TWO Catholics and two Christian friends have risked spending time behind bars to stand up for peace over war.
The four Pine Gap activists – Donna Mulhearn of Douglas Park, NSW; Jim
Dowling of Dayboro near Brisbane; Adele Goldie of Brisbane; and Bryan Law of Cairns – narrowly escaped a prison sentence last week in the Northern Territory Supreme Court.
They were found guilty on June 14 of breaching the Defence (Special Undertakings) Act 1952.
The four activists, who belong to Christians Against All Terrorism (CAAT), entered a ‘prohibited area’ at the Pine Gap joint US-Australian military base in the Northern Territory to conduct a “citizens’ inspection” on December 9, 2005.
The maximum sentence under the untested 55-year-old act was seven years imprisonment.
However, all received minor fines and were also required to contribute $2500 each towards the cost of fence repair at the facility.
Immediately after their release the four headed to the retreat centre “Campfire in the Heart” outside Alice Springs, well away from the media circus.
Ms Mulhearn, a member of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart community at Douglas Park, New South Wales for the past two years, has since called on all Christians to fulfil their role as messengers of peace.
Mr Dowling, a long-time Brisbane Catholic peace activist, echoed her call and added that he and his family had been prepared for him to go to jail in protest against the role played by Pine Gap in prosecuting the war in Iraq.
