Hello from the Network Facilitation Collective!

Things are humming, and by the time this NvT comes out the 1995 ANNual
Gathering, and the Benalla Women's Peace Camp will have happened.  Stay tuned
for further reports.

The ANNual gathering is shaping up as a goody, with about forteen activists
coming from around Australia, and about eighteen from Melbourne and regional
Victoria.  The theme for this gathering is: To share, affirm, and celebrate
our experience as participants in the Australian Nonviolence Network; To
build and strengthen the relationships that make up the Network; and to
develop the organisational and cultural base of the Network.

Most of the sessions are built on story-sharing about our past year's
experience, with two 'formal business' sessions asking "How can the Network
best support the needs and work of activists and/or local campaigns?".
There'll be a ball for entertainment, lots of opportunities for social
get-togethers, and an evening discussion on gender issues.  We're all looking
forward to a fun, challenging, and constructive time.

Special thanks to James, Louise, Bernadette, and Brendan for offering to
cater the whole gathering as an affinity group.  Thanks also to Bryan for
Coordinating.

The Benalla Women's Peace Camp is happening over Easter outside the
Australian Defence Industries munitions factory.  ANN has played a
significant role in developing the themes, actions, and organising of the
Camp.

Margaret has worked hard on the organising collective, and is running a
three-day preparation workshop for women who are attending.  Glen is running
a one-day workshop on the same theme.  ANN women in Melbourne are organising
two affinity groups to take nonviolent action at the camp, one in direct
association with AHAB (Australian Humanitarian Aid to Bougainville).

With women coming from all over Australia to the Camp, ANN involvement is
something of an experiment in demonstration and outreach, and we all await
the results.  So far it has been productive and exciting.  See the next NvT
for details of what happened.

There are two other "big" issues we are talking about.

First, we are concerned that when Bryan and Margaret leave for far north
Queensland, it is going to be hard to maintain the work of the Centre for
Nonviolence.  It has proven difficult to attract people to Commonground (from
Melbourne) for one or two days each month to do this kind of work.  Margaret
and Bryan have each been doing one or two days a week while here.  We have
also talked about the role of Commonground, and discussed whether moving the
Centre to Melbourne might help.

We are unanimous that Commonground is too valuable an asset for ANN to 'lose'
its close connection with, and that a Centre in Melbourne could well be
swamped by 'local' issues.  Melbourne is by far the best-developed node of
ANN, and an independent organising centre there is not too far away.  The
Centre at Commonground is strongly focussed on regional Australian and global
contacts.

We are therefore in the process of implementing a Nonviolence Visitor's
Programme to Commonground. If you feel like you would like to spend between
one and three months at Commonground working on an ANN project, and doing
some Centre work while you are here - we can work something out.  You will be
able to live at Commonground rent-free, and use the Centre's facilities, but
will have to pay for food and do some basic Centre work.  People from the
regions are particularly encouraged to apply.  Please contact the Network
Facilitation Collective, PO Box 474, Seymour Victoria 3661.

The second issue is one of outreach.  Over the past few months, good
networking has gone on with the Native Forest Network (NFN) - an
international group which is quickly establishing a presence in Australia. 
There are a few strong cross-contacts between NFN and ANN, and we have
developed a joint proposal to run a Mega-Workshop on "Effective Grassroots
Organising" in April 1996.

This workshop will extend ANN experience with developing good leadership, and
will focus on personal empowerment and networking/campaigning skills for
forest activists who attend.  Any ANN members who work on forest issues are
welcome to apply.  Numbers will be limited (twelve to fifteen for a ten-day
workshop).  We believe this exercise will be to the mutual benefit of both
networks.

Apart from all that, the Centre is well organised and resourced with
equipment.  Our beautiful new Laserwriter arrives soon (we hope), and our
working systems are in place.  Collective members all have a pretty good feel
about what's going on (we hope).  We are constantly impressed with the range
of activities ANN members are involved in locally, and the dedication and
flexibility they show.

It feels like we have just consolidated the beginning of a Network, and now
is the time for new moves, more outreach, some experimentation, and some
relaxed enjoyment of what we have already achieved.
Bryan Law