Gallery
Palm Sunday 2024
Refugee Week: 18 - 24 June 2023
Grandmothers across the nation act locally, influencing community attitudes
during Refugee Week.
Casey Grandmothers with Sister Brigid Arthur.
Grandmothers and Yasin and Khairullah with Julie Brackenreg.
Curtin Grandmother Anne Stephens thanking speakers Alison Xamon from CARAD, Caroline Fleay from Curtin University, Sobia Shah sharing her lived experience and Hossein Bouazar sharing his lived experience.
Fremantle grandmothers Barbara Davidson and Sue Slavin, and Curtin grandmother Betty McGeever.
Jean Ker Walsh is visiting the wonderful family in Ottawa, Canada.
They were not given the chance by Australia but welcomed and now settling in Canada.
Jean with the grandchildren.
The grandchildren on their bikes.
6,556 – a number to celebrate!
May 2023
Petition to the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives. 6,556 signatures were gathered at markets, street vigils, shopping centres, refugee support events, coffee shops, and at kitchen tables.
Co-chair Margaret Browne and Executive Member Janet Joss pack the Grandmothers for Refugees petition for safe delivery to Parliament House, Canberra.
Co-chair Margaret Browne and Cooper electorate (Vic) grandmothers collect signatures at Northcote Plaza.
Palm Sunday Justice for Refugees
Sunday 2 April 2023
Casey Grandmothers
Belgrave, Saturday 7 January 2023
Human Rights Day 2022
Grandmothers and Frogs remind the Belgrave community – and all of us – that refugee rights are human rights.
Congratulations Linda!
On World Refugee Day, Goldstein Grandmothers celebrated their election campaign success and Linda’s leadership of their group over nine years.
Deakin and Cooper Electorates
Above: Kooyong’s Marysia Green and Linda King from Cooper were among those handing out scorecards and the G4R Vote for Better Vote for Change cards at pre-poll and polling booths.
Right: Kerry Nicholls (Deakin) and Catherine Bearsley (Chisholm) both stepped into Acting Co-ordinator roles during the six-week campaign.
G4R Kooyong celebrates with their flying squad supporters
Left: Allison Tulloch and Davina Lippman (Kooyong Co-ordinator) with Fran McCabe (Cooper)
Below: Kooyong members celebrate with their sisters from the Flying Squad who responded to calls from the marginal and targeted seats to boost the visibility of Grandmothers at vigils and to letterbox in strategically identified booth areas.
The phone call that stops the cruelty
Friday 27 May 2022
Jim Chalmers, interim Home Affairs Minister, speaking with the Murugappan family informing them that they can return home to Biloela.
Goldstein Grandmothers
Tuesday 10 May 2022
Activist Grandmothers outside Tim Wilson’s office in the electorate of Goldstein – following in the footsteps of one of Australia’s first suffragettes, Vida Goldstein.
Wills Grandmothers
Friday 6 May 2022
Solidarity, community, fortitude –and suggesting the wisdom of those who have lived long and seen much!
Higgins Grandmothers
Monday 26 April 2022
Palm Sunday 2022
Macnamara Grandmothers
(Below) These school kids were keen to join the Macnamara Grandmothers in St Kilda.
Bendigo Grandmothers
Di from Bendigo Grandmothers
gifting a book to the local library.
Park Prison Hotel
AFL great, Nicky Winmar, met up with Grandmothers during their vigil at the Park Prison Hotel and was happy to stand up for refugees.
Kooyong Grandmothers
February 2022
Above: Kooyong Grandmothers and friends gather outside Josh Frydenberg’s office on Thursday 17 February.
Right: Kooyong Grandmothers standing tall and strong at the Park Hotel in Swanston Street.
Deakin Grandmothers
Saturday 4 December 2021
East Ringwood Market, next to Michael Sukkar’s tent
We got a lot of positive support, even from the market visitors who were carrying their free bags advertising Michael Sukkar.
Higgins Grandmothers
Monday 8 November 2021
Above: Katie Allen’s office.
Right: Michael Sukkar’s office.
Kooyong Grandmothers
July 2021 Election Planning Meeting
Goldstein Grandmothers
Thursday 4 November
Tim Wilson has moved office so we moved too! We had lost of toots including from some ambos who put the lights and siren on for us! And a few truck drivers who literally sat on the horn!
Park Prison Hotel
Sunday 4 July 2021
Grandmothers from Cooper, Melbourne, Jaga Jaga, Higgins, Chisholm / Kooyong braved the chilly weather to keep vigil at the Park Prison Hotel.
Right: Cooper Grandmothers making the banner
Bourke Street Mall
Monday 28 June
Late afternoon rally supporting the 14 asylum seekers at MITA Broadmeadows
Refugee Week 2021
Grandmothers over the road from Katie Allen’s office.
Goldstein Grandmothers outside Tim Wilson’s office.
Higgins Grandmothers outside Katie Allen’s office.
Grandmothers on the streets – talking refugees!
A solitary refugee responding from inside the locked hotel / prison.
Grandmothers outside Josh Frydenberg’s office
Thursday 17 June 2021
So many things wrong. Medevac asylumseekers locked up indefinitely.
Tharnicaa likely to need specialist care for eight weeks because of initial neglect. List keeps growing!
Casey Grandmothers outside Tony Smith’s Office
Wednesday 31 March 2021
Higgins Grandmothers
Palm Sunday 28 March 2021
Sister Brigid Arthur addresses the rally.
February – March 2021
State Library Rally organised by Jagajaga Menzies Grandmothers. Sunday 21 February.
Week of Action organised by Jagajaga Menzies Grandmothers supported by the Montmorency Asylum Seekers Support Group. Walk through the shopping centre of Eltham. Saturday 6 March.
Higgins Grandmothers at the Australian Open. Friday 19 February.
Above and below: MacNamara Grandmothers Vigil ‘Time for a Home’, St Kilda Town Hall. Wednesday 3 March.
Successful rally at Josh Frydenberg’s office
Thursday 28 January 2021
Kooyong Grandmothers for Refugees met at Camberwell market before walking to the office of their
local Federal member Josh Frydenberg. More than forty Grandmothers from seven electorates joined the rally, and many members of the public joined us. The uplifting protest returned to Camberwell junction with signage and megaphone to alert passersby of our concerns. Julian Burnside addressed the protesters.
FREEDOM DAY
Refugees released from The Park Hotel prison
Above and below: Ramsi at the Freedom Party
Grandmothers rally at The Park Hotel prison in support of those left behind.
Waiting for men to be released outside Melbourne Immigration Transit centre.
Human Rights Day 10 December 2020
Time for a home for refugees
Above and right: Melbourne electorate of Grandmothers demonstrating at the steps of St Paul’s on Human Rights Day
Grandmothers for Refugees in Mornington
Grandmothers assembled on Main Street, Mornington, on Thursday 9 December 2020, which was Mornington Market Day.
Grandmothers for Refugees at Mantra
There was a great turnout of Coopergrans at the vigil at Mantra on Wednesday 25 November 2020.
The were joined by Grandmothers from other areas – Kooyng, Jagajaga and Bendigo. 23 in total!
They were also joined by Ged Kearney (pictured at right in the white jacket), our Federal member for Cooper, and Susan Rennie (pictured below left with the large sign) who was elected recently to Darebin Council in the South Central Ward.
Jenny Macklin, as our local member for Jagajaga, was always willing to meet with Grandmothers and listen to our concerns. We found the new Federal member for Jagajaga, Kate Thwaites (ALP), to be equally approachable when we met with her in June 2019.
Christmas Carolling for the Men in Mantra – December 2019
Grandmothers in the park
Casey Grandmothers
Cooper Grandmothers
Goldstein Grandmothers
Goldstein Grandmothers
Grandmothers outside the Federal Court
Higgins Grandmothers
Kooyong Grandmothers at coffee
Grandmothers at MITA action
Grandmothers protest at Victoria Market
This time last year at Melbourne’s Palm Sunday 2019 rally.
Christmas Carolling for the Men in Mantra – December 2019
Goldstein Grandmother
Human Rights Day picnic, Bendigo Grandmothers, 2019
Grandmothers at Universal Children’s Day
Grandmothers at Kim Carr’s office
Kooyong Grandmothers
Palm Sunday Rally
Ballarat Grandmothers
Bendigo Grandmothers
Wills Grandmothers