Donald Groom Fellowship

This Fellowship was set up by Yearly Meeting in 1974 to encourage and support training and experience in non-violent social change. It is a tribute to the first full-time Yearly Meeting Secretary, Donald Groom (pictured), who had a particular interest in fostering links in the Asian and Pacific regions.
(Handbook of Practice and Procedure, Fifth Edition 2005, Para 8.7)

The Fellowship has assisted selected individuals to undertake research and training in non-violent action, has paid for visits within the Asian and Pacific region by Friends and has assisted with the publication of relevant material on non-violence.

Donations to the Donald Groom Fellowship can be made to the Australia Yearly Meeting Office — post cheques made out to the Religious Society of Friends to —

Quakers Australia
PO Box 556
KENMORE Q4069

Telephone (07) 3374 0135 or email.

Donald Groom Fellowships, 1975 to date

1975 Marjorie Sykes. Worked in India. Travelled South East Asia and Australasia to speak  about Asian perceptions and concerns

1975 Lilla Watson, Aboriginal activist: published ‘Minority Groups in America: Their Struggle and Ours’.

1975 David Martin: Worked at Kendall River with Aboriginal people.

1975 Jann Bennett (South Australia RM): Shared her experiences of living for nine months with the Movement for a New Society in Philadelphia

1976 Ibu Gedong Bagoes Oka: Indonesian translation of Mahatma Gandhi’s The Story of My Experiments with Truth provided to schools in Bali.

1978 Peter Jones (Tasmania RM): Media spokesperson, research and training in areas of non-violent change, nuclear issues, Aborigines and land rights.

1979 Rosemary Morrow: non-violent actions in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific; wrote Pax Pacifica

1980 Rachel Bloomfield: non-violence training workshops in New Zealand

1981 Diana Pittock: built an Australian non-violence training network which took part at Franklin River, Pine Gap, and Roxby Downs

1982 Noriko Toyama: Japanese anti-nuclear activist who travelled in Australia & New Zealand speaking of her experiences.

1986 Joanna Hayter: Former coordinator of People for Nuclear Disarmament (PND) visited Japan with Noriko Toyama for three months to build closer ties between Japanese, New Zealand and Australian peace movements, especially on Indigenous rights and the nuclear dilemma

1987 Penny Duckworth (Canberra RM): Visited India and shared her experiences widely with Friends and the public

1987 Gracelyn Smallwood: Aboriginal activist

1988 Anne Pattel-Gray: Worked towards Aboriginal women's empowerment and the first National Aboriginal Women’s Conference within the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress

1988 Sulak Sivaraksa: Thai Buddhist peace and social justice leader toured Australia

1990 Erwina Darmajanti: Environmental activist who worked for Pesticide Action Network in Indonesia

1992 Swati Desai: Sarvodaya worker from Gujarat, India, who toured Australia to speak of her work with Indian tribal people. [Sarvodaya (Devanagari: ???????, Gujarati: ???????) is a term meaning 'universal uplift' or 'progress of all'. The term was first coined by Mohandas Gandhi whoi came to use the term for the ideal of his own political philosophy.]

1993 Simon Weber (Tasmania RM): Travelled centres and individuals involved in mediation in North America and Europe

1994 Niramon Prudahorn, Thailand (trip cancelled)

1996 Victoria Rigney (Tasmania RM): Published  Peace Comes Walking a biography of Donald Groom, Indian peace worker and the first Australia Yearly Meeting Secretary

2001 Peace Brigades International training Victoria

2000 - 2003 Jason McLeod (Queensland RM): Nonviolence work in West Papua

2004-5 Louise Cook-Tonkin: Moral courage in nonviolent resistance  in Aceh, Indonesia

2006-7 Jarrod McKenna: Empowering Peacemakers in Your Community (EPYC), work with youth

2008 Hannah Middleton: Bringing speakers from Guahan (Guam) to speak of the militarisation of the Pacific and its problems

2009 Robyn Starke: Peacemaking in Papua New Guinea

Applying for the Donald Groom Fellowship

The Donald Groom Fellowship, usually of one year's duration, is awarded to encourage and support training and experience in non-violent social change, with particular emphasis on fostering links within the  Asian and Pacific regions.

The Fellowship can provide funds for a basic stipend for travel and any other expenses, normally up to a maximum of $12,000.

A written report at the  completion of the project will be submitted to the Donald Groom Fellowship Committee  before being forwarded to the Australian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers).

Applications should include:

• Personal background and relevant achievements.
• Aims and scope of project and a time line.
• The names of three referees.
• Whether or not the applicant has Quaker background.

Applications for a Fellowship to start in January 2009 must be received before 30 September 2009 by:

Ruth Watson
Convenor Donald Groom Fellowship Committee
29 Grey Street East
Albany
WA 6330
Email the Donald Groom committee