 30 second shower restrictions for us in the staff block.

I am working alongside incredible people, all problem solving together. We have great support onsite, thanks goodness, which is much needed. We are all doing our best to provide support to the clients there.4

I have started learning Arabic this round, much to the delight of many of my client group. I am not a very good student, and long, hot days do nothing for my new skill retention, and yet, I am pretty proud of my growing vocabulary!

It's still my dream job right now. One of the guys asked me what I wanted to do when I was little, and after going through the many ideas I have had when I was at school and uni, I talked about what I think I want to do now - only to find that I am actually doing it!

Project 52: Tuesday Evening

(I am awaiting the paired collage for this one)

Christmas Eve last year was my second day off on my first work rotation, after which many of us gathered at the Reef Bar at the hotel where we were staying as employees on Nauru, for evening drinks. Whilst we were sitting at our beachside table, the power on the island went out as the moon rose up out of the ocean....it was spectacular!

This is the last post of Project 52 from 2013 with Jess from FuShMuSh.

Project 52: Tuesday Afternoon

Tuesdays on my first rotation in Nauru was my day off, and on the first one Monica and I made an effort to attempt to walk around the whole island. This was our view as we looked right on much of our completed 3/4 of the country that day.

This post is part of Project 52 with Jess from FuShMuSh.

Project 52: Tuesday Morning

Preparing for my new job, and finishing off my short term contract with my old one, I returned back to Ballarat and the old office to complete my final work days - plus I needed to stay at Mum's due to my homelessness! On my way into the office, I spotted the massive cluster of Christmas baubles in front of the Town Hall - pretty impressive!

This post is part of Project 52 with Jess from FuShMuSh.

Farewell To Nauru, For Now

Yeah, so I have been a bit offline of late, with dodgy internet access for the last rotation in Nauru for the last 2.5 weeks. I returned home on Friday with a day of travel, but not before my much desired photo on the runway. Where else could you get to wander onto an International runway like this!?!

My 2.5 weeks went fast, and then not fast at all with the 12 hours a day and tough work. Some amazing times with my incredible colleagues, and some seriously precious and rewarding working moments with my clients. Such an unforgettable experience.

I don't really feel like I am finished with this Nauru chapter, and my work with this special client population, and so now I am looking into options to get back there for work, with my contract now finished. We will see what happens - which was so my words of advice to so many within my work!

I have a few posts to share about Nauru, all in good time, but in the meantime you can check out some of my photos from the island here.

Meanwhile, I am off for some travel to rest and restore my post-Nauru blues and heavy heart...

Project 52: Monday Lunchtime

A run down to the Trailer Park in Melbourne for an extended lunch break from work, to grab a sample of one of the food trucks on roster for Good Food Month was too good to pass up! Reading great reviews of the Fusion Fish n Chips truck, I made the effort when it was on the roster for the week, and was not disappointed.

This post is part of Project 52 with Jess from FuShMuSh.

Fi Fo, Fi Fo, It's Off To Work I Go

I have written this post in advance, but I assume that by the time it is published I will be back on Nauru, and back to work. I will have traveled from home to the Melbourne airport and flown to Brisbane, then stayed overnight, and managed the early, early morning wake up required to get the 7am flight to Nauru, on Our Airline. Impressively comfortable leather seats make the 4.5 hour flight bearable, just.

The Fly In/Fly Out situation has me working 3 weeks on island, and then having a 3 week respite off-island.

The first rotation was confronting and rewarding, with a couple of very tough days, and some incredible human interaction moments within my work. I have learnt a lot in those weeks, and met some truly amazing people. The respite break went pretty quick too, although between catching up on sleep and rest, I did manage to squeeze a lot in, and managed to catch up with many friends and most of the family.

This could well be my final rotation, being my second, after the news on my very first work day of my first rotation that the contract of my employer was not to be renewed for continued services at the offshore Asylum Seeker Processing Centre. I have never actually started a job and been fired on the same day, so that was a new experience. Very tough for so many of the staff, who have worked for many months, contributing to the lives of those held on the island, awaiting processing.

I am looking forward to getting back into it, back into the work routine and giving it my all. Such an amazing opportunity, and a small chance to work on little daily wins with such a vulnerable population.

(This photo of the island nation of Nauru was actually taken by Vic, from the plane window - loads better than any photos I had taken!)

Project 52: Monday Morning

This particular Monday morning I was "working from home", writing reports. I had taken on a short term contract with my old real job, in between other locum gigs and whilst I was going through the process for my new job. The hourly rate was just too good to refuse. To explain the photo, I had two indoor, hairless cats staring me down during this early stage of the three week gig. Creepy!

This post is part of Project 52 with Jess from FuShMuSh.

A Sunset On Nauru

After my last day of work for my first rotation on Nauru, a group of us gathered for the sunset on the day, on the rooftop of one of the two hotels on the island. A stunning view to finish off all the hard work we had completed across the couple of weeks.

The viewpoint on top of the Od-n has you gazing off into the ocean, with the skeletal, broken and disused cantilevers of the phosphate rich days of the island creating a sense of wonder and mystery within the view.

The rooftop of the building which featured the most impressive Christmas lights during the week before, seems like it was not finished when it was built. In fact, the Od-n building, like all of the buildings in Nauru, would have been impressive when it was built, and during the Nauruan heyday, but has fallen into a serious state of rundown disrepair since, as the country has meet with serious financial ruin. The rooftop was more like a construction site than a beer garden offering, but definitely has the best view in the country.

The view away from the ocean is a birdseye of a section of the main road all the way around the island, and in an area that could be considered part of the busiest and more built up. Not much traffic going around though, despite the time of day! The palm trees are a reminder that we were on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

With a few beers, brought up from the bar down on the ground floor, and loads of chats for debriefing from the day, the group's attention soon turned to the setting sun, and the spectacular light show it put on with the cloud spattering above.

We remained in place, watching as the light faded, and traces of the sun vanished completely. In the dim dusk light, we made our way back downstairs and had dinner on the front balcony, before heading home to the other hotel and to continue our last night.

Christmas In Nauru

This has probably been the most meaningful Christmas I have spent in a long time, and it was mostly with people who do not even celebrate it in their religion. I had a great start to the day, but then work got intense pretty quickly, and was one of the toughest I have had. It felt so special to be part of such important work.

Without the retail mayhem of home, it was frequently difficult to remember that Christmas Day was actually looming most days - except that Nauru as an island reminded us with extravagantly decorated homes and shops all around the one road lap. The talk was that there was a prize of $10,000 for the best decorated home, and so the neon combinations, the more the better, were so impressive!

This, and seeing the way people live quite simply here, brought the festive season into such perspective.

Our nightly bus ride home from work around the island brought the Christmas cheer to us through the windows. Plus, the local versions of Christmas songs on repeat on the bus radio!

On the morning, after a bit of a Christmas Eve drinking session with new friends along the beach, we had a staff Christmas breakfast down along the beach at the hotel where we are staying. Pancakes and cheer was on the menu, and it started the day off with such joy and mutual support in this strangest of living circumstances.

I had called home the day before, on my day off, in preparation for an on-the-go day, but I did manage to get a call through to London at an appropriate time for that part of the world. Katie and I could not have spent a more polar opposite Christmas if we tried, this year!

The work day was full of smiles and "Merry Christmas" wishes from fellow colleagues, and also clients. I had a fully multicultural lunch in with the people I am working with, which felt very special to be part of.

More drinks at our hotel's bar at the end of a long day, checking in with each other, and taking care of our own well being wrapped up the day.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, and found meaning in the day. I have certainly had the chance to appreciate the things that are important in life, through my work here. Love to all!

Walking Nauru

On my first day off here in Nauru, my roommate and I decided to explore the island despite the heat, and set off to walk the perimeter of the country.

The beach edges are littered with pinnacles of phosphate, mined for all the good stuff long ago, and now actually make the view pretty unusual and stunning.

Palm trees along the way reminded us that we are in fact on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

The blazing middle-of-the-day sun had us ducking into each and every local store that was dotted along the path, for refuge from the heat - which was not always successful. But always filled with local, friendly interaction and a surprise or two about the wares on sale.

As we progressed along the road lapping the island, we acquired sticks for safety, as a persistent warning from everyone about the island is about the wild, ravaging dogs hunting in packs. Stories of recent attacks have led to advise to walk with a stick, if at all, and certainly not alone.

We managed to walk two thirds of the way around the whole country, before my feet and tolerance of the heat gave way - and actually one of the locals said we were only just halfway, which was not the positive news I was hoping for! We also had a mild encounter with a couple of the four legged hazards of the island, which spooked me a little, for sure. Reviewing the map, however, once we were back with a beer in hand, we could see we only have a small portion of the country to explore on our next day off, to know we have checked out the whole island perimeter!

Not every place you visit can you say that!

I am conscious, however, that this is the good side of Nauru. Walking anti-clockwise, my camera has faced the beachside every time. Make no mistake, this island on the left hand view is one of financial ruin, and arid, harsh living conditions.

I Am Moving To Nauru!

My head has been spinning for the last two weeks, since being offered my new job, which I started today with an induction in Brisbane. This is big! I will be flown to the nation in the Central Pacific tomorrow to get started!

I had been going through the pre-deployment process almost like just going through the motions, from the phone interview and lining up my referees, and then getting started on the medical. I needed to get my history of DVT all cleared for travel, and then also needed a few more vaccinations and boosters from the Travel Doctor. Having needles started to make it all real, but nothing like the actual call of offer!

I am about to set off to Nauru to work in the Regional Processing Centre there, where Australia is currently holding asylum seekers awaiting their claims for refugee status to be processed. I will be working as a Case Manager, providing welfare and social support as a Social Worker.

Of course, there won't be anything much that I can share about the work, any more than I could share anything about my past work experiences. But I can direct you to my new employers' page to check out the details, if you want to know more. There are some great videos there, that will give you an insight into the work.

As for me, I will be working in a Fly In/Fly Out (FIFO) capacity, on a roughly 3 week rotation, with a day a week off whilst away. I will be returned home at the end of each rotation, to rest and relax and recover from the impact of the role.

My day off will give me a chance to explore the smallest republic in the world, sitting midway between Sydney and Honolulu, and oh so very close to the Equator. Nauru is an atoll, and is the second least populated nation in the world, after the Vatican. I am looking forward to finding out more about it!

I am not sure of my ability to blog, or maintain an online presence, whilst I am away for work either. There is a lot of wait and see! This next 3 weeks is going to be pretty full on!

Ever since I got the call about the role I have had Paul Kelly's line Careful what you dream of...you just might get it! in my head. This role is clearly the "something amazing" I have been looking for, and working towards, for years. A way to make a difference in some way, to the people caught up in this ongoing political situation.

(Picture credit -  very outdated Nauru country profile on the New Internationalist)

Please note - any comments published here about my role are my own, and are not representative of my employers' in any way.

Project 52: Friday Lunchtime

Back to the kind of work role that involves being out of the road completing visits to clients, albeit within the suburbs of Melbourne and mainly homevisits in this role. Within my locum role, and because I have begged to be kept busy rather than idle, I am currently out and about from the office around 2-3 times per week.

Heading back to the office from one of the outer suburbs on this particular Friday, I remember being pretty pleased with the progress and goals set at the visit I had just completed - and loving the fact that, with the aid of an interpreter, I had conducted a visit in Spanish!

This post is part of Project 52 with Jess from FuShMuSh.

Project 52: Wednesday Afternoon

Just another work day for me, spending most of the time in the office on the phone or firing off emails to set things in place for carers of a person with a mental illness, plus a handful of disability cases. This locum position was originally for 4-6 weeks...4 months later, they still have work for me, and I am still happy enough to turn up!

This post is part of Project 52 with Jess from FuShMuSh.

Project 52: Wednesday Lunchtime

In the attempt to stem the flow of cash from my wallet on a daily workday basis, I have resorted to my old cheese toastie lunch at work, to save for my next big trip. A tried and true method of reducing my spending, and it allows me to justify my habit of eating out many nights a week!

This post is part of Project 52 with Jess from FuShMuSh.