Christmas Sneak Peak

New Spring catalogue is out now. 

Come in and check out some new range of products in store now!

Tuesday 26 August - Special Guest Speaker

A special guest speaker for our next Oxfam meeting onTuesday 26th at 6pm at the Royal Oak, Launceston.

The speaker is Viktoria Szemes, counsellor/educator with Sexual Health. She recently attended a number of events associated with AIDS 2014 in Melbourne. She brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and commitment in the area and provides a chance to found out what is happening both here, and around the world. 

For more information on Oxfam's work in the area of HIV/AIDs see  https://www.oxfam.org.au/explore/hiv-and-aids/  

Oxfam Launceston Meeting Tomorrow

Update from Mrs Ros Lewis

Meeting TOMORROW on Tuesday 22^nd July, 6pm at The Oak.

Agenda:

Short film on Oxfam’s LAND IS LIFE campaign.

Update & planning on coming events.Hoping to have some confirmed dates from Ula (though that is not meant to pressure you, Ula – I know there are a lot of bits to tie together)

Discussion

-       Whether to run a barbecue at the bike day on 31 August.

-       Next meeting topic (26 August). Note that Nick McKinnon of Voices for Justice (Canberra lobbying) will speak at our September 23 meeting)

-       Possible collection at Charles St. Coles

-       Dates to request  for 2015 bookings (barbecues and Button Day)

-       Communication in general

Hobart and Launceston Updates

Updates from Mrs Ros Lewis:

Ula’s in town!!!  (Ula Majewski, Oxfam’s Tas/Vic Campaign Coordinator) & that’s not all! There’s something for everyone in this list! Details from Ros 0437 741 677

HOBART news

Tues 1 July – HOBART Ula Majewski of Oxfam  is guest speaker at Climate Action Hobart’s meeting  at Sustainable Living Tas. 1/71 Murray St. at 5.30

Thurs. 3^rd July  - HOBART Oxfam Group meeting at  Pasha’s, N Hobart  6 pm. Ula will be there too! Great opportunity to get the latest Oxfam news & share great ideas

 

Sat 5^th July. Social Justice Workshop with Amnesty & local Safe Asylum,  Oxfam & others.  STATE WIDE held in LAUNCESTON You are in for a warm welcome!

 

Tues 8^th July. 12—2.00 UNI Oxfam groups - We have a stall booked for uni – both campuses – The HOBART ones is still looking for helpers; can you give us an hour some time between 12 & 2.

 

Thurs 31 July –  Oxfam  stall the South Sudan event 7.30pm. Stanley Burbury Theatre, UTASto accept donations at; helpers needed – let us know if you can spare some time . More news soon.

 

LAUNCESTON news

Wed. 2^nd July  & Thursday 3^rdmorning –   Ula will be about, meeting with Launceston uni group . Also keen to meet other local supporters  – time TBA so send me an email or ring 0437 741 677 & I’ll make sure you  catch up!

 

Fri 4^th July LAUNCESTON – Opening of NAIDOC exhibition of Aboriginal artists’ work, Sawtooth Gallery, 2/160 Cimitiere St. curated by Brigitte Wolfe (recent speaker at our group

 

Sat. 5^th July in STATE WIDE held in LAUNCESTON. Social Justice workshopAmnesty & local Safe Asylum group on getting this up. You are in for a warm welcome, especially if you come from outside Launceston!!!

 

Tues 8^th July. 12—2.00 UNI groups - We have a stall booked for uni – both campuses.

Sale On Now

Come and grab a bargain at your local Oxfam Shop!

National Reconciliation Week and Free Tasting

Come and support the National Reconciliation Week at your local Oxfam shop. There is free tasting of different types of Australian dukkah too! :)

Please note: We have 15% off all scarves.

Mother's Day

Swing by your local Oxfam Shop for some Mother's Day gifts.

20% off Oxfam Australia's range of gifts (excludes Unwrapped cards, furniture and books). 

Or check out the bargain table. Chocolates and sauces on special!! 

Win a Mother's Day hamper when you a pend $5 and more.

May Events

An update from Mrs Ros Lewis:

A local  message to some of the locals:

Confirming -Thurs 1st May

LAUNCESTON people get to meet Ula Majewski, Oxfam Campaign Coordinator. 
*    Ula will be in the Oxfam Shop in the afternoon around 3pm - do drop in & while you're there, stock up on goodies!
*    Ula will also be joining us for a meal at the Royal Oak so drop in at about 6pm. So far, that's 2  of us (Ula & me) Please let me know if you are coming. I've booked a table for 6 and will need to let them know how numbers are looking (as they a performer later in the evening & may get busy). 
(As well, Ula is meeting with the uni group Thursday morning.) 

FAIR TRADE Sat. 3 May 

Trevallyn Café upstairs 12 - 1.00  Launceston Fairtrade Webinar <http://www.fta.org.au/fair-trade-futures.html>  with coffee! Speakers listed below. Fun, tasty and informative!

Join & Share
<https://www.facebook.com/events/1408766932733450/?context=create&ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming&source=49> 
   
*    Safia Minney- Founder and CEO of People Tree
<http://www.peopletree.co.uk/about-us/founder> 
*    Mohammad Ghayasuddin- Saidpur Enterprises Bangladesh
<http://www.baksheeshfairtrade.com/ghayasuddin.html>  
*    Molly Harriss Olson-  CEO Fairtrade Australia New Zealand
<http://fairtrade.com.au/news/new-ceo-fairtrade-australia-new-zealand>    

Tues 13 May 

LAUNCESTON  Uni Oxfam Fairtrade High Tea - TO BE CONFIRMED
<https://www.facebook.com/UTAS.Oxfam.Group.North> 

Fri 16 May 

LAUNCESTON Mall  11 - 12 Launceston launch of  Fairtrade Tasmania at 12.30 by the Mayor. 

Sun. 18th May - Oxfam stall at Evandale Market 

LAUNCESTON VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. 

Contact Amanda 6331 7760  if you can give a couple of hours to help. Amanda needs to know by Fri 9th May!!

Tues. 24th June 6pm 

LAUNCESTON group meeting at the Royal Oak. Speakers are Marilyn Pitchford and Brigitte Wolfe who went to Oxfam's Straight Talk conference for Aboriginal women last year.

Bangladesh factory fire survivor visits Australia

Source: Oxfam Australia

On 24 November 2012, Sumi Abedin was working in the Tarzeen garment factory in Bangladesh when she was forced to make a chilling decision. Trapped in the burning factory and faced with the horrific choice between burning alive or jumping to certain death, she chose to jump.

Not because she thought she might survive, but because at that terrifying moment she thought of her family.

By jumping she hoped her family would have the comfort of being able to identify her body. She didn’t want her parents to have the same experience as other grieving families from previous factory fires who had been faced with unidentifiable remains and unable to claim their loved ones.

Against the odds Sumi survived her jump from the third floor with a broken ankle and broken arm, but 112 of her co-workers and friends died that day. Padlocked exit doors and barred windows contributed to the tragedy.

Sumi now tells her powerful story of survival to help change the working conditions of men and women in Bangladesh. Her story needs to be heard. 1,800 people have died in factory fires and collapses in the Bangladesh garment industry in the past 10 years.

April marks the one-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka. The Rana Plaza collapse on 24 April 2013 killed at least 1,138 and injured an estimated 2,500 people.

Despite emerging cracks in the building resulting in an evacuation order being issued the day before the collapse, and adhered to by the banks and shops on the lower floors, the garment workers, who produced clothing for Western firms, had been ordered to return to work on the morning of the 24th April by their managers.

Those managers declared the building safe and threatened to withhold pay for those who didn’t go back to work. Hours later the building collapsed. Some of the bodies from this tragedy may never be identified.

Sumi will be joined in Australia by Kalpona Akter from the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity. Kalpona campaigns for compensation for families and workers impacted by these tragedies and for the improvement rights and conditions for garment workers.

Together they will explain what has changed in Bangladesh since the Rana Plaza collapse, how they are working to improve the garment industry and how, as Australian consumers and citizens, we can support women like Sumi to be able to work in safe and decent conditions.

Please come along and hear Sumi’s powerful story of survival and how she is working to change the lives of women in Bangladesh.

MELBOURNE EVENT

When: Tuesday 15th April. 5.30 for a 6PM start

Where: Melbourne City Conference Centre, Swanston Street near crn Lt. Lonsdale, Melbourne

Opposite State Library

SYDNEY EVENT

When: Wednesday 16th April. 5.30 for a 6pm start

Where: NSW Teachers Federation Conference Centre, 37 Reservoir Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW

Near Central Railway Station

RSVP via the Facebook event

More New Products

Mother's Day is not far away now. Check out some new products at the Launceston Oxfam Shop.

Soft monkeys from Woza Moya (Ufafa Valley, South Africa) 

Wood works

Candles

A mousey door stopper

Weave work

Bedspread 

Dining table set

Frame and box

Oxfam meeting and other activities around Launceston

An update from Mrs Ros Lewis:

TASMANIA-WIDE Friday 4^th AprilOxfam Button Day collection

LAUNCESTON Saturday 5th April 10 am - have morning tea with the author of "The People Smuggler" at88 Paterson St. (Guide Hall)

 

LAUNCESTON – Tuesday 8^th April 6pm at the Royal Oak Hotel (upstairs).Launceston Oxfam Group Kym Blechynden will talk about her work in global emergencies with Red Cross. If upstairs isn’t your thing, let me know and we will hold this session downstairs. We will finish by 7pm and move downstairs for a meal.

  

Advance notice – HOBART & LAUNCESTON - the week 28^th April to 2^nd May, Ula Majewski (Vic/Tas Oxfam Campaigns Coordinator) will be in Tasmania to meet with groups; watch for future notices.

We look like having a chance to meet Ula in Launceston on the 1st or 2nd May.

Also a Fair Trade Fortnight event at the Oxfam Shop, probably 13th May.

From June onwards, our  regular meeting date will probably become 4th Tuesday of the month.

One more thing - do drop into the Oxfam shop to buy a raffle ticket, to support the fundraising of the Uni Oxfam Group.

 

Easter Shopping

Lots and lots to see and buy from your local Oxfam Shop. 

Check out Launceston Oxfam Shop's Easter display!

And more in store... Including new product range from Oxfam Australia's producers. 

Thank you for your ongoing support. 

New Display and New Products in Store Now!

Come and check out our new display at the Launceston Oxfam Shop as well as some new products from our producers. 

New Display:

Some New Products: 

2 Events in Launceston - 25th March and 5th April

Update from Mrs Ros Lewis:

Tuesday, 25th March                     Support the Uni Oxfam group in Launceston
Architecture Theatrette 8 Invermay Rd. Inveresk

5:30pm AGM  with pizza 
6.00 pm Movie - Blue Gold a movieabout water - a valuable and often abused resource for the world.

Facebook event

Saturday 5^th April  10.00 to 11.00 am        Meet the author of “The people smuggler.”

at Abbott Hall, 88 Paterson St.

Morning tea and to hear more about Robin De Crespigny's book The People Smuggler.

This event is jointly organised byLaunceston Amnesty International Group and Safe Asylum

Any queries contact Kathryn Louiseon facebook or emailkathrynlouisemartin@hotmail.com

 

https://www.facebook.com/events/1376439129301617/

National Close the Gap Day

National Close the Gap Day falls on March 20th this year.

You can pledge your support at your local Oxfam shops or online (click here). 

March 2014 Meeting and Issues to Discuss

From Mrs Ros Lewis:

Tues 11^th March 6pm at the Royal Oak (upstairs). 

Brigitte Wolfe will talk about her experiences at Straight Talk 2013,  Aboriginal women’s political skills training organised by Oxfam & we will also look at a  6 min film about the Close the Gap campaign.

A question to ponder: for our Button Day collection; we can

·       send the donations to Oxfam Australia for them to use according to need (as we have done previously)

·       or choose a specific Appealto donate to & use it in our promotion. Here are some to look athttps://www.oxfam.org.au/appeals/current-appeals/

Syria Crisis Appeal

Monetary assistance for Syria is much needed. Please see the following Appeal from Oxfam Australia:

Click Here to read further, donate and share. Thank you.

Please Note: Monetary donation will deliver essential supplies like fuel, blankets and stoves to children and families. According to Oxfam Australia's website, the worst of winter is yet to come.

Source: Oxfam Australia 

Since the Syrian conflict began more two and a half years ago, more than 100,000 Syrians have lost their lives and more than 2.2 million people have fled the country.

Over 9 million people, nearly half the country’s pre-war population of 21 million, are in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria. Of those, around 6.5 million people have been forced to flee their homes and remain trapped inside the country.

Oxfam is now helping more than half a million people across Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, but the crisis continues to escalate. One of the most bitterly cold winters in the Middle East in decades has now hit hard, pushing Syrian children and families into an even more vulnerable situation. Most refugees fled home with nothing, and now, hundreds of thousands are living in little more than makeshift tents to protect them against freezing temperatures.

With your support, we can scale up our work across the region to reach 650,000 people by March 2014,  helping them to survive against these unimaginable hardships.

New Range of Products

New range of products... Now in store.

Come and check out various new products in store at your local Oxfam Shop. 

Bags:

Handmade dolls:

Handcrafted scarfs (more of men style):

Kitchenware (hand painted):

As well as Cards and Health and Wellbeing:

Aspiration International

Source: Oxfam Australia

Aspiration International is one of Oxfam Australia’s oldest trading partners, and assists many artisan groups throughout India to ensure the survival of their unique craft traditions.  Founded in 1993, Aspiration International has achieved global recognition as an exporter of premium-grade fair trade products.  Due to the organisation’s high commitment to quality and willingness to expand and create customized products, Aspiration International has developed a huge export client base around the World.

Padam Kapoor founded Aspiration International after previously working for the government in the handicraft development area.  With a vision of improving the lives of economically disadvantaged Indian artisans, Kapoor established an independent fair trade company that purchased and exported the artisan’s products equitably.  Working alongside approximately 30 producer partners, Aspiration International encourages their artisans to become self-sufficient through allowing them to set up their own workshops and employ other artisans.

 

Aspiration International also works with women who are working from home to assist them in gaining financial empowerment, while still being able to care for their children.  Paying their workers above the minimum wage, Aspiration International treats their workers with respect and offers them a chance to lead independent and stable lives.

 

Along with their fair-trade mission, Aspiration International aim to give new life to the ancient crafts of India.  Undertaking in-depth research into traditional Indian designs, Aspiration International strives to provide its customers with products which maintain contemporary aesthetics whilst incorporating designs from the ancient culture of India.  Aspiration International’s dedication to quality and customer satisfaction remains clear as they employ expert quality control analysts to supervise the production process.

 

Products which Aspiration International market includes costume jewelry, kasmiri paper-mâché products, copper and stainless steel kitchen ware, Christmas decorations and Sheesham wood homewares such as decorative boxes and photo frames.  As a conscientious business which believes in sustainability, Aspiration International asks each of their producer partners to plant 2 trees a year and nurture their growth.

 

Aspiration International also aims to work with groups who make intricate carved wooden products, including local Jalicut and Jaipur techniques, as the continuous production of these crafts is essential in the preservation of India’s cultural identity.

 

Aspiration International pride itself on the fine workmanship which goes into their products, the attentive and timely delivery of their exports, and their customised shipment packages which conform to varying clients' needs.  Aspiration International remains distinguishable for the subtle blend of contemporary design and ethnic taste encompassed within their products, and its ability to maintain reasonable prices with fair trade standards.

Click Here to read more about Aspiration International

Oxfam Celebrated Its 60th

Oxfam Australia celebrated its 60th birthday last December.

Launceston Oxfam Shop and the local group had a final gathering before the year ended in December to celebrate Oxfam's 60th birthday, coupled with VIP Evening and food tasting for the local members.

There were also a short video clip of "60 Years in 60 Seconds", photo snaps and final meeting session to close off the year.

Many thanks to all Oxfam supporters, volunteers and staff members.

Aluminium Produce

Your local Oxfam shops sell recycled aluminium products - polished, stained or otherwise. :)

Upcoming Events

Upcoming events (as per Mrs Ros Lewis' email)

 

Hello to Oxfam supporters in Tas. and all the best for 2014. Another year of challenges and everyone trying to do their own bit for global justice.

 

Tuesday 11 Feb. 6pm Royal Oak (upstairs) – Launceston Oxfam Group meeting including a short interesting talk (to be advised) and planning for the year.

Public Forum on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in 3 places on 3 days.

·         Monday 17 Feb. 5.45pm till 7.30pm at Launceston Town Hall

·         Tuesday 18 Feb. 5.45pm till 7.30pm at Devonport Council Chambers

·         Wednesday 19 Feb. 5.45pm till 7.30pm at Hobart Town Hall
Details at http://www.recognise.org.au/timetable/Feb-2014

Saturday 22 Feb. – Penny Farthing Race and Stall at Evandale (Launceston Group). Volunteers needed.
 

Tuesday 25 Feb. – Sign-up day at the Uni for Launceston uni group. Volunteers needed.
 

Wednesday 26 Feb. - Sign-up day at the Hobart Uni for uni group; also Burnie (N W). Volunteers needed.
 

Wednesday 5 March – Oxfam speaker(s) at Hobart College assembly. (Tim Sprod organising)
 

Thursday 6 March 6pm at Republic Bar (N Hobart) – Hobart Oxfam Group meeting including short talk from a speaker (to be advised).
 

Friday and Saturday 7 and 8  March – training in Melbourne for Tas. Uni group leaders.  (Jade Cromwell & Julie Stirling  from Hobart; Lane Edwards from Launceston)
 

Friday 4 April – Button Day across Tasmania.  Volunteers needed. This is an annual event where we take a tin and some stickers and stand on a footpath, mall or shopping centre so that people can put a donation in the tin. We do NOT approach them or do any sales pitch. Penny (in Hobart) or Ros (elsewhere) will help you work out a good time and place for you to get  the gear, accept donations and return the gear with money after.
 

Hobart volunteers please contact Penny O’Brien Penny O'Brien (pennyob@whale-mail.com) or 0439 379 640. If you have Hobart school contacts, please pass them on to Tim Sprod, timsprod3@gmail.com. Launceston and North West volunteers and school contacts, please contact Ros Lewis rlewis8@bigpond.net.au or 0437 741 677
 

We don’t yet have a date for Helen Szoke’s visit but we are working on it. We also expect to meet Ula Majewski (Campaign Coordinator) in Tas. in the near future.

It's the Season of Love

As the Season of Love is just around the corner, why don't celebrate this Valentine's Day with gifts that give twice.

 

Stop by your local Oxfam Shop to check out Oxfam Australia's range of products for Valentine's Day this February 14th.