More than twenty years have passed since the Flotillas of Hope sailed from Australia towards Nauru.
Over the years I have written about the journey on this blog and preserved photographs, maps, articles and some of the material that surrounded the action. However, much of the media coverage remains scattered across old websites and archives, while some of the original websites associated with the project have disappeared altogether.
I have therefore put together this record of the media coverage that I have been able to identify.
The idea for Flotillas of Hope began with a Call to Action that I sent out through the internet in November 2003. At that point we had no boats, no crew, no money and, in my case, no sailing experience.
Yet the idea became a physical reality.
On 15 May 2004, Eureka sailed from Sydney Harbour. At Brisbane she was joined by One Off, and on 23 May the two yachts left Australia for Nauru.
We carried toys, teddy bears, messages and gifts intended for the asylum seekers being detained there. Our aim was peaceful: to make their situation visible and to let them know that there were Australians who had not forgotten them.
After travelling thousands of kilometres across the Pacific, we reached Nauru around World Refugee Day, 20 June 2004. We were not permitted to land.
During the months before the voyage, during the crossing itself and when we reached Nauru, Flotillas of Hope attracted media attention in Australia and overseas.
What follows is the surviving media and historical record I have so far been able to reconstruct.
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MEDIA COVERAGE
3 December 2003 — Australian Associated Press (AAP)
Lauren Ahwan — “A Flotilla of Hope to Nauru”
One of the earliest national reports about the proposed voyage. It covered the idea only weeks after the original Call to Action and included an interview with me about what we hoped to achieve.
The article survives in the Project SafeCom archive:
https://www.safecom.org.au/flotilla.htm
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14 January 2004 — Green Left Weekly
Perry Brown — “Flotilla of Hope for Nauru detainees”
An early account of the developing project. It identifies me as the organiser and records the rapid response to the original internet Call to Action.
https://www.greenleft.org.au/2004/566/news/flotilla-hope-nauru-detainees
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Autumn/Winter 2004 — Pacific Ecologist
Ruth Boydell, De Ishtar and Zohl — “Flotillas of Hope to Nauru”
Pacific Ecologist, Issue 7/8, pp. 34–35.
An illustrated contemporary article about the asylum seekers being detained on Nauru and the flotilla planning to reach the island on World Refugee Day.
National Library of New Zealand record:
https://natlib.govt.nz/records/20430775
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9 May 2004 — The Sun-Herald, Sydney
Sarah Price — “Human rights activists on mission of mercy to Nauru”
A substantial pre-departure feature about the voyage, Eureka and One Off, the gifts we intended to carry and Nauru’s refusal to grant us visas.
A copy survives in the SafeCom archive:
https://www.safecom.org.au/flotilla.htm
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10 May 2004 — ZNet
Lynda Smith — “Flotilla of Hope”
Lynda was a member of our Ground Crew. Her article gives a detailed account of the origins of Flotillas of Hope and its connections with the earlier Hope Caravan actions at Woomera and Baxter.
A copy survives here:
https://www.safecom.org.au/flotilla.htm
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13 May 2004 — Project SafeCom
“Flotillas of Hope May Sail Into Troubled Waters”
A media release issued immediately before Eureka’s departure from Sydney. It covered the refusal of visas, contact with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the planned Sydney and Brisbane farewell ceremonies.
https://www.safecom.org.au/news-1305-2004.htm
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13 May 2004 — Scoop Independent News, New Zealand
“Flotillas of Hope May Sail Into Troubled Waters”
New Zealand publication of the SafeCom media release.
https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0405/S00138/flotillas-of-hope-may-sail-into-troubled-waters.htm
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13 May 2004 — ABC News
“Nauru threatens protesters with jail terms”
The ABC reported Nauru’s warning that members of the flotilla entering without visas could face fines, imprisonment and possible seizure of the vessels.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-05-13/nauru-threatens-protesters-with-jail-terms/1975224
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14 May 2004 — Radio New Zealand / Pacific News
“Nauru warns off protestors”
Radio New Zealand reported Nauru’s warning that the vessels could be confiscated and sold if we entered Nauruan waters.
The report also referred to Radio Australia, providing evidence of Radio Australia’s coverage of the story.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/148609/nauru-warns-off-protestors
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14 May 2004 — The Age
“Activists brave sharks to sail to Nauru”
Published on the eve of departure, the article identified me as the person leading Flotillas of Hope and reported the threatened fines and imprisonment.
https://www.theage.com.au/national/activists-brave-sharks-to-sail-to-nauru-20040514-gdxuer.html
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15 May 2004 — ABC News
“Refugee campaigner calls PM a zombie”
ABC coverage of Eureka’s departure from Sydney, including comments I made at the farewell before we sailed.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-05-15/refugee-campaigner-calls-pm-a-zombie/1976270
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23 May 2004 — ABC News
“‘Flotilla of Hope’ to set sail for Nauru”
Coverage of the Brisbane departure of Eureka and One Off for Nauru.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-05-23/flotilla-of-hope-to-set-sail-for-nauru/1980406
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23 May 2004 — Green Left Weekly
Jim McIlroy — “Flotillas of Hope sets sail for Nauru”
Coverage of the Brisbane farewell and departure of the two yachts for the Pacific.
https://www.greenleft.org.au/1993/584/culture/flotillas-hope-sets-sail-nauru
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23 May 2004 — The Catholic Leader
“Gifts of hope for detainees”
Coverage of the Brisbane departure and the gifts, flags and messages being carried to the asylum seekers on Nauru.
https://catholicleader.com.au/news/gifts-of-hope-for-detainees_39589
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3 June 2004 — Angela Mitropoulos
“Flotillas of Hope”
Angela was another member of our Ground Crew. Written while we were crossing the Pacific, her essay places the voyage in the broader context of Australia’s detention policies, Woomera, Baxter and the developing use of the internet in political activism.
I have preserved her article on this blog:
A Special Journey – Flotillas of Hope, World Refugee Day, 2004
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8 June 2004 — Scoop Independent News, New Zealand
“Flotilla Asks Nauru To Allow Delegation Ashore”
Reports our request that the Nauruan Government allow a delegation to land for one day so that we could deliver the Cargo of Hope and meet the asylum seekers.
https://m.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0406/S00069/flotilla-askes-nauru-to-allow-delegation-ashore.htm
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18 June 2004 — Radio New Zealand / Pacific News
“Nauru Government says flotilla not permitted to land”
Reports that Eureka and One Off were approaching Nauru and that the Nauruan Government would not permit us to land.
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19 June 2004 — ABC News
“‘Flotilla of Hope’ to mark Refugee Day”
This report is particularly interesting to me because it preserves an interview conducted with me by satellite phone aboard Eureka as we approached Nauru.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-06-19/flotilla-of-hope-to-mark-refugee-day/1995710
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20 June 2004 — ABC News
“Yacht crew determined to land on Nauru”
Another satellite-phone interview from the flotilla. I spoke about the toys, gifts and personal messages we were carrying and our determination to deliver them.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-06-20/yacht-crew-determined-to-land-on-nauru/1995674
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20 June 2004 — ABC News
“Refugee activists asked to leave Nauruan waters”
Coverage of our encounter with the Nauruan authorities and the order for the yachts to leave.
The ABC report also carries a Reuters photograph of Eureka being farewelled in Sydney, providing a surviving record of Reuters photographic coverage of the action.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-06-20/refugee-activists-asked-to-leave-nauruan-waters/1996124
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20 June 2004 — Sydney Morning Herald / AAP
“Activists should get visas: Democrats”
Reports Australian Democrats leader Senator Andrew Bartlett’s call for Nauru to grant visas to the Flotillas of Hope crews.
A copy is preserved in my earlier Flotillas archive:
A Special Journey – Flotillas of Hope, World Refugee Day, 2004
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21 June 2004 — Scoop Independent News, New Zealand
“Urgent Update — Flotillas of Hope”
A contemporary update from the voyage as we approached Nauru.
It is particularly valuable because it preserves information being transmitted from the boats at the time rather than reconstructed years later.
https://m.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO0406/S00214/urgent-update-flotillas-of-hope.htm
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21 June 2004 — Taipei Times
International newspaper coverage of the confrontation surrounding the arrival of Flotillas of Hope at Nauru.
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2004/06/21/2003175939
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22 June 2004 — ABC News
“Protesters critical of Nauru over gifts for detainees”
Follow-up coverage after we had been turned away, including the dispute over what would happen to the gifts intended for the asylum seekers.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2004-06-22/protesters-critical-of-nauru-over-gifts-for/1997066
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24 June 2004 — Radio New Zealand / Pacific News
“Nauru reaffirms support for Australia’s detention policy”
Follow-up coverage in which Nauru’s Foreign Affairs and Justice Minister David Adeang discussed the detention arrangement and the Flotillas of Hope gifts.
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RADIO AND TELEVISION
Not all of the broadcast material from 2004 appears to have survived online.
Our contemporary records state that during the project there were live interviews or coverage involving:
ABC
SBS
BBC
New Zealand broadcasting
Radio Australia
Houston radio, USA
Australian commercial radio
Australian commercial television
Some of the ABC interviews survive online, including satellite-phone interviews conducted with me aboard Eureka.
I have not yet been able to recover the original recordings or identify the exact programs and dates of some of the SBS, BBC, Houston and Australian commercial broadcasts.
Rather than attempt to reconstruct these from memory, I record them here simply as known contemporary coverage for which the original recording or transcript has not yet been located.
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AAP AND REUTERS
Australian Associated Press (AAP) was reporting on the project by December 2003, months before we sailed.
Reuters also photographed the action. A Reuters photograph of Eureka being farewelled in Sydney survives with ABC’s report of 20 June 2004.
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THE INTERNET FLOTILLA
There was another dimension to Flotillas of Hope that is easily forgotten more than twenty years later.
The physical flotilla consisted of Eureka and One Off, but an international communications network surrounded the boats.
The original flotilla2004.com website carried information about the action, updates and crew material. Our Ground Crew received information from us at sea and helped distribute it through the internet and to the media.
There were crew blogs, maps, photographs and messages travelling between the yachts, supporters and media organisations.
A separate digital-art component was also established by filmmaker Angela van Boxtel.
In 2004, before smartphones and today’s social-media environment, we were attempting to create a kind of floating internet action across thousands of kilometres of ocean.
Much of that original internet infrastructure has since disappeared.
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PROJECT SAFECOM ARCHIVE
Fortunately, Project SafeCom preserved a substantial amount of the original material.
The Flotilla of HOPE: A Journey of Compassion to Nauru
https://www.safecom.org.au/flotilla.htm
SafeCom’s archive contains contemporary articles and information originally drawn from the Flotillas of Hope website.
It is now one of the most important surviving online records of the project.
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OFFICIAL HISTORICAL RECORDS
Parliament of Nauru — 1 June 2004
Before we even reached the island, the approaching Flotillas of Hope was discussed in the Parliament of Nauru.
Hansard:
Click to access hsd-15p-20040601-19s8m-v1.pdf
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Australian Senate — June 2004
The voyage also entered the Australian parliamentary record.
Questions were raised in the Senate concerning Nauru’s refusal to grant visas to the crews of the yachts after they had sailed thousands of kilometres on their humanitarian mission.
Australian Senate Notice Paper, 24 June 2004:
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MY EARLIER ARCHIVE
I have preserved photographs, maps and contemporary material from the voyage in an earlier post:
A Special Journey — Flotillas of Hope, World Refugee Day, 2004
I have also written a later retrospective:
Flotillas of Hope: History and Impact
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A NOTE ABOUT THIS ARCHIVE
I don’t claim that this is a complete list.
Twenty-two years have passed. Websites have disappeared, links have died and radio and television broadcasts from 2004 are not necessarily available through searchable online archives.
There may well be newspaper articles, radio interviews, television reports and international references that I have forgotten or have yet to rediscover.
That is one reason for creating this page.
What remains is already substantial.
The surviving record includes AAP, Reuters, The Age, The Sun-Herald/Sydney Morning Herald, ABC, Radio Australia, Radio New Zealand/Pacific News, SBS, BBC, Green Left Weekly, Pacific Ecologist, Taipei Times, Scoop Independent News, The Catholic Leader, ZNet, Project SafeCom, US radio and Australian commercial radio and television.
The voyage also entered the official records of both the Parliament of Nauru and the Australian Senate.
When I look at these scattered fragments now, I am reminded how strange the whole project was.
An idea sent out across the internet in November 2003 somehow gathered people around it. Boats appeared. Crews formed. Ground crews formed. Artists, activists, refugee advocates and supporters became involved. Messages travelled across the internet and, eventually, by satellite from two small yachts crossing the Pacific.
And in May 2004, we actually sailed.
Whatever else Flotillas of Hope achieved or failed to achieve, Eureka and One Off reached Nauru.
This page is an attempt to bring together the surviving media record of Flotillas of Hope while those records can still be found. If I locate further contemporary reports, broadcasts or photographs, I will add them here.
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