The Australian Women's Register

5 sound files (ca. 200 min.) Helen McCue a nurse and aid worker talks about her education; her nursing work in the Middle East with Palestinians (1981-83); founding APHEDA to train health workers in war situations (1984); training Palestinian nurses in Australia and Lebanon; establishing WREN; her PhD at the University of N.S.W. on Muslim women; her involvement in the Reconciliation Movement in the Southern Highlands; her publications and awards; community activities in the Southern Highlands; the foundation, development and organization of Rural Australians for Refugees (RAR); RARs objectives and aims; local street reactions to RAR; the spread of RAR nationally; its newsletter, website and email network (2001-02); national conference’s; refugee resettlement in rural areas; rural sponsorship scheme; local volunteer English teachers; insufficient cultural support; the Tampa awards; RAR groups locating refugees; respite holidays for refugees; rural medical and psychiatric services for refugees. McCue discusses school and TAFE responses; RARs relations with Centrelink and State housing authorities; the repatriation of failed asylum seekers; RARs contacts with the Department of Immigration; finances and fund-raising activities. Links with other refugee related organisations; RARs political lobbying and media work; RAR regional conferences; the position of the Churches on refugees; lobbying State governments; shift in public opinion by 2005; the power of one democratic empowerment; use of local and national radio; impact of RAR, its successes and failures; its impact on rural racism; awards to RAR; its success in public education on refugee issues; economic impact of refugees on country towns; some important RAR supporters; creative responses to refugees; the Afghan soccer team.