19 September 2006

Ian Cohen (MLC NSW Legislative Council)

JIan Cohen has been a pioneering community-based environmental and social justice activist since 1980, working at local, state and national levels. He is a specialist exponent of non-violent direct actions and community organisation for social change. Ian has fostered a specific interest in the concept of theatre of the environment as an educational and community empowerment technique.

Ian has organised and participated in most major environmental campaigns in Eastern Australia during the 1980s: Nightcap rainforests in Northern NSW, Franklin River, Daintree, South East forests NSW, North Washpool and Chaelundi. Anti-nuclear campaigns include Honeymoon and Roxby Downs uranium mines and the Canberra international AIDEX arms bazaar actions.

Ian has been an anti-tobacco activist through the organisation BUGA UP and has undertaken a successful legal challenge against Rothmans.

Ian was a founder of the Sydney Peace Squadron and the Brisbane Peace and Environment fleet and came to international attention in 1986, when photographed hanging onto the bow of a nuclear armed US warship in Sydney Harbour on a surfboard. As a keen surfer Ian was a founding member of Stop the Ocean Pollution and Clean Seas Coalition.

In March 1995, Ian was elected to the NSW Legislative Council as its first Green member. In September 1995 Ian was involved in organising a parliamentary delegation to protest against French nuclear testing in the Pacific and sailed into the test zone on a Greenpeace expedition.

In March 2003, Ian was re-elected to the NSW Legislative Council for a second term.
Ian is now entering his 12th year of office as a Parliamentarian. In that time Ian has been able to maintain his activist roots as seen by his support and attendance at S11 and M1 actions. Ian also has an ongoing interest in forest issues throughout New South Wales.

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21 September 2006

Catch a wave for peace!

Ian Cohen, Greens Upper House MP and peace activist, will lead the Byron Peace Flotilla in a Paddle Out for Peace, on Saturday, 23rd September, at 10 am, from the Peace Pole next to the Byron Bay Surf Club. Local clubs, including nippers,short boarders, bodyboarders, longboarders, kayakers and the odd rubber ducky, are invited to participate to send the wave of peace out from Byron Bay over the oceans and across the globe.

The peaceriders will assemble at the Peace Pole at 9.30am. They will receive a ceremonial send off from local elders, aboriginal dancers, peace activists and the Byron community and be serenaded to the waters edge by the siren sounds of the Byron Peace Orchestra, with didge, drums, horns, pipes and sacred chants. All shire residents are invited to cheer our peace messengers and all musos are invited to be a part of the Peace Orchestra.

Then, weather permitting, out of the skies will descend Peace Man, flying on the tail of the Peace Dove.

There will be peace kites, peace dances and peace councils, with peace activist Gareth Smith launching a campaign to declare Byron Shire as a Council for Peace. And local group Grandmas for Peace will be issuing a call to Convert the War on Terror into a Planetary Peace Movement.

At 11 am, trumpets will herald the start of the Spring into Peace Parade from the Peace Pole. Cap'n Cowabunga's orders for the day are - "Come all yea mothers, grandmothers and babies, armchair warriors, acrobats, circus ladies, soothsayers, breadwinners, bushbastards, footyjocks, straightedgers, doofers and deadbeat poets, old sea dogs and landlubbers, peacelovers all. Come dressed in your springiest, paint yar mugs, bring flags, banners and cheeky peace messages. We be pirates and together we shall seek the pearl-of-great-price, peace. Be there or be square!" But, as usual, it'll be Pirate Queen Xina who'll be calling the shots - " Yo me lovelies, its all hands on deck to save the mothership!"

The parade will end at Railway Park, where the spring fever hots up with a free Planetary Peace Party at 1pm. Youth bands, hip hop, rap, Irish, reggae, jazz, world music, comedy, poetry and a Sunset Equinox Ceremony, conducted by the Priestesses of Gaia- its all happening at Peace Dreaming, Byron's grassroots peacefest, which is bound to end with - what else - a group hug!

Peace Dreaming begins on Thursday, 21st September,
International Day of Peace. There will be a Dawn Ceremony and Peace Vigil at the Peace Pole, and a program of prayer, meditation, chants, singing bowls, a wishing tree for messages of peace, a peace flag drop, a music concert and a global peace link-up at 12 noon.

May peace prevail on earth. Or just peace, (wo)man!

Enquiries
Thursday's program - Margo 02 6685 8382, 04 0124 9732
Saturday's program - Harsha 02 6680 7380, go2harsha@yahoo.com.au
Gareth Smith/Council of Peace - 02 6685 8410 maxigar@gmail.com

Peace Dreaming is supported by the Byron community and produced by the Byron Peace Group

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