Queensland ALP - WIVENHOE BRANCH - BRISBANE VALLEY

My facebook news-feed reminded me that Pauline Hanson delivered her maiden speech in the Australian Parliament as a Member for Oxley - 10/9/1996. I am a member of a branch of the ALP which arose on the outskirts of Ipswich to contest the racism underlying the ideology within the new political force of Hansonism. http://www.abc.net.au/archives/80days/stories/2012/01/19/3412081.htm 

The first meeting of the Wivenhoe branch was in April 1996. Founding members Virginia Clarke and Peter Arndt(pictured at Glamorgan Vale meeting) active in the ALP and social justice groups were shocked and dismayed by the rising popularity of Independent Ipswich Councillor, Pauline Hanson. She was given credibility by being endorsed by the Liberal Party for the traditionally Labor Seat of Oxley.

The branch was named after the Wivenhoe Dam where meetings are till often held, at the Cormorant Bay picnic area off the Brisbane Valley Highway. To shine a light on the toxic bigotry of Hansonism was a dominant activity, as Hanson sought to build support for her One Nation Party. 

Virginia Clarke was successfully endorsed as the 1997 ALP candidate against Pauline Hanson who had been dropped by the Liberals and replaced with Liberal candidate, Cameron Thompson. 

My husband and I had only recently settled in the area, and were not paid members of the ALP but were very grateful we had a Labor candidate to vote for. 

It was alarming for us that Pauline Hanson won the primary vote at our Fernvale booth but overall was won by the Liberal candidate on preferences. This was a sure sign for both of us that we had to participate in changing the political culture and hateful attitudes of our new home.

Ipswich May Day at Ipswich 2008 - Wivenhoe branch members support Unionism.
(Tried my hand at primary school level needlework but most of banner hung together with pins!)

In the recent 2012 State election Virginia Clarke was ALP candidate in the safe conservative seat of Nanango, again enabling Labor voters the opportunity to make their mark against the LNP combined forces, and the homophobic Katter's Australia Party.

2012 ALP Candidate for Nanango, Virginia Clarke launches campaign at ESK
with Wivenhoe current Secretary Janet Butler.

OBJECT of  BRANCHES 

ALP rules (1)

 The object of a Branch shall be to endeavour, by

unity of purpose and action, to secure the Party’s

objectives by assisting in the return, to Federal and

State Parliaments and Local Government, of

candidates pledged to the platform and policies

adopted from time to time by the duly constituted

National and State Conferences of the 

Australian Labor Party.

Kim Travers, ex Wivenhoe Secretary and President before transferring
to Melbourne.

BRANCHING OUT AND ABOUT 

with John Kelly former President of Gatton
branch in Lockyer Valley celebrating
when Wayne Goss became Premier

Members meeting at my home in Fernvale.

Palani Thevar
informed us about the re-settlement of Tamil refugees in  Brisbane.

David Forde presented talk on the two-state solution
 re Palestine/Israel at Glamorgan Vale meeting.

Refugee rights advocate, Frederica Steen.

                     

Branch Meeting: MP for Blair,  Shayne Neumann and State
M.P.Ipswich West Wayne Neumann 2011 with President
Peter Arndt(centre).

WIVENHOE MEETS 4TH SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT 2PM - info:julie.mcneill1@bigpond.com

FAIR GO...
WE DISCUSS issues important to you. 

 Labor voters in the Brisbane Valley (Somerset region) are always welcome to join our branch to  engage in political conversations, policy debates and contribute to the wider Labor movement - in what is seen as a traditionally Conservative electorate.

"At the 1988 federal election, Pauline Hanson left the seat of Oxley to contest neighbouring Blair, west of Brisbane. Blair is the demographic opposite of the federal and state seats of Melbourne - whiter and less educated than the national average. But the result was the same. Hanson came first on the primary vote with 36 per cent, just 0.5 per cent less than Cathy Oke, the Greens candidate in Melbourne achieved last Saturday. But Labor and Liberal swapped preferences and the oligopoly was restored: the One Nation leader did not make it back to the lower house." George Megalogenis http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/meganomics/

In our electorate it is not the Greens who challenge our primary votes, but Katters mad Hatter Party! A member posed the question of how we could appeal to the Tradies?

The weekly Sunday markets at Fernvale are a great way to listen to what people find important. For years, the upgrade of the Blacksoil intersection of the Warrego Hwy has been the most popular request of government, after the Ipswich Motorway.

Before the last election I learned a lot about talking about roads and  fly-overs with our local MP who said most of his work was dealing with issues around ROADS!

Announcing Federal and State funding for Blacksoil pre-election. The LNP government are still holding on to the money earned from the Commonwealth by Shayne Neumann which would provide work for local tradesmen and labourers.

The Wivenhoe branch has always managed to support our local members at market stalls, agricultural shows and special events, and a penchant for writing a letter to the local paper which are always well read.

Like in life, boundaries change with population increases, and I have found this branch is always open to individual members experiences and interests. Most members have been part of Labor's progressive wing over many years, and in different States, belonged to other branches.

Importantly no subject is censored!

The Wivenhoe branch suits me because it is small enough to have meetings in member's homes and there is a comraderie over refreshments, as we go through the 'motions'. It's definitly not boring, and we all seem to appreciate a good laugh and recognise the value of a good and relevant story.

There are those privileged moments too; the recent meeting and Bbq we had in Nanango(which falls in our Federal seat of Blair). Two senior members discovered they had both met former P.M. Bob Hawke in his trade union days in Melbourne(but that will need recounting another blog!).

Fernvale Markets with Janet Butler from
Wivenhoe Branch and Shayne Neumann MP Blair

My husband and branch member doing a bit of Laboring.

Meeting with like-minded 'folk' with a focus on meaningful issues of local, national and global events is a feature of our branch. Here we are at local wine-maker, Craig Hooper's estate with neighbours Bill and Dallas Hayden dropping by.(Former Member for Oxley, Leader of the ALP and Governor-General).

Comrade Walkers - not related.

As we are a small branch on the outskirts of Ipswich we don't raise big money but we aim to maintain a Labor presence and occasionally drive down the Ipswich Highway  to attend State office functions.
We were not immune to the loss of a couple of members due to the asset sales of the Bligh Government.
Nobody could ever be totally in agreement with all the policies enacted by the Government.
The frustration and pain I feel in contradiction with the Parliamentary party and the platform is testy!

Examples: removing abortion from archaic criminal code in Queensland/mandatory detention of refugees.

                     Wivenhoe branch member never foresaw 55 years ago 

this event at QLD Labor Conference 2011

 would take place:  EQUAL RIGHTS CHANGE

Stan delighted with being presented Life Membership of the ALP by
Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate Change Information at Fernvale Futures presented by
Al Gore rep. Dr. Carey Harrison, Sen.Claire Moore. Wayne Wendt MP

Sometimes I forget I'm not in inner-city Melbourne or Brisbane and fuse 

POETRY AND POLITICS, and I don't get the audience I hoped! Lesson learned.
My migration move from Melbourne to Queensland poem:
THE STATE WE ARE IN

WIVENHOE BRANCH 2012 AGM Cormorant Bay

Newest branch member, Somerset Councillor Jim Madden with Ipswich  comrade, Wayne Wendt
 routed from Ipswich West,reflecting on the March State election.

The Poet and the Politician; myself with our current and hopefully continuing
Federal Member for Blair, Shayne Neumann.

Cormorant Bay, Wivenhoe Dam before the floods of 2010


and the callous self-righteous bastards disturbing the peace