NOVEMBER 2009 UPDATE

Hi friends

Here's a little piece I've written for the Victorian Baptist Witness - December edition. So it's mainly about Baptists, but thanks to all others who've stood with Dawn over the past several years...

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In Harold Pinter's Play 'Party-time' people are drinking good wine and chatting with friends and smiling... but something is happening outside in the street, something terrible and oppressive and unjust. There's a moment of silence and discomfort but soon they forget it and go back to their wine and chatting and smiling...

In the Dawn Rowan Saga something terrible and unjust was happening, but fortunately some of us left the party, and were shocked at what we saw, and decided to do something. We were shocked at the corruption-in-high-places, and the desire of people with power to destroy someone who simply wanted to help battered women.

For example, how can five government departments lose the same cohort of documents and no one gets agitated and starts an investigation? How is it that a court can award some of the costs of a guilty party (the South Australian government) against the person declared at all points in the long legal process to be utterly innocent? Many lawyers have told us this sort of thing doesn't happen in Australia! Why would any politician - however malicious their motives - have the audacity to shut down a women's refuge on the basis of lies and 'unsubstantiated allegations'? (Check Wikipedia's article on Dr. John Cornwall - his only claim to fame according to whoever wrote that is what he did to Dawn Rowan!).

I've seen firsthand Dawn's expertise in the area of counselling victims of domestic violence - especially her brilliant therapy with adult survivors of childhood sexual and other abuse. If a government department or anyone wants all this stopped, you've got to ask legitimate questions about conspiracies. 'If you don't have a conspiracy theory about this you're being irresponsible' is a common Dawn Rowan quote.

Thanks to all of you - Alan Marr, and pastors and people and churches - and others - who've helped with your emails, attendance at the Vigils, financial support etc. Dawn has won the first battle: her bankruptcy has been annulled. Lindsay Tanner has verbally agreed to waive the 'debt' to the Commonwealth - though we have yet to see that in writing. The third battle which hopefully will 'win the war' has to do with the sensitive matter of compensation. Don't write to anyone about that, but you can email Lindsay Tanner and simply thank him for the positive attention he's giving to Dawn Rowan's situation (that's all, thanks).

On Sunday November 8th, Dawn's friends at East Doncaster Baptist Church rejoiced with her, and prayed for her. To Dawn, they said, we offer you our love and support and admiration for your courage in this long fight for justice.

(If anyone's been on another planet - or enjoying their party - and hasn't heard about all this, simply Google Dawn Rowan: it's all there).

Rowland Croucher