Local News Meadows hacked
A new life in Brunswick Heads for Syrian refugees
Some patients at Meadows Medical Centre in Mullumbimby received an email in the last week stating that Meadows ‘email address has been compromised’. Speaking to The Echo Meadows have assured ‘patients and everyone in our community that no personal or medical information was accessed’. ‘On Wednesday 9 November 2022, Meadows Medical Centre was the victim of a phishing attack,’ said Practice Manager, Kristy Van Wyk. ‘One of our email addresses was compromised, and within a matter of minutes the automated attack spammed large groups of suggested contacts. ‘The email link for “New Contract Documents Received” is a spam email that was classified as a phishing scam. ‘We immediately advised those affected. Anyone who has received this email should not click on the link. Those that have should reset their email password and are advised to check any changes to the rules in their email account that now hides or blocks auto-replies or bounce-backs, as this is a sign that their email address has been compromised and is being used to send malicious emails. ‘We have been advised that no further action [by Meadows] is required at this stage. Anyone who has concerns regarding this incident, or other suspicious email activity can visit cyber.gov.au for further advice.’
Syrian refugees Essam Mahmoud and Douaa Mardini arrived in Australia with their two young children, Rahaf and Drgham, in late August and are quickly settling into their new life in Brunswick Heads. Essam and his family are among the fortunate first to be resettled in Australia under the newly established Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), which allows community groups across the country to sponsor new refugees. With the support of Ballina Region for Refugees, a group of local women formed Ocean Shores for Refugees (OSR), signed up for the CRISP scheme and upon completing the required online training, have worked hard and fast to ensure a smooth transition for their new Syrian friends. ‘Our group has been responsible for everything since our family arrived three weeks ago,’ said Anika Ebner, just one of the group’s eight members. ‘From finding housing and furniture, to setting up their banking, Medicare, English classes, schooling for the children and lining up work opportunities for Essam who is a qualified chef.
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Essam, Douaa and their family with settlement support group members Isabelle Borelli, Sara Gloede, Liz Blatchford, Anika Ebner and some of their children. Photo Mark Isaacs ‘Beyond the day-to-day admin, it’s been an incredibly rewarding experience supporting Essam, Douaa and their children as they navigate their new life in Australia. At the heart of it, we are their family here, and we do for them what anyone would do for family and friends who have encountered hardship. With respect, patience and compassion.’ Of the experience so far, Essam said ‘we found the country [Australia] to be so beautiful, from the nature, to the people and the community. We have been supported so much through this move and [OSR] have provided us with everything we need. We are very grateful for the help, we have had the best support we could dream of.’ While the group are all
volunteering their time, there are significant upfront costs associated with getting a refugee family set up from scratch. From purchasing basic household items, to covering initial bills and expenses, these financial demands warrant ongoing fundraising from friends and the local community.
Can you help? Ballina Region 4 Refugees has pledged to resettle more Syrian families in the area, and are calling on those with the means to support the program by donating to their GiveNow page givenow.com. au/br4r. Every dollar raised goes directly towards supporting families just like Essam’s to transition to a safe and settled life in our community.
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M A D E H E R E . M A D E WE L L .
Party with a purpose this festive season The Byron Community Centre is inviting local businesses to help the Shire’s homeless community by booking in their Christmas or end of year parties at the centre’s Jonson Street premises. They offer a range of
spaces for party bookings over the festive season to raise money for the Fletcher Street Cottage homelessness centre and other services. ‘Christmas is a time for giving and what better way than to give back to locals doing it tough,’ said the
Centre’s Sam Taylor. ‘The Centre is a great space for an event and you can celebrate together and feel good about it at the same time.’ To book contact Sam Taylor at events@byroncentre.com.au or 0407 925 160.
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The Railway Shed, 18 Prince St, Mullumbimby
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URGENT CALLOUT FOR VOLUNTEERS VOLUNTEER POSITION VACANCIES: Treasurer, General Board Members, Volunteers for Meal Delivery and Social Support Programmes. If you are interested volunteering for our organisation please contact us on 6686 2636 or email bsmow@bigpond.com.au.
6686 2636
End of Year Gathering Saturday 17th Dec, 10am- 4pm Are you tossing away stuff that could be fixed? Join the Repair Revolution at Mullumbimby’s Repair Café. You’ll find tools to help you make any repairs you need. On furniture, electrical appliances, bicycles, appliances, toys etc. You’ll also find expert volunteers, with repair skills in all kinds of fields.
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