Alison Corke
Alison Corke is a freelance writer, living in Apollo Bay.
A career in advertising and publishing taught Ali the importance of telling a story in an honest and engaging way, encouraging people to have the confidence to share their lives. The author of several books on advertising and public relations, Ali also wrote books for The Body Shop and British Airways, and has produced many publications for non-profit organisations.
The increasing demonisation of innocent asylum seekers and the plight of refugees encouraged her to join Rural Australians for Refugees. In 2009, extremely concerned for the plight of the victims of a tiny boat of asylum seekers that sank in the Indian Ocean, she had no idea that a few months later she would become pen friends with Para, one of the young men from that boat. Their friendship grew and on his release from detention on Christmas Island in 2011, Para moved in with the Corke family.
Ali believes, “We all have the power to do something; only we can choose whether to use that ability for the good, and in doing, discover we are more powerful than we realise”.
Para Paheer with Alison Corke
In May 2009 Sri Lanka’s long and dreadful civil war was finally brought to an horrific end. Ruthlessly driven to a small strip of land on the tip of the island’s north-east coast, tens of thousands of innocent civilians died, smashed by artillery, killed by snipers, denied medical treatment and starved to death beneath the baking sun.
This ferocious battle consolidated and highlighted the terrors of the preceding twenty-six years of war, characterised by torture, vicious murders and desperate acts from both sides. In such a cruel war, was there any room for humanity?
This is the story of an impoverished young Tamil growing up during one of the modern world’s longest conflicts. A child when the war began, Para grew up to become a student leader who was targeted, captured and tortured by the Sri Lankan government. Fleeing to seek asylum in Australia, after a gruelling month at sea his boat capsized in the middle of the Indian Ocean. All seemed lost until he was miraculously rescued by the gas tanker LNG Pioneer and taken to Christmas Island Detention Centre.
While in detention, Para became penfriends with Alison Corke, a member of the Apollo Bay branch of Rural Australians for Refugees, in Victoria. On his release in 2011 he moved in with the Corke family.
“From our first letters, exchanged while Para was in detention and trying to improve his English, I knew he was an exceptional young man, with an astonishing tale to tell.
I am proud to be helping him share his story and to find and thank those people who helped him survive, often against massive odds…Time and again, Para and I agreed that it is the little things that matter most – those small, often unremembered acts of kindness that can change someone’s world. We all have the power to do something; only we can choose whether to use that power for the good.”
—Alison Corke
This is their story, the story of refugees, friendships and the power of good people.