(Clearwisdom.net) Practitioners made two extensive trips
along the East Coast of Queensland, Australia during 2002 and gave
Queensland's Members of State and Local Parliaments, Town Councillors and
their communities a grand opportunity to share with Falun Dafa practitioners.
They came to know that practicing Falun Dafa produces many benefits to the
individuals that practice it--benefits that also spill over into the
community. Many more people are now aware of the unwarranted, brutal
persecution against innocent practitioners in China.
Gladstone, Bundaberg and Surrounding Rural Areas
A two-week trip to celebrate Falun Dafa in the
Gladstone/Bundaberg areas of Queensland took in the Wild Scotchman Festival at
Gin Gin and the weeklong Harbour Festival at Gladstone, including visits to
nearby Miriam Vale and Calliope. Also visited were the towns of Bundaberg,
Bargara and Childers. We joined street parades at Gin Gin and Gladstone where
we shared flyers with hundreds of onlookers lined up along the streets. A
display was placed in the City Library at Gladstone for the week. All
libraries were presented with Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun books
and the Exercise Video.
Our mini photo display "Journey of Falun Dafa" supported us
in clarifying the truth and the extent of the persecution of Falun Gong
practitioners in China to the local communities, Councillors and overseas
visitors in these areas. Thousands of pamphlets, SOS flyers and a newsletter
with the latest information on the persecution in China and practitioners'
personal experiences of the benefits of Falun Dafa were shared and welcomed.
A small core group of practitioners from Southeast
Queensland made the trip with support from other practitioners coming and
going as their time permitted. Some practitioners travelled approximately 5-7
hours there and back in one day to give needed support, such as joining the
street parades in Gladstone and Gin Gin.
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| Clarifying the truth to Mainland Chinese |
Introducing Falun Gong to people in Gin
Gin |
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| Demonstrating Falun Gong at Gladstone |
Harbour Festival Gladstone Harbour
Festival Parade |
Councillors' Support
Councillor Patricia Kan of Miriam Vale Shire wrote a report
in the local district newspaper and included our photograph. She was
personally so taken by the practice that she bought both books, Falun Gong
and Zhuan Falun, as well as the exercise instruction video. She has
invited us back to Agnes Water to present Falun Dafa once again to the
community with her organising support.
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| Cr Patricia Kan learning exercises |
áPatricia Kan, Husband & Practitioners |
Councillor Doug Schofield, representing the Isis Shire
Council of Childers, stated in his opening speech at our Falun Dafa Day in
Childers that he really appreciated what practitioners are doing. Mr Schofield
has since presented us with a 'Certificate of Appreciation'.
Matt Burnet, a youthful Councillor representing the
Gladstone City Council, showed great interest in the practice when he visited
our stall one evening at the Harbour Festival. Our photo exhibit "Journey of
Falun Dafa" allowed him to visually take in the extent of the persecution. He
listened intently, not understanding why the Jiang Regime could ban such a
peaceful practice. After clarifying how the practice brings people physical
well-being, inner strength and peace, thus attracting huge numbers of people
in China, he then understood how the sheer numbers of practitioners in China
could be perceived as a threat to a regime that must have total control over
its citizens.
Media Support
The local newspapers, radio and television stations in and
around Bundaberg portrayed us very well. Evening television news showed the
exercises being performed in the town's centre pavilion along with interviews
of two practitioners sharing their understanding of Falun Dafa and the
persecution of practitioners in China. The local radio station presented an
interview session with a practitioner to the mid-morning listeners. Coverage
in the form of photographs and short positive write-ups appeared in the local
newspapers.
Community Interest
Immense interest was shown in learning the exercises and
cultivating one's inner nature. A dear 90 year old lady visited us at our
stall at the Gladstone Harbour Festival to learn the exercises after spending
months searching for us and visiting bookshops in other towns looking for the
book Falun Gong. She had been attempting to do the exercises following
an information flyer. After being shown the exercises and buying the book
Falun Gong, she now intends to borrow the Exercise Video from the City
Library.
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| 90 year-old spent months looking for Falun Gong |
áTeenagers "feel the energy" and learn the
exercises |
A lovely-natured man who was recently released from jail
spent days with us as we shared with the community at different venues. His
jail term was the result of a moment of lost control and the misuse of his
skills in martial arts. He sat nearby reading the book Falun Gong till
he finished and learned the exercises. He shared with us the loss of his young
family while in jail through divorce and how Falun Dafa was now giving him an
understanding of life. A practitioner showed her compassion by presenting him
with a copy of Zhuan Falun because he was so obviously taken by Falun
Dafa but so short of funds and unable to buy the book.
New Practice Site
As an outcome of such great interest from the community,
practitioners have travelled one and a half to two hours there and back to
establish a site in Bundaberg.
Townsville/Thuringowa Area and Rockhampton/Yeppoon Area
The most recent trip to the north, a fourteen hour drive
from Brisbane, proved most productive for Dafa practitioners from Southeast
Queensland to share Dafa with the local communities and tourists in the
Townsville/Thuringowa area and the Rockhampton/Yeppoon area on the return
trip.
Extensive attractive displays were presented in the busy
Shopping Centres and the huge Sunday markets with week-long static displays in
the libraries. These displays followed a similar theme as used on the above
trip.
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| Display at the busy Cotter's Sunday
Markets in Townsville |
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| Children learning the exercises Display at Thuringowa
Library |
Display at Thuringowa Library |
Activities in Townsville/Thuringowa
Two appointments were made to meet separately with the
Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Thuringowa. Both Councillors were most interested in
the benefits of Falun Dafa, especially in the off-drug related area for their
teenage community. Four practitioners who live two hours drive away have been
invited to share their experiences with the community and liaise with a
Council department.
Contact has been made with the local Chinese community
which is showing an interest in participating in the near future. A well-known
retired Chinese doctor in this community was once a practitioner until the
persecution began in 1999. The long-standing fear of the practice amongst
members of this Chinese community due to Mainland China's propaganda is now
being dissolved. Information shared with them recently was eagerly read.
A practice site has now been established in the Townsville/Thuringowa
area with hundreds of people having the opportunity to experience the
exercises and/or know more about incorporating the principles of Truth
Compassion and Forbearance into their everyday lives through reading the books
Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun. Over 40 people came on the opening
day of the site. Practitioners now drive two hours, once a week, to continue
sharing in a lovely shady park by the sea where visitors to the area often
walk by and sometimes join in. Temperatures in this area reach 40oC in
summertime.
Activities in Rockhampton/Yeppoon
A number of the local Council members in the Rockhampton/Yeppoon
area showed interest in our visit to their communities. Locals were also very
interested, especially in the seaside town of Yeppoon. People wished to learn
and practice immediately. At the moment, practitioners live too far away to
drive there on a regular basis.
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| Interested Young Mother from Rockhampton |
I Local Aboriginal children from Yeppoon |
Continuing Activities
The four practitioners from Bowen are continuing to keep
contact with the community in the Townsville/Thuringowa areas, including the
local, State and Federal Government officials.
Season's Greetings cards, along with a CD of Pudu and other
peaceful practitioner-composed music from around the world, have been
presented or posted to Government officials in the above areas together with
information on "Help Rescue our Family Members".
Peoples' hearts everywhere are awakening to the beauty and
righteousness of Dafa as the old forces' influence and control over people
diminishes daily.
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