Rockhampton community members were given some insight into the landmine problems around the globe at Austcare’s Refugee Week Luncheon this week.

Guest speaker David Johnson spoke at the luncheon which was staged at Central Queensland’s University’s Old Supreme Court building. The event was supported by the Area Consultative Committee, Rockhampton City Council, Central Queensland University and the Sisters of Mercy.

David presented some overwhelming statistics on the number of people who have died or been injured from landmines. He said some villages had over half their population disabled in some way from landmines. He said Laos was the worst affected country.

Money raised from the luncheon has been donated to Austcare and Ban the Landmine Campaign.

David is the North Queensland Coordinator of the Australian Network of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. In December 2000 he was in the Australian Government delegation to the meeting of States parties of the Mine Ban Treaty in Geneva. He is currently working as part of a program to encourage all countries in the Southeast Asian Region to accede to the Mine Ban Treaty.

During his visit to Rockhampton David presented a book of statistics on landmines to three Rockhampton libraries: Rockhampton City Library, CQU Rockhampton Library and Central Queensland Institute of TAFE Library.