Since Monday 7 March I’ve been doing 2 hour speaking and display gigs three times per week. At City Place, Cairns Central, and some other location in Cairns (last week was the University).
The display banners work well. The central image is the one Jim Dowling showed to the Court during our Pine Gap trial. That page holds out a “Ploughshares solution” to permanent war. The other side promotes our ANZAC Day vigil, with a bit on TS11.
It’s daunting to stand in a semi-sterile public place, and spruik about Afghanistan, Peace, and social justice. At the same time it’s very energising. There’s plenty of agreement in the community about war. Widespread cynicism and powerlessness. Some encouragement. Major avoidance.
In each location, the spruiking and display attracts attention from a couple of hundred people each time. It’s good for me to notice both the patterns and the range of public response. I see the mext 6 weeks as refining my display for deployment in Rockhampton when I move there at the beginning of May.
Plus I get to dress up as Death and have fun.