NAPNT Update

NAPNT is going into our Christmas holiday period. We are still here, and the core-group is still meeting but there are no organised activities planned until March 2007.

Recent events since the death of our founding member and the ensuing turmoil of transition include the following.

On Sat 11 Nov the 30the Smoke-In for Human Rights passed without incident in Raintree Park.

Fi spoke about Gary’s enormous contribution to the Network from its formation through to his last months. Gaz never gave in and his spirit lives on in NAP.

Rob Inder-Smith sang some touching and powerful songs he’d adapted for the occasion – wearing a red bandanna with “Gaz 1975 – 2006” written on the front.

The day was a fitting tribute to a great activist and a good way to end the year for NAPNT.

On the legal front, NAPNT is still in the courts and three of our members are facing jail sentences.

The three will be appearing in Darwin’s Supreme Court in Feb 2007 for their appeal against their sentences for the convictions arising from the Parliament House action.

At the moment they are facing sentences of up to 21 months in Darwin’s Berrimah Prison.

And on the 26th October, the NT Police made an embarrassing mistake by raiding NAP HQ based on “information received”.

Brandishing a warrant authorizing a search of the premises for dangerous drugs (methamphetamine), precursors or drug manufacturing equipment, eight officers from the Drug Law Enforcement Squad (helped by Monte, the sniffer dog), were full of anticipated success when they arrived at the NAP house at 3pm – only minutes later they realized their “information” may not have been as reliable as they believed, when all three tenants present burst out laughing on seeing them.

The police officers involved in the raid were quite reasonable in doing their job, quickly accepting that NAP HQ was neither a speed lab nor drug-house and were apologetic, if somewhat disappointed.

Only one minor drug charge was laid.

NAP core-group member Rob Fyffe was given a drug infringement notice for personal possession of 0.1g of marijuana. This carries a $210 fine, but he doesn’t intend paying it. He has elected to have the matter heard in the Darwin Magistrates Court.

On the 21^st of November Stuart Highway and Rob Fyffe will be jetting to Sydney for 4 days, for the AIVL AGM and National Meeting, as NAP’s NT Delegates for 2006 – 2007.

A local NAP member will be attending the Peer-educators program to be held at the same venue.

Fiona is going down for the first day to be present at a memorial for Gary Meyerhoff, to be held before the start of the AGM/National Meeting.

Annie from AIVL has put together a slide show of Gary and a few former and current Napatistas will be sharing some of their memories.

All 4 NAP members have been funded by AIVL for the trip with the National organisation paying all expenses.

Stuart and Rob will be giving a presentation on the Network Against Prohibition, it’s formation, ongoing activities and aims.

That about rounds it up from us here in Darwin for this year. Gary’s passing has caused us some on-line difficulties – he maintained the website and ensured that all news from NAP went out – but we expect to get things running properly again over the holiday season, with a new-look NAP Digest going out in the New Year.