Subject: 1st Report from Pam Gray in Beijing

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 2 Sep 1995 22:04:24 +1000

/* Written  Sep  2, 1995 by [email-masked] in peg.wcw.oz */
/* Written  Sep  2, 1995 by [email-masked] in susag.permaculture */
/* ---------- "1st Report from Pam Gray in Beijing" ---------- */
Here is email from Pam Gray, representing Permaculture at the 
World NGO Forum for Women, Bejing, China, Sept 1995. 

Date: Thu, 31 Aug 1995 16:17, Arrived Aust: Thu Aug 31 18:30 1995
To: [email-masked]
From: Pamela Gray <[email-masked]>

Hi Adam......
Let me severely bend your ear for a moment with enormous gripes! It's
unbelievably, extraordinarily, inappropriately, unnecessarily, exceedingly
difficult here. Everything is difficult - accommodation, transport,
information, languages, equipment - EVERYTHING. It's so hard my heart aches
and I feel the enormous pain of repression and imprisonment. The security
checking and pass checking for us is totally, totally inappropriate and the
Chinese have finally had to relent a little. I've got about 50kg of stuff in
2 big tubs and a box and yesterday I had to carry it the 200m to the
"pavillion" in 40degree heat. It was only the day before that I actually
found out where the pavillion was and met up with Ruth Lechte and the others
from the Once and Future Action Network group, including Sue Finucane from
IWDA (International Women's Developement Agency) (who sends her regards
and thanks to you). That included cycling 20k to Ruth's
hotel cause the phone was broken - turned out that there are other numbers
but no-one at my estate could find other numbers for the hotel.

That was the beginning of the good news - I bought a bike; it's about $100
and definitely worth it for the reminder of freedom. Everything is very
spread out here - even just where the conference sessions are (if you can
find that out), much less the hotels and appartments. Definitely the
beginning of a trend 'cause many, many others have got wheels.

I've talked to quite a lot of media people - like John Shoveland and Camille
Fennell from ABC radio +  BBC radio twice + 2 Chinese newspapers + a few
yanks. So far it's been about the problems and soon we're going to get into
the meat. I've got several TV people to promise they'll come with their
cameras an catch some of the stuff in the pavillion; esp paper making,
permaculture, and my black mumma's, Mary Rushwaya (Zimbabwe), 
stuff - mud stoves, charcoal cooler (like a coolagardie frig), 
hay box cooker, drum stoves and furniture from paper!

This morning I taxied in and out of Beijing to collect worms (they look
different here, no surprise I guess), manure, compost, organic soil, hay,
seaweed and seedlings for a kitchen garden. It's taken me all these days to
get this far because of the language barrier, restricted access to Huairou
for Chinese and transport difficulty. Tomorrow John Sh. will bring me a tyre
for a pond from a Pom living in a hotel in Beijing (not the one emptied to
make room for the forced exit of any dissidents). The space - the pavillion
- is actually a shooting school with gun targets out from the school rooms.
It's not a bad space but it's out of the way, not obvious and not really
working well. I'm digging my toes in about going out the back near the
targets cause basically no-one's exploring the outside space on the far side
of the building, so I want to be at the front. 
I haven't put all this energy into being here and gathering all the
equipment and get it here to be overlooked. No way. 

I've put up the Permaculture banner from WA and had masses and masses of
positive comments about it - could you call Debbie Msomething 
(the banner maker) or get a message to her via Pat Dare to tell her
how well it's been received.
If you're talking to Pat you might mention that the Directory isn't working
in it's current form - it's on too many pages, some people/places are listed
twice for various reasons like under UK and Great Brit.etc. It's also
incomplete - like Milton area PC isn't on there and lots of phone numbers
are missing - could someone write and ask them for an update.

Has any one thought of registering Permaculture as an NGO? That would
probably mean that PC could get to the NGO meetings before all the relevant
UN meetings.

Has anyone thought when the first World Forum on Men will be?????

So I'd better get back and set up the paper making in case the rain has
stopped and the final organisation of space is being made.

This experience is enormous for me. I keep singing the song "I am a brave
woman, I am such a brave, bold woman, walking right into the dragon's mouth
alone; seeking love and beauty on my quest I go; No matter what may happen I
know I will grow..."

Thanks for your support Adam and for listening.
 
Love to you and to John from me in Huairou,

Pam
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Pamela Gray
Email: [email-masked]  (Pamela Gray in Beijing, until 14 Sept 1995)
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