WOMEN CARING FOR THE WEST

This environmental seminar was funded by the Victorian Women's Trust.

In 1999, Helen Laffin and Janine Jordan Cowie planned and organised a series of two day seminars that focussed on the environmental issues of current concern in the western region and how they affect local women. They invited a range of women who were active on environmental campaigns in Melbourne's western region, in particular, people like Judy Hindle, Colleen Hartland, Nessie Harding, Helen Vandenberg, Janet Brown, to name a few. They also invited women who were involved with environmental issues in a larger context, e.g. Juliet Fox who produces Earth Matters on 3CR (community radio), and Emma Tucker from Friends of the Earth. Several sessions were run so it was not all talking. Peter Somerville co-ordinated a boat trip along the Maribyrnong, Kylie Freeman took groups on Koorie walks in Pipemakers Park, and Gary Vines organised some tree planting sessions in Pipemakers Park.

The seminars were publicised widely in the local media and a diverse group of women arrived.There was a school group from Gilmore College who were involved in a Green Cadets program. There were women from a range of Adult Migrant Education Services in the region. There were also women who wanted to learn more about genetically-engineered food and what they could do in their own homes. The women who participated had some intense and dynamic discussions about what was happening in relation to local environmental issues. The women from the AMES groups participated in the activities and hopefully will return to the park to become more involved in future park activities. Local groups were invited to display information about what they were doing.

The aim of the project was to bring women together to talk about their involvement in environmental projects in the western region of Melbourne. The women who came to listen and discuss were young women, women from a non-English speaking background and other women activists. The seminar provided young women and women from a non-English speaking background with the opportunity to hear about the experiences of women working on environmental issues in the west, to talk about their own feelings and to find out more information. For some women, it was the chance to participate in a community activity such as a tree planting, to make their own contribution to the local environment.

The first part of the sessions on both days concentrated on hearing the experiences of women who have worked on a range of issues such as parklands and waterways, waste management, household waste, toxic waste, genetic engineering and Koorie horticulture. The afternoon sessions offered a range of activities, including a boat trip along the Maribyrnong River, a guided walk through Pipemakers Park with a Koorie Museum worker to assist with some tree planting in the park. There were displays placed in the Visitor Centre, where the seminar was located showing the work of the various environmental groups and indicating to people how to become involved. Some of the displays came from Friends of the Maribyrnong Valley, Gilmore College Green Cadets, Niddrie Quarry Action Group.

The outcomes of the first day were the establishment of links between the speakers, the participants and the Museum. Some of the women from non-English speaking backgrounds asked if they could come back to the Museum to be involved in more gardening and tree planting; other women asked if some people with disabilities could come and work in the garden in the park. Women showed an interest in joining some of the environmental groups such as Worldwide Home Environmental Network. The school group made contacts with some of the speakers so they could come and talk to other classes at their school.

The outcome of the second day was that women activists had the chance to have an intense, vibrant, dynamic and very passionate discussion about the issues that they had dealt with during the course of their environmental campaigns. This covered dealing with the local and state media; coping with environmental language eg. EPA hearings, EPA reports; organising demonstrations; supporting each other. The other speaker of the day spoke about genetic engineering and this also generated a discussion from all the women - what did it mean? how does it affect us? Which products does it relate to at the moment ?

Although some of them knew each other, not all of them had met. This gave them a chance to network and plan how they would support each other and work together. They planned to organise some seminars in early 2000 and develop more specific links with the Western Region Environment Centre where one of the speakers came from.

The seminars were photographed and taped and these photos and tapes will be kept in the resource collection of the Living Museum. Arrangements were made between Emma Tucker from Friends of the Earth and the Western Region Environment Centre to organise another talk about genetic engineering and possibly other talks in the future. The women involved expressed an interest in discussions relating to dealing with the media, non-violent protest training, writing submissions for funding for their groups. The program ran smoothly and participants commented on its informal atmosphere.

Some comments from the participants -

'hearing about people's experiences was great.'

'great to see women working together.'

'it was an informative and relaxed way to learn. Thank you very much to all.'

'would like to plant more indigenous grasses in my garden.'

'I'll probably join Greenline to purchase genetically engineered free food.'

Helen Laffin and Janine Jordan Cowie

Janine has a background in theatre and television acting. she is also a committed worker in the area of environmental activism having been the Melbourne greenpeace activist co-ordinator in the past. Her contribution to the 'Women caring For The west' project was significant due to her extensive knowledge of environmental networks and her awareness of current environmental concerns.