AVI has participated in some of the following events and remains dedicated to fostering spaces for adopted people’s voices to be heard and explored.
QLD Multicultural Summit – October 2007
Ilan and Indigo (from Taiwan and Vietnam) attended the above event and gala dinner. Networking with groups from various multicultural NGOs, migrant community groups and mental health centres were achieved. Highlights included meeting key note speaker Jason Yi Satyen. Indigo’s attendence was kindly sponsored by the Ethnic Communities Council of QLD.
Babylift and Other Adoptee meeting September 2007
There are many people involved with adoption from Vietnam now residing in QLD including Babylift flight crew John Douglas, Ian Frame and Graham Stehn and a group of wonderful adopted Vietnamese. Informal plans are now on for a picnic sometime in the new year. To register interest email:
Qld ICASN Socials – Regular
AVI and ICASN worked closely together to introduce and maintain networks with adoptees for various ICASN social, education and other projects throughout 2007.
Sunday 29 July
International Day (see archive below) is coming around again and members of AVI and ICASN will be holding an info stall plus other activities on the day. To get involved with either the organising committee or to just meet up on the day please email: i.willing@uq.edu.au
Sunday 25 July
Indigo Willing arranged for an AVI group trip to see Miss Saigon in Brisbane’s QPAC, courtesty of JP Productions. Attendees included Lee Trigg, Jen Fitzpatrick and their partners and friends including ICASN member Anna Davison, Jigsaw members and Debra Cooper from QLD State Library Multicultural Services.
Saturday 16 June to Monday 18 June
Dominic Golding, Vietnamese adoptee and author/performer of the screenplay Shrimp is coming to visit Brisbane on the above dates. There will be a dinner for him with AVI and ICASN members on Sunday 17 – to rsvp email: i.willing@uq.edu.au
28th May till Fri. 1st June
Jamie Fry, Vietnamese adoptee and member of East Meets West visited QLD for a meet up.
Friday 18 May 2007
UQ Asian-Australian Short Film Festival & Panel Discussions – Held during Diversity Week
11am to 4pm – Free One Day Event at Duhig SSH Library Conference Room, St Lucia Campus, Brisbane University of Queensland – Convenor was Indigo Willing
FIlms include:
FIsh Sauce Breath – 6mins (Eng & Viet language), Delivery Day – 30 mins (Eng & Viet language), Karaoke King – 10 mins (Eng & Catonese language), Chinese Take Away – 50 mins (Eng & Cantonese language), Pho Now! – 10 mins (Eng language),
Plus a special screening of The Girl in the Mirror (Eng language) – a documentary on transnational adoption.
Speakers include:
Anna Yen – Performer, Writer, Lecturer; Jacqueline Lo – Chair, Asian Australian Studies Research Network & Lecturer, ANU; David Ip – Associate Prof. Sociology at UQ; Benjamin Law – Screen writer, journalist and doctoral candidate at QUT; Alan Han – Writer, activist and doctoral candidate at UQ; Benjamin Cho – Film critic and Committee member of BIFF.
For a booklet from the event email to Indigo (VN adoptee): i.willing@uq.edu.au
FREE exhibition bringing together the history of Operation Babylift and Vietnamese Refugees
Water, trees, and roots: stories from the Queensland Vietnamese community
Launch was Saturday, May 12. Featured AVI member Jen Fitzpatrick of Operation Babylift.
General exhibit was held May 11 – July 11
The Studio, level 1, State Library of Queensland (Cultural Centre, Stanley Place, South Bank)
Ongoing – IAFQ Info Days 2007 – 2008
Adult adoptee special Q and A sessions are held for prospective adoptive parents by the IAFQ (Intercountry Adoptive Families of QLD) for their info days, usually held at the Italio-Australian club at Newmarket. For directions and how to attend a future event contact the organiser, Clarissa via the IAFQ at: clarry_david@optusnet.com.au
Previous sessions have featured: Vietnamese adoptees, Jen Fitzpatrick – adoption professional and B.Social Work and Indigo Willing, PhD Student, Sociology plus other adult and teen adoptees such as Anna, Zewdituand Joel. Chaired by adoptive parent and PhD student, Psychology, Leith Harding.
8th July 2006 – ASIA AUSTRALIA MEET UP
West End Three Monkey’s Cafe at 2pm – A meet up with the intercountry adoptees, adopted Vietnamese and Asian Australian egroup for casual chats. For more info on the next one email indigo@adoptedvietnamese.org
Christmas dinner for Vietnamese Refugees and the Adopted Vietnamese, Family and Friends
Saturday 3rd December at King of Kings Restaurant, Fortitude Valley. Time: 6.30pm. For more info please email Indigo indigo@adoptedvietnamese.org
Special Reunion Event for Vietnamese Refugees and Adopted Vietnamese
Sat 14 August – a special reunion dinner organised by the Chair of the Organising Committee, Mr Trung Viet Nguyen, and hosted by the Governor of Queensland, Quentin Bryce, AC was held at King of Kings Restaurant. Ms Indigo Willing (1972) and Ms Jen Fitzpatrick (Babylift 75) were invited to present speeches on the evening to talk about the adopted Vietnamese perspective. Other adoptees present were Glen Kelly and Jaye Bradley – plus John Douglas who was one of the flight crew who went to collect Operation Babylift children in 1975.
Also, photos of Operation Babylift and QLD adopted Vietnamese were part of a special powerpoint presentation. Trung Nguyen and the organising committee for the 30 Year Reunion and Celebration week of VN Resettlement invited Indigo and Jen to attend a reception of the Lord Mayor Campell Newman on Thursday 11 August, and the opening of the Vietnamese Women’s Association Queensland Office on Sat 13 August.