Who we are is truly tested and proven when we encounter conflict
“Individuals and communities show their mettle”
Individual stories from the Meredith’s cultural week, by Cathy Stringer, the community affairs reporter at Meredith News
“Hardship is often sent to test us both on an individual level and a community level,” said City of Meredith’s mayor, Ms Joanne Peters. Members of the local community had gathered at City Hall last Monday, to commemorate the shire’s annual Cultural Week. Referring to her favourite playwright, Arthur Miller, whose plays have often been staged in the local community, Ms Peters said, a person is defined by the challenges he faces, and by those he walks away from.
“I’m proud to say” continued the mayor “that when Jemima’s family home burnt down because of an electrical fault last year, the community did not turn its back.
As well all know, whilst Jemima’s mother slept, Sally roused her mother and her sister, called emergency services and helped the family escape the engulfing flames. Whilst most of the house was burnt, so many of us in Meredith donated time, money and assistance to help Ms Jemema rebuild the family house. It’s stories like these that make me proud to be the mayor in Meredith.”
Whilst Ms Peters urged members in Meredith to remember the difficult times, she also hoped that the community would rally together, as they always did, and enjoy the variety of cultural events that were on display as part of the shire’s cultural week.
For the past week, City of Meredith has been showcasing a range of cultural events and activities. From notable speakers such as Mr Ashton Green, to kite flying, to food stalls that sold exotic dishes in the city streets, there are a range of activities to cater for all citizens.
One of the highlights of the week was the Personal Journey’s discussion at Meredith Library focussing on the extraordinary experience of migrants in the Shire. Keynote speaker, Mr Ashton Green as well as a panel of local business people, writers and parents, gathered to tell their inspirational stories.
The audience was spellbound when Hanka Siegrich told of her love for her 70-year partnership with her husband and the terrifying ordeal. The pair had met by chance as teenagers in a Nazi slave-labour camp in Poland during the final months of World War II and showed remarkable resilience and audacity when faced with sheer terror. Hanka recounted how at 14 years old, alone and frightened, she had fallen in love with her future husband, Siegmund, and smuggled food out of the camp to give to him as he hid in a hole in the ground. Siegmund was making munitions in the camp and was caught audaciously trying to sabotage the procedures. Hanka risked her life to bring him food, but when caught, she cried because her “tooth” was aching. It was pulled out.
So like my own father who lived through the terrifying regime of the Khmer Rouge. My father has told me countless stories of how under impossible situations he and his family escaped near death situations, not once – but countless times. He expressed such resilience, as did my Grandmother who had to look after all his seven other siblings. It is when individual’s encounter conflict that we often realise what we truly value. Indeed, my father, like Hanka, took risks to protect his siblings. Often, the youngest sibling ate some of the small rice portions at night, and my father would take the blame.
On the other side of town, I attended Meredith Film Society’s screening of Paradise Road, which I had seen before, but was always captivated by the amazing story of the female prisoners of war in Sumatra. Knowing the potential consequences, Daisy ‘Margaret’ Drummond along with Adrienne share a common interest and love of music. Their love of beauty inspired the women and help them keep hope alive in the Japanese war camp.
In particular, Daisy ‘Margaret’ Drummond displayed remarkable leadership when she formed the orchestra and defied the Japanese guards. She also shows personal courage during the time Susan Macarthy was tortured; she insists on giving water to Susan relieve her dehydration and exhaustion.
In situations of conflict, people often endanger their lives to stick to their moral principle. By telling her first lie, Sister Wilhelmina compromises her beliefs to protect Adrienna. Her life is in danger after she was charged for insubordination because she “assaulted” the guard who tried to rape her at the toilet block.
Resisting the typical flight-fight response under duress, many inmates placed greater priority on helping others. The display of such altruistic actions is apparent in Mrs Win’s case where she risked her life, and ultimately lost it, by placing others’ safety above her own. The quest to find quinine for Mrs Roberts perhaps was doomed from the start, but she was determined to find relief for the large lady. However not all examples of conflict end in courage and inspiration.
Contrastingly, some of the women in the war camp are typical of those who have an opportunistic response to conflict. They compromise their values and become prostitutes for the Japanese to survive. Such women attract the opprobrium (public disgrace) of their fellow inmates but realise that they lack the strength to live a life without some comfort. One of the woman inmates is obsessed with soap, water and cleanliness and for this reason accepts the offer of a more comfortable refuge. They have to live with the shame. Others are defeated by stress and adversity.
During the week, Ms Peters also chaired a discussion at City Hall promoting safety amid rising workplace and cyber-bullying. She referred to the tragic death of Brodie Stranton, a former worker at the Meredith Cafe. One day leaving work Brodie deliberately ran in front of the oncoming train at Storybrooke Station nearby. The Mayor spoke of Brodie’s pain as her fellow workers put fish oil in her bag, covered her hair with chocolate sauce and told her that she would be sacked if she said anything. Faced with such torment, Brodie resorted to self-harm. And we now mourn her loss.
Although this incident did bring about Victoria’s anti-bullying legislation, we cannot forget that she paid with a heavy price, and so did her family.
Finally, Ms Peters reminded us of the words of Henry David Thoreau: “Goodness is an investment that never fails.” It is the times when we encounter conflict that reveal an individual’s inner strength and hidden qualities of our true selves, yet can also expose the weakness of one’s too.
In a final speech, the mayor drew attention to the Pope Francis’ recent tour of the Middle East, during which he believed that it was critical for us to have the courage to call for peace.
During his recent visit (May 2014) to the Middle East, Pope Francis appealed to Israeli President, Shimon Peres and his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas at the end of a two-hour evening service to relaunch the Middle East peace process. Focusing on peacemaking as a mature, sophisticated and compassionate response to conflict, he said, “Peacemaking calls for courage, much more so than warfare. It calls for the courage to say yes to encounter and no to conflict; yes to dialogue and no to violence; yes to negotiations and no to hostilities.. Pope Francis, who made the surprise invitation to the two leaders during his trip to the Holy Land last month, said that the search for peace was “an act of supreme responsibility before our consciences and before our peoples” and noted that millions around the world of all faiths were praying with them for peace.
“We have heard a summons and we must respond. It is the summons to break the spiral of hatred and violence, and to break it by one word alone: the word ‘brother’,” the pope said as Peres and Abbas listened intently and read the live translations.
Ms Peters said that such brotherhood hopefully will continue to be displayed time and again in the Meredith Shire, especially during difficult and testing times.