Record
W E S T E R N A U S T R A L I A’ S A WA R D - W I N N I N G C AT H O L I C N E W S P A P E R S I N C E 1 8 7 4
the
We d n e s d a y, S e p t e m b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 2
the
Parish.
the
N at i o n .
the
World.
$2.00
therecord.com.au
Darryl faces ‘DE Day’ as avid student readers rise to bookish challenge
Principal meets his match
THE PRINCIPAL of Holy Rosary School in Doubleview is a man who keeps his promises – no matter how damaging to his football team-loving pride. Darryl Winsor and his staff are always on the lookout for novel ways of encouraging children to read so recently he stepped it up a notch by issuing a challenge to the children; one that would see him lay his dignity on the line. For every age-appropriate book that the children read or had read to them, they could earn a footprint. The footprints were used to form a trail from each of the classrooms to Mr Winsor’s office. If they completed their trails – with every child reading at least one book – Darryl, a staunch Carlton supporter, agreed he would dress up in a combination of West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers outfits and have his face painted in the team colours. Three thousand books later and a school covered in footprints, the children lived up to their side of the bargain so at the school assembly on September 17th Darryl met his ‘DE’ (Dockers/Eagles) Day. A cleverly designed “Dogles” footy jumper was matched with a sock from each club and splashes of purple, red, green, white, yellow and blue face paint. A quick rendition of each of the clubs’ theme song completed the deal with the children, parents and staff in fits of laughter. Principal Winsor was nothing but a good sport throughout the whole “ordeal”. “To have the children read 3000 books I’d dress up in Dockers and Eagles colours any day” he commented. “But it would have to be at least 10,000 if it was to be Collingwood.”
Bedecked Holy Rosary Principal Darryl Winsor makes good on his bet with some of the students he challenged to read 3000 or more books.
PHOTO: HOLY ROSARY
Students draw politicians’ attention on trafficking INCREASING awareness of the destructive nature of human trafficking was at the heart of a public event hosted recently at The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantle Campus. The Notre Dame Students for Social Justice (NDSSJ) and the UNDA Liberal Club collaborated to host the screening of the Australian film The Jammed which tells the true story of three women trafficked into Australia. The often confronting film highlights the increasing activity of people trafficking around Australia for both domestic and sexual servitude. People trafficking has been defined by the Australian Government as the physical movement of human beings across borders through deceptive means, coercion or force for various exploitative purposes. The special screening was launched by Liberal Senator for WA Michaelia Cash, the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for the Status of Women, who is a passionate advocate in the fight against trafficking. Lynn MacLaren MLC, the Greens Member for South Metropolitan Region, also attend-
Senator Michaelia Cash, left, and MLC Lynn MacLaren, second from right, with UNDA student representatives. PHOTO: UNDA
ed. “This is an issue above politics. We can do all sorts of political point-scoring, but this really is an issue where the three major parties all agree that we do need to get together as ‘government’ and do something to try and combat this insidious trade,” Senator Cash said. “Trafficking of women for sexual servitude is one of the most complex international crimes you will
ever come across because the stakes are so high – in the billions of dollars. “Our reality is that our country is officially recognised as a destination for trafficking of women from Asia, and in particular from China, Thailand and Korea.” In addition to profiling the issue, the event also provided an opportunity to promote a new Perth-based
initiative, Project Jenny. Project Jenny is a not-for-profit organisation which aims to combat human trafficking in Western Australia. It has lobbied for anti-trafficking initiatives including establishing the first safe house in the State to provide rehabilitation for victims of trafficking. The fledgling group also intends to collaborate with organisations around Australia and overseas to develop measures to reduce trafficking, mainly through education and awareness programs. Project Jenny was established in honour of the sister of its founder Chanteya Macphail, who was snatched from their mother while on holiday in Phuket, Thailand, in 1976. Jenny was just three-years-old when she was taken. Ms Macphail and her family believe Jenny was the victim of experienced people traffickers. “To be able to have a safe house where skilled and trained staff are equipped to deal with the needs of these women will be fantastic,” Ms Macphail said. President of the NDSSJ, AnneMarie O’Neil, said future cases of human trafficking could be pre-
vented if more people and political groups were made aware of how the trade destroyed lives. “By the Grace of God we were lucky enough to be born here in Australia and the chances of us becoming victims of human trafficking are low, but we are all human beings and we need to do
Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world, because it’s the only thing that ever has. whatever we can to help those who are victims of this horrific trade,” Ms O’Neil said. “Written on the wall of our office at Notre Dame is our motto, ‘never doubt that a small group of people can change the world, because it’s the only thing that ever has’. “We run these events with the hope that every person we educate and every dollar we raise is another step towards changing the lives of these people.”