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Republican Roundup, Issue 6, December 2010
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Inside this issue
Welcome to the fifth issue of Republican Roundup for 2010. Lyn Petrie, who has edited Republican Roundup for the past few year's has relinquished her position as editor to focus on her roles of SA Convener and National Vice Chair. Thank you to Lyn for her sterling efforts in producing our Republican Roundup.
In this edition is a 'Message from the National Chair', and a list of the new National Committee members. There is also the list of winners in the 2010 Republican Raffle, details of the Second National Republican Short Story Competition winners, information on republican Social Media, details on the ARM position on the 2011 Royal Wedding, and a Book Review.
Best wishes to all for a safe and happy Christmas season.
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Message from National Chair
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Dear Members
Your National Committee met on 18 October 2010 by teleconference and the re-constituted National Committee met in Canberra on 27/28 November 2010.
Thanks to outgoing elected National Committee members Peter van Vliet and George Williams. George has offered to remain as a consultant on constitutional issues. Welcome to new members Adam Wand (NSW), David Glynne Jones (ACT), Tom Curtis (QLD), and Youth Convener Francis Ventura (VIC). Grant Jordan has stepped down as WA Convener due to ill health and has been replaced by Hayden Foote. Thank you Grant and welcome Hayden. David Donovan has handed over to Ross Garrad as QLD Convener. Welcome Ross. David will continue as an elected member in the portfolio of Vice Chair (Media). Other individual portfolios for National Committee members were agreed and are listed for your information elsewhere in this eNewsletter. |
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The 27/28 November 2010 meeting was focused on a strategic review of where we are, where we want to be and how to bridge the gap! Inputs were many and varied and included your response to the October 2010 questionnaire. Interestingly, your replies to the questionnaire clearly illustrated what a demanding lot we are! You want an Australian republic, you want it now, you want us to be assertive but polite and you want a communications strategy that embraces both new technology and traditional methods - quite an ask for an all volunteer self-funding organisation! We were also able to put the inputs in the context of the results of recent meetings with all side of politics.
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In a nutshell the outcomes of the National Committee meeting were:
- What we have been doing over recent years has not cut through to achieve our objective. The ARM is alive and stable but we are a long way from achieving a republic.
- This situation will not change unless we change.
- Our primary focus in 2011 must be establishing the issue on the national agenda.
- We are an advocacy organisation, advocating severing constitutional ties with the English monarchy and establishing an Australian citizen as our Head of State to unambiguously represent us the Australian people. We do not seek to be the sole source of wisdom on what process should be adopted - largely a matter for the Government of the day - or what option should be preferred - a matter for the people.
- We need to engage more effectively with the political process, including Members of Parliament from all parties and independent and engage more successfully with the Australian community right around Australia.
- To effect the required changes
we need a full-time paid Director/CEO and a communications strategy that embraces a social media approach together with our more familiar and traditional methods. We have the embryonic plans but we need to fund this structure for FY 2011/12 and FY 2012/13.
- If we cannot fund this structure and effect the changes in 2011 we will need to review our objectives and settle for a much more modest focus.
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So there you have it. None of this is stated as a criticism of the efforts made by a great number of people since 1999 - it is a sobering reflection on the real world. One option is to throw up our hands in despair and bemoan our fate. The other option is to grasp the nettle and fund the changes required for the next two years and seize the opportunity that is being presented. The members of your National Committee present at the meeting unanimously endorse the latter option. That's all very well, but any organisation is only as strong as the sum of its members. What can you do to help? Email me at chair@republic.org.auBest wishes and Seasons Greetings
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Mike Keating
National Chair
1 December 2010
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Mike Keating (QLD) - Chair John Warhurst (ACT) - Deputy Chair and ACT Convener Lyn Petrie (SA) - Vice Chair responsible for community engagement and SA Convener Adam Wand (NSW) - Vice Chair responsible for political engagement David Donovan (QLD) - Vice Chair responsible for media Grant Parker (NSW) - Treasurer and Company Secretary David Glynne Jones (ACT) Tom Curtis (QLD) Francis Ventura (VIC) - Youth Convener Ross Garrad (QLD) - QLD Convener Hayden Foote (WA) - WA Convener Stephen Dametto (NSW) - NSW Convener Simon Bateman (VIC) - VIC Convener TAS Convener - TBC
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John Warhurst (L) and Bill Rowlings (R) at ARM AGM
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The ARM Raffle was drawn at the NSW Christmas Party at the Sydney Town Hall on Thursday, 2 December 2010.
The winners are:
1. Jacqueline Loney (NSW)
2. Helen Lynch (NSW)
3. Martin Whiteley (WA)
4. Dr Elizabeth Kwan (NT)
5. Veronica Ogata (NSW)
6. Carolyn Tan (WA)
7. Keith Powell (ACT)
8. Bryony Cox (NSW)
Congratulations to all the winners.
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Second National Republican Short Story winners
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On 6 November 2010, Helen Bersten and Sean Oliver Ness were each awarded a 'Highly Recommended' in the Second National Republican Short Story Competition for their short stories 'Double Lives' and 'Inauguration Day'.
The theme for the Second National Republican Short Story Competition was 'Life and Death in an Australian Republic'. Australia's fiction writers were challenged to speculate on possible Australian republican futures. The Judging Panel comprising Professor Brian Matthews, Professor John Warhurst and Professor George Williams decided not to award a 2010 First Prize. Instead they have awarded two 'Highly Commended' prizes and recommended the prize be jackpotted for 2011. This is not an unusual outcome for literary prizes.
'Double Lives'
Helen Bersten is a librarian, who has been working for the last 32 years as Honorary Archivist for the Australian Jewish Historical Society in Sydney. In 2005 she received an OAM for her voluntary services to the historical society. She has been a voluntary reader on Radio 2RPH (Radio for the Print Handicapped) for the last 6 and a half years. She is an avid writer of letters to newspapers and an amateur poet, who proof-reads others' works and dreams of writing her own magnum opus. She is a wife, mother of 3 and grandmother of 5. To read the complete short story go to http://www.republic.org.au/sites/republic.org.au/file/'Double%20Lives'%20by%20Helen%20Bersten.pdf
'Inauguration Day'
Sean Oliver Ness was born in North Queensland but his family moved to Hong Kong when he was young. He lived there until he was 12 returning to Brisbane and later study in Psychology and Information Technology at university. he works in the publioc service in Canberra. His interests include travelling, participating in Volunteer Emergency Services, following politics and, of course, reading and writing a lot. To read the complete short story go to
http://www.republic.org.au/sites/republic.org.au/files/Inauguration%20Day%20by%20Sean%20Oliver%20Ness.pdf
The Second National Republican Short Story Competition has fostered the emerging Australian republican fiction genre. A daily blog was run in conjunction with the First National Republican Short Story Competition as creative stimulus material for writers - see http://republicanfiction.blogspot.com Each blog detailed an example of Australian republican speculative fiction writing. The blog was continued in 2010.
The Australian Republican Movement congratulates the 'Highly Commended' winners of this years competition and extends its thanks to all entrants.
The Republican Short Story Competition will run again in 2011. |
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In case you weren't aware, you can follow the Australian Republican Movement on Facebook and Twitter. Become a fan of the Australian Republican Movement today and stay informed up-to-the-minute with all the latest republican news, events and other information.
There's currently just over 1500. Help the ARM get to 2,000 Likes in Facebook.
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Independent Australia. The online journal of Australian identity and democracy
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On 24 June 2010, David Donovan, National Vice Chair Media began publishing the new e-journal of Australian identity and democracy Independent Australia at http://www.independentaustralia.netIndependent Australia is updated daily with new and exciting writing on Australian politics, history, democracy and satire.
Independent Australia is quickly becoming the national voice for republican and national activists. Regular contributors also include the national republican leaders of New Zealand and the United Kingdom, as well as well-known Australian commentators such as Mungo McCallum and Barry Everingham.
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Whilst congratulating Prince William and Ms Kate Middleton on the announcement of their engagement on 17 November 2010, the ARM highlighted just how remote this development was from normal Australians.
This was a quintessentially 'British' moment in which the English-born and raised Prince William announced he will marry the English-born and raised Ms Middleton, amid the appropriate congratulations of the British Prime Minister.
And yet, under Australia's outdated and unrepresentative constitution, Prime William also stands in line to become a future Australian Head of State, ahead of the many worthy potential Australian candidates.
"On a human level, it is certainly an announcement worthy of our congratulations - but so is the happy engagement of all young couples on the verge of the next big stage of their lives," said Mike Keating, ARM Chair.
"The fact that in 2010, a wedding announcement on the other side of the world between two young English people stands to impact on our own constitutional arrangements is, however, simply absurd."
"Seeing the British Prime Minister talk about how great this announcement was for the Britain and the British people, and how the British Cabinet broke into cheers and table-thumping at the news, illustrates just how remote these events are to Australia and our identity as a modern and independent nation."
The ARM repeats its call for a national debate on how to progress Australia towards becoming a republic with an Australian as our head of state.
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Book Review - Tohby Riddle's, The Royal Guest
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In Tohby Riddle's, The Royal Guest (Hodder & Stoughton, 1993 & Puffin, 2008) the Queen is planning a trip to Australia, but there is talk about the cost. Luckily, a Mrs Jones from Padstow offers to put her up. She has plenty of room, not to mention a very comfortable inflatable mattress. All the Queen needs to bring is her own sleeping bag.
Over the next few days, the Queen experiences everyday suburban life, playing cards with Mrs Jones and her friends and helping Mrs Jones take her cat to the vet on the way to a meeting with the Prime Minister.
After a hectic round of royal engagement, the Queen returns to spend her last night at Padstow. Before she leaves the next morning, she hands Mrs Jones a thankyou gift. It is the most delicately crafted jewelled crown, one of the Queen's old favourites. Mrs Jones, who is busy packing the Queen's lunch, accepts the crown, jokin that this must make her 'the Queen of Padstow'.
Although this is where the story ends, republican historian Mark McKenna has reflected on the crowning of Mrs Jones. In Symbols of Australia (2010), p.33 he writes:
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I've often imagined Mrs Jones sitting at her kitchen table, carefully placing the crown on her head. How strange ot must have felt, this crown that jarred with her clothes and refused to sit straight on her hair. If the neighbours caught sight of her, they'd probably have thought she had gone mad. After all, what good is a crown in Padstow? We know nothing of how long Mrs Jones reigned in her realm of Padstow, or whether she managed to find any loyal subjects, although given the wry delivery of her final line it would seem unlikely she persisted with the fantasy of being the Queen of Padstow.
The sight of any Australian wearing the crown of royalty - like the sight of the crowned Mrs Jones in Padstoe - seems frankly absurd. Crowns do not sit well on Australia heads.
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ContactAustralian Republican Movement
GPO Box 611 Canberra ACT 2601 Phone: (02) 6257 3705 Fax: (02) 6257 3670 Email: staff @republic.org.au Website: http://www.republic.org.au
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