Women in Week of Solidarity (Tribune, 14 Juni 1961)

Tribune (1961-06-14) - Women In Week Of Solidarity Source: Trove, National Library of Australia - https://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article252035961 Date retrieved: 2026-10-17 OCR text (uncorrected) follows. 14 Jun 1961 - WOMEN IN WEEK OF SOLIDARITY Tribune (SA edition, published in Sydney: 1951 - 1964), Wednesday 14 June 1961, page 2 WOMEN IN WEEK OF SOLIDARITYP&ICTH: There was a lively response in Perth to a call by the Women's International Democratic Federation for world-wide observance of a Week of Solidarity from May 28 to June 2. The main aim of the Week of Solidarity was to express friendship and support for the women of countries struggling for national independence. At a special general meeting of the Union of Australian Women in •Perth to prepare for the week, a high proportion of those present volunteered to do specific tasks to make it a success. Varied actions One woman collected 25 signatures and £2/10/- for a cable which she prepared and sent to the Prime Minister of Portugal calling for independence for Angola and protesting against the brutal Portuguese treatment of Angola's people. Another bought six cards bearing pictures of West Australian wildflowers and sent them to women's organisations in fcountries including Laos, Vietnam, Indonesia and Cuba.The U.A.W. executive sought an interview with the French Consul to present a call on the French Government to end the war on Algeria. The Consul was absent on an overseas visit, but his office promised that he would meet the deputation when he returned in July. West Irian Forty people attended a soecial U.A.W. luncheon held in Perth to culminate the week's activities. A visiting Indonesian addressed the luncheon, giving those who heard him a glimpse of life under foreign occupation and struggle against it. His talk left no doubt why his people feel so deeply about the continued Dutch occupation of West Irian—which the Dutch Government itself recognised as part of Indonesia before it went back on its signed agreement to end the occupation of all the territory then known as the Dutch East Indies.