This is the original RADNAT homepage section extract showing hyperlinks on the website to a circular for each year of the Sydney Forum. Note that all are included.
The Acropolis image included above was contemporaneously applied by Australia First Party as it being a classic symbolic ‘monument of thought‘ for these forums.
The Acropolis of Athens (dates back to 13th century BC. In ruins today)
On this fortified hill were born Democracy, Philosophy, Theatre, Freedom of Expression and Speech, which provide to this day the intellectual and spiritual foundation for the contemporary world and its values. SOURCE: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/404/. So, an appropriate symbol for the Sydney Forum.
The Sydney Forum?
Australia First Party initiated a series of annual public forums in Sydney from 2001 and through to 2012. The only year excluded was 2008 due to The Party at the time undergoing a tumultuous internal political split along ideological lines, which was subsequently resolved.
So there were a total of eleven Sydney Forums between 2001 and 2012.
The Sydney Forum was an annual non-profit political event organised by the Australia First Party New South Wales branch organised to facilitate the presentation by various invited speakers on various Australian political topics of the day. Particular invitees were Australian patriotic groups and independent patriots and their friends and family. Yet the forum was also open to all to come, exchange ideas and documents and participate. That is except for trouble makers.
Whilst the Australia First Party was the organiser of each Sydney Forum, as organiser AFP saw its role purely as forum facilitator only…
“While we will ensure the smooth running of the event, our aim is to stimulate, not control, discussion and education…The emphasis throughout this period was for the forum to be independent of any and all patriotic parties and associations in order to carry out its function….The Sydney Forum provides a place for controversial speakers to be heard. We do not accept responsibility for all commentary from any speaker, nor does any other speaker endorse someone else…Yet, each speaker has something to impart to you, useful and incisive material that will serve you in your political work…There is ample Open Forum time available when participants can have their say…Time can be ‘applied’ for to the meeting-chairman on Day One. The meeting-chairman advises that order will be kept, particularly during question time. Questions not statements.”
[SOURCE: 2003 Sydney Forum circular]
An advisory note by AFP President Dr Jim Saleam:
The Sydney Forum
“The Sydney Forum, which operated between 2001 and 2012 was a significant contribution to ideological and political discussion amongst nationalists, other patriotic forces and alternate opinion-makers. Attendance varied, but the event served as a place of unity and fraternalism.
In that way, the Forum never declined a person the right to a ticket and extended full courtesy to all its speakers. Various organisations and individuals had a ‘table’ at the event to market their merchandise.
The Sydney Forum was formed in August 2001 by Jim Saleam, Welf Herfurth and a few other nationalists. The initiating event was held in December. Thereafter, the Sydney Forum convened annually until 2012, with a break in 2008. Jim Saleam served as secretary and Welf Herfurth a master of ceremonies.
Welf Herfurth
Of course, the Sydney Forum did not operate without opposition. In 2005, the venue was cancelled one day out of the event, when a local parliamentarian teamed up with a pseudo Antifa activist and some multiculturalists, to make threats of violence. With speed, the headquarters building of Australia First was converted over for matters to go ahead. A small group of counter-demonstrators turned out, but were greatly outnumbered by attendees. In 2009, the regular Antifa turned out a inner-west RSL club to “shut the fascists down”. That too was a defeat.
One notable speaker was (the late) Dr. Ibrihim Saad al Samarai, Charge d’Affaires of the Republic of Iraq. He spoke some five months before the so-called ‘Coalition of the Willing’ invaded his country. Dr. al Samarai rightly warned of tragic consequences. True to his Ba’athist commitment, he later died under arms in the insurgency.
Dr. Ibrihim Saad Al-Samarai in 2002 attending the Sydney Forum
Our attendees knew the Sydney Forum could be relied upon to bring useful and challenging speakers. It operated over two days with ‘feature’ speakers on the first day at a special venue and a more intimate shorter-speech-time speakers on the second day at the AF1 building, followed by a BBQ and informal networking and so forth.
However, all good things come to an end and shortly before the eleventh Forum, Welf Herfurth withdrew from the Forum’s organization. Rather than cancel, organizers held the last event as a ’Special Sydney Forum’ and obtained other additional speakers to extend the event in the radical democratic style.
So the Sydney Forum was dissolved just as the famed Inverell Forum had a few years before. Certainly there may be a call for a similar entity to be formed in this period of global conflagration and crisis and the dissolution of our Australian community. ”
Notes:
1 Australia First Party
Each year’s forum was typically located at venue in the Sydney CBD and usually held over two consecutive days. Attendance was ticketed in advance a a price of $35 per head simply to cover the venue hire costs and basic catering. All speakers at each forum were unpaid volunteers. “Our published balance sheet after the last Forum revealed a small loss which was borne by the organisers.” [SOURCE: 2003 Sydney Forum circular]
Also, of note is that a separate dedicated website www.sydneyforum.net was then initiated by Australia First Party for this purpose from 26 June 2009.
For instance, recall this website banner?
The website included backdated forum information back to 2003 and continued forum updates up until 2012. Subsequently it was made defunct due to computer and website hosting issues, however we have recovered it and reproduce it here on this RADNAT website.
This is an example of the www.sydneyforum.net website’s menu list for each annual forum:
Under RADNAT’s website’s menu header ‘Sydney Forums’ are herein restored as best as possible, listed as separate webpages showing the forum circular and forum information for the following years:
Click any of the hyperlinks below to go to the respective forum webpage. Not all years have information recovered. We apologise for that.
However, it is appropriate that in hindsight, as the forums progressed year on year, as did the www.sydneyforum.net website evolve and grow quite richer in content over time that we take the liberty to add subsequently refined introductory information about the Sydney Forum to Sydney Forum 2001 on this website so as to set the framework of what this this was about. The introduction relates to all the years from the outset.
Sydney Forum 2001
Sydney Forum 2002
Sydney Forum 2003
Sydney Forum 2004
Sydney Forum 2005
Sydney Forum 2006
Sydney Forum 2007
Sydney Forum 2008
Sydney Forum 2009
Sydney Forum 2010
Sydney Forum 2011
Sydney Forum 2012
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