austraLasia tells its story - as it celebrates 10 years
near its birthplace
CEBU: 18th October 2007 -- In October 1997, at a meeting of
interested or appointed persons from the then Australia-Asia Region
(what is now EAO plus India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka), 15 or so people
agreed to swap email addresses - and 'austraLasia' was born. But
there
is always more to a story than such a bald statement as that. It seemed
appropriate, for the first time in fact, to tell the story of
austraLasia in a context where 27 of the official or appointed
communicators of East Asia Oceania and South Asia meet in Talisay
Lawa-an, near Cebu City Philippines. For a more detailed overview
of
the first day of this important meeting, called by Fr Scaramussa,
General Councillor for Social Communication, confer the ANS news item
which has been or is about to be published on this.
The austraLasia coordinator spoke of the story that
unfolded from a
simple decision by 15 people ten years ago. The story falls
neatly
into three phases, a drama in three acts, if you like. Imagine
austraLasia as a message in a bottle tossed out from Batulao in
1997.
Its wanderings around the oceans took it to more than the Pacific,
since it touched the North Sea and the Atlantic too, but not with any
particular sense of direction. austraLasia was in a 'forming'
stage,
with growing interest though not a great deal of ownership, as befits a
message in a bottle! And it remained that way for two years.
Then came an uninvited and indeed undesirable but
nevertheless
interesting Second Act - call it a 'storming' stage. Parts of the South
Pacific and a little further East experienced gross conflict;
austraLasia became, because it by then had the contacts 'on the ground'
in the three conflict areas, almost a form of war correspondent
activity! We are speaking of events in East Timor as it lurched
into
independence, a civilian ,which then became a military, coup in Fiji,
and a battle between two groups in the Solomon Islands which brought
the nation to its knees - and Salesians-in-contact were in all three
places! austraLasia played a role not only amongst Salesians but 'ad
extra', which became a rapid course in hands-on journalism with its
good and bad experiences.
Act Three came with the forming of a new Region
(EAO), the
coordinator's relocation to Rome, working directly with the new EAO
Regional and the brand new General Councillor for Social Communication,
a context which now involved ANS, saw offshoots which either cloned or
copied the 'austraLasia' approach. This period has brought the
e-letter which now goes to some thousand recipients and links the
Salesian Family in its own region with outreach to others, to a
'norming' stage, a direction and purpose but not without its questions
and challenges.
Ironically, again, at a meeting of communication, it
is a challenge
to maintain customary regularity with austraLasia in Cebu. Where
we
are we have a wireless connection but wireless limits the possibility
of sending a thousand emails! We'll do our best, but understand
the
situation. _________________ AustraLasia is an
email
service
for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions
as an
agency for ANS based in
Rome.
For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com
.
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