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This small fishing boat - only 19 metres long, sank on the way to Australia in 2001, with the deaths of over 300 mothers and children on board. It was the biggest maritime tragedy in our region since World War Two.
Most on board were refugees from Iraq and and many were trapped in Indonesia without support, because we had their husbands held in detention, unable to return or help them.
In early 2002 Steve and several colleagues wondered how different it would have been if 300 Australian or American mothers and young children had died in an Airliner crash off our shores - and if more effort would have been made to save them? |
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Steve along with Rev Rod Horsfield and Beth Horsfield and Beth Gibbings, decided to tell the story of the Siev X by asking Australian schoolchildren to design a memorial, to be built on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. Over 200 schools responded, and a wonderful group of designs were received. You can see these, along with much more about the project, at www.sievxmemorial.com
At the first exhibition of the artwork, on the second anniversary of the tragedy, something remarkable happened. Some of the seven survivors of the sinking who now live in Australia came to the launch unexpectedly, along with families and friends. It became a spontaneous grieving ceremony - many had not seen each other since they were pulled from the water by fishermen after 20 hours of floating amongst the bodies of their loved ones, almost giving up all hope of survival. One survivor, Sondos Ismael, lost all three of her little daughters, who are shown in the photograph above. Sondos still does not have a visa to stay in Australia, and she and her new baby, born since she was reunitied with her husband in Sydney in 2002, remain stateless and in an uncertain future.
The story of the SievX is full of inexplicable mysteries. The people were loaded onto the boat by armed police - many were terrified at its flimsiness and size. While they were in the water on the first night, after hundreds had already drowned, powerful naval vessels approached and shone spotlights on them. The people called for rescue, but the boats restarted their engines and sailed away.
Steve told an SBS interview “The political, and the justice aspects of this, are important, but that is not our job. What we are doing with this memorial, is saying - these lives mattered. And every Australian should know about these terrible events. We need to make sure nothing like it ever happens again.
How can you help?
1. Show this newsletter to friends and talk about the story.
2. Buy or send for the video “Untold Tragedy” - a short film by Steve and Beth, that follows the story of one family from their homes in Iraq through the voyage and beyond. The full price of this video is given to survivors of the SievX tragedy now living in Australia, and still in difficult and very poor situations.
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Please send me the Untold Tragedy Video. I enclose $15 including postage. Make cheques out to “Families of SievX”.
Name .............................................................................
Address ..........................................................................
.....................................................................................
Postcode ............
Post to:
SievX National Memorial Project,
PO Box 62,
Evandale,
Tas 7212. |