2008 Open Fora
Surviving Genocide - Personal Stories from the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Mr Marcel Weyland OAM, acclaimed translator of Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz's epic poem Pan Tadeusz and Ghetto poems Echoes - Poems of the Holocaust and Ms Halina Robinson, survivor of the Warsaw Ghetto, author of The Cork on the Waves (her life story 1930 - 1957) told their personal stories and commemorated the 65th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
- Genocide Forum Opening Address by the Director, Equity and Diversity Dr Sev Ozdowski
Tibet and it's people
Senator Andrew Bartlett Deputy Leader of the Australian Democrats spoke on the current situation in Tibet and Tenpa Dugdak, a Tibetan refugee living in the Sydney community told his story. There was also a screening of I Tibet a short film about Tibetans living in Australia.
- Presentation on Tibet and it's People by the Director, Equity and Diversity Dr Sev Ozdowski
- Presentation of Tibet and it's People [PPT, 2217.5 KB] (opens in a new window) by the Director, Equity and Diversity Dr Sev Ozdowski
Treaty of Waitangi
The Forum provided an opportunity for the Western Sydney community to learn about the history of the treaty and to hear from Dr Benjamin Pittman, a direct descendant of a Maori Elder who signed the Treaty.
- Presentation on the Treaty of Waitangi by Dr Benjamin Pittman
- Presentation on the Treaty of Waitangi [PPT, 2673 KB] (Opens in a new window) by Dr Benjamin Pittman
Families in the West
Rachael Wallbank, Kerry Robinson, Cristyn Davies and Emily Gray told personal stories and engaged the audience in a panel discussion on the issues faced by the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (GLBTI) people and their families.
- Diversity in Sexual Formation and the Tyranny of Difference Families in the West. Presentation by Rachael Wallbank
- Diversity in Sexual Formation and the Tyranny of Difference Families in the West. [PPT, 270 KB] (Opens in a new window). Presentation by Rachael Wallbank
- Issues Facing Queer Families in the Inner West and Western Sydney. Presentation by Robinson and Davies
- Issues Facing Queer Families in the Inner West and Western Sydney [PPT, 130.5 KB] (Opens in a new window). Presentation by Robinson and Davies
Escaping the Poverty Trap
Professor Tony Vinson, Australia's leading authority on communal inequity and Dr John Valzon, sociologist and CEO of the St Vincent de Paul National Council discussed the distribution and nature of poverty in Australia today.
- Dropping off the Edge: Mapping Disadvantage in Australia. Presentation by Professor Tony Vinson
- Dropping off the Edge: Mapping Disadvantage in Australia [PPT, 2688.5 KB] (Opens in a new window). Presentation by Professor Tony Vinson