Monday, August 10, 2009

Camps, Roundups, Anniversaries and Local Group News

Melbourne

Archway to Freedom group Melbourne presents Bob D. from the USA.

A walk through the 12 steps workshop weekend, in both Melbourne & Sydney

July 2010.

Tickets available now.

For more info contact Steve (ism) through the oz unity group.

2009 National PI&CPC Forum 20 - 22 November, 2009.....


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"The late Broken Hill Jack and Jack Brennan"

In regards to our guest speaker library, we have just added upon request, two wonderful old icons of our down under AA Fellowship, they are the late Broken Hill Jack from Sydney/Adelaide and ex pat 'New Yawker', Jack Brennan to the November 2007 block of speakers. They are there for anyone who wants to listen to these wonderful old gentlemen, the 'late and great icons' of OZ AA.

Now, thanks to the internet, their message will be around for a long time to come.

"Unity Meetings restarting soon"
Folks, through some encouraging discussion re. the sake of our unity some of our Paltalk groups are working towards re opening the old Unity Meetings once per month. So far interest has come from the AA Downunder Group, the 'Came to Believe' Group and our own Group the AA OZ Unity group.

They were a great success a few years ago and great for all groups online.

We have been gauging reaction in regards to the restarting the unity meetings and at this stage it all looks good. Please hang in there for more information soon but from what I have heard our groups only need to come to an agreement, and set a format. More news to some, soon !!!

"Big Book Study" Tuesday nights 8 pm EST Sydney Australia (Tues. morn's 6 am EST NY US, Tues. morn 11.00 am London UK) is now up and running again, commencing from the beginning of the Big Book and going right through til the last page.

"Archway to Freedom"........'a walk through the steps'

For interest members who really want to get a lot more out of doing the steps come and attend attend the "Archway to freedom 12 step workshop unity group" this Friday and every Friday night from 16th of November for an in depth 6 week detailed course. Steve, aka Ism 02 and Debs, aka ximplicxtly are your hosts for this course. A wonderful opportunity for all and could well enhance your sobriety!

"Unity GC Minutes" The Minutes of our Group Conscience meetings will be available via email as soon as our Minute Secretary has prepared them, shortly after each GC folks.

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Chair Roster

Sundays: Janis ( Auntie Janis ) Kansis USA - Guest speaker meeting

Mondays: Megan ( Allieva ) South Coast NSW - Daily Reflection Meeting

Tuesdays: Pam ( Pam & Frank ) Western Australia AU - Selections from the Big Book

Wednesdays: Laurie USA - Topic

Thursdays: Steve D ( Bulldog ) Queenstown Tas. AU - Topic Meeting

Friday: Russell ( Dipstick ) Vermont USA - Topic Meeting

Saturday: Gordy (Roberta) Western Australia AU - Beginners meeting

If you cant make your chair please contact Janis, Gordy or BB Bob and make arrangements to cover your spot TY

All meetings are listed at 8 pm Sydney Australia time zone or corresponding time of 6 am US east coast NY. The time zone converter is on the main web page www.aa-oztralia.com

If you feel you would like to be involved, help out re. service (chair or greet) to the group please contact any of the members above and we will glad assist you asap!

Friday, June 05, 2009

AA OZ Unity News and Events!





Guest Speakers

Please note folks all dates and times
are listed in relation to the Australian
Eastern Standard Time Zone

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Attention folks: The Southern Cross Group's Tape Library is under reconstruction at this very time but all tapes can now be downloaded from the AA Unity site www.aa-oztralia.com
listed under the guest speaker Icon


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Roberta

Sun 9th August 2009

Australia

Unity Group

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Jethro aka Randalstoys

Sun August 9th 2009

Southern Cross AA

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Saturday, April 15, 2006

AA Australia Unity Recovery Group Birthday List

AA Australia Unity Recovery Group Birthday List
www.aa-oztralia.com

Cheeky Charlie - Port Adelaide, Sth. Australia - 6th of June 1954
Oldtimer 1925 - Leroy Michigan USA - 1st Jan 1956
Big Book Bob - Bbbob - Ohio US - 6th of April 1968
Simon ( SimonScotland ) Scotland - 6th of Dec. 1974
Bill ( Sobergentleman ) New York US - Dec the 8th 1974
Bob H ( Wirra ) Western Australia - 15th of March 1977
Gordy ( Dancing Emu ) Port Adelaide, Sth. Australia 11th of April 1977
Eileen ( Meduck ) Westport New Zealand - 15th of April 1977
Gary O ( Pappy ) Winnipeg Canada - July the 12th 1982
Janis H ( Auntie Janis ) Forth Riley - Kansas US - Sept. 24th 1982
Adrian ( Adonis4888 ) Northern NSW Australia - 27th of July 1984
Joannie - Canada - Feb 18th 1991
Terri ( OkTerri ) Oklahoma - USA - 6th of Feb 2003
Murali (Murali-aa ) India - April the 10th 2002
John (lofty) New Zealand - Feb 5th 2007
Jill (killa Cox) Indiana US - Feb 10th 1998
Janie (Janie4041) Coffs Harbor Australia - April 24th 1994
Jim (Singer Jim) Scotland- May 1st 1984
Mick (Alkie Mick) UK - May 5th 1979
Doyle (Doyle_20) South Dakota US - May 20th 1993
Dianne (Lady Di) Iluka Queensland - Australia May 20th 1984
Linda (Irisheyes) Ireland - June 3rd 1982
Larry (Raberro) Ireland - May 5th 2007
Zoe (Zoe_07) Adelaide Sth Australia - July 5th 2006
Ron (Busywolf) California US - July 15th 2004
John the Barman (Jayell) Mannum Sth Australia - July 29th 1980
David G (Soberguy) Syracruse NYS US - August 16th 1993
Lisa (LisaB in Chicago) Washington State US - 17th of August 1990

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Prison groups information

~~~ Meetings, guest speakers, updates and announcements ~~~


~~~Members needed from Victoria Australia for Prison Roster
See information below.

Subject "Guest Speakers"Male or female For Port Phillip Prison
Requirements
Sober Admin requirements
Name
Address
Post codeDOB [date of birth]
DL [driver's licence no]
Select the Saturday [date] you wish to attend
Send me these above details on the Monday prior to the Sat
That's all it takes

Drop in for coffee or a meeting
Also looking for of Soft Covered Big Books old Grapevines or any otherLiterature on AA
Alcoholism
Yours Laurie Pearson

Lets make it a wonderful day of sharing our growth and gratitude *s*



~~~


Please continue to join us in unity of our great fellowship and listen to each others wealth of experience, strength and hope. I'm sure you will hear and ponder on something that will inspire and spiritually enhance your sobriety!!!

~~~

NB - If you can't synchronize your location to our Sydney time zone you can get your time correction from where ever you are in the world right here at http://www.timeticker.com/main.htm or http://www.timeanddate.com

Thursday, February 23, 2006

AA-Australia information and format

AA-Australia Online meeting format

Our group is a fully registered group with AAWS

We conduct well structured voice/audio meetings 8 pm daily EST Australia and have regular Group Conscience meetings to help us adhere with the traditions and at the same time, to enhance our group unity.

For our meetings, a chairman is elected and the procedure is as follows.

The Chairperson brings the meeting to order and introduces him/herself and welcomes all to the meeting.

Singleness of Purpose (below) is read out.

This is a closed meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. in support of AA singleness of purpose, attendance at closed meetings is limited to persons who have a desire to stop drinking. If you think you have a problem with alcohol, you are welcome to attend this meeting. We ask that when discussing our problems, we confine ourselves to those problems as they relate to alcoholism.

Chair person then calls for two members to read, one for the 'Preamble' and one to read 'How it Works'.

Next he asks for a moment's silence for the alcoholic still out there struggling to come to terms with their disease.

A gentle reminder is folloed by saying, "Whom you see here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here!"

Chair person asks group members to please refrain from messaging in text while the meeting is in progress as it tends to distract the speakers.

From then on the meeting proper begins with the chairman either selecting speakers of his/her preference or members click on the hand up top if they have a desire to share.

During the meeting if it is a designated topic re. "As Bill Sees It" or "Daily Reflections" the corresponding numbered excerpts are read and re read during intervals between speakers.

Towards the end of the meeting the 7th tradition is called for by mentioning that members if they so desire could add a little extra to their basket group f2f meeting or whenever they drop in to their area CSO maybe pass on a 7th tradition donation in the name of the online group of which, they consider themselves a member of.

At the conclusion of the meeting a member is called to do a reading e.g. "The Promises" or "A Vision for you"

Another member is asked to lead us out with "Serenity Prayer" or a prayer of his/her choice and the meeting is called to a close.

Open chat follows and the secretary winds up proceedings relaying any group announcements available.

All group updated information can be found on the AA-Australia web site www.aaustralia.co.nr with all meetings list daily at 8pm eastern standard Australian time.

The following text may be read for any appropriate times or situations during the meeting etc.

1. Welcome to AA-Australia Unity Recovery Group. Feel free to join us 8pm EST each day for an ID or optional topic meeting. We ask please NOT TO CROSS TALK IN TEXT while the meeting is in progress. Disruptive behavior wont be tolerated! www.aaustralia.co.nr (@msn)

2. Hi Folks, if you are bothered or continually hassled by people causing personal grief etc by voice or posting irritating text into the room please right click their name and hit ignore!!!

3. For As Bill Sees topics set link to topic is from here: http://www.aamaine.org/Bill/bill228.htm to find the actual page date link, just add new number instead of the 228 showing. Then copy and paste it into room. For numbers lower than 10 make sure you add a zero first, e.g. 08

4. Text (below) in the room if needed by the chair for determining whether visitor to room is a member of AA or just a curious onlooker.

Hi there, are you a friend of Bill W’s or an alcoholic? If you are you are, you’re in the right place. If drinking is a problem it’s our business, if its not it’s yours, but you are most welcome to stop and listen but unfortunately, not permitted to share.

5. * * Just a reminder * * * It is group policy that no red, pink or florescent colors are allowed * * * Just a reminder * * * God Bless (@msn)*

Prayers

Irish Prayer

May there always be work for your hands to do
May your purse always hold a coin or two
May the sun always shine upon your window pane
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain
May the hand of a friend always be near to you and
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.


Serenity Prayer

God grant me
Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can, and the
Wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship
as the pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.


Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me a channel of thy peace
that where there is hatred,
I may bring love
that where there is wrong,
I may bring the spirit of forgiveness
that where there is discord,
I may bring harmony
that where there is error,
I may bring truth
that where there is doubt,
I may bring faith
that where there is despair,
I may bring hope
that where there are shadows,
I may bring light
that where there is sadness,
I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to
comfort than to be comforted
to understand, than to be understood
to love, than to be loved.
For it is by self-forgetting that one finds.
It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.
It is by dying that one
awakens to Eternal Life.
Amen.

Some kindly chosen and needy words for certain times

Few people have been more victimized by resentments than have we alcoholics. A burst of temper could spoil a day, and a well-nursed grudge could make us miserably ineffective. Nor were we ever skillful in separating justified from unjustified anger. As we saw it, our wrath was always justified. Anger, that occasional luxury of more balanced people, could keep us on an emotional jag indefinitely. These "dry benders" often led straight to the bottle.


Nothing pays off like restraint of tongue and pen. We must avoid quick-tempered criticism, furious power-driven argument, sulking, and silent scorn. These are emotional booby traps baited with pride and vengefulness. When we are tempted by the bait, we should train ourselves to step back and think. We can neither think nor act to good purpose until the habit of self-restraint has become automatic.

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Meeting room 'etiquette'

AA - Australia Online Meeting Guidelines


We are glad you are here, especially newcomers. This is an Alcoholics Anonymous website. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and to help other alcoholics achieve sobriety, and our only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. If you have a desire to stop drinking and you have come here to learn about our way of life, or if you have come simply seeking AA fellowship, then we welcome you!

AA - Australia Unity Recovery Group Meetings offers daily online AA meetings and a general discussion forum. Please read our guidelines and "Meeting Format" announcements regarding our formats. In becoming a member, you agree to adhere to the meeting and discussion guidelines.

In the spirit of love and tolerance, AA - Australia Meetings may contain many diverse points of view regarding alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous from visitors especially those unfamiliar with our fellowship. Some discussions may often be offensive or controversial. AA - Australia attempts to maintain as free and open of an AA meeting place as possible. In accordance with the first AA tradition "Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon AA unity", if you have come to carry any message directly opposed to the AA method of recovery, we suggest you seek a more appropriate site. This is an AA group that encourages everyone to carry the message of hope that AA offers, and posts or shares that attack the very nature of AA will not be allowed to continue. Also, continual and intentional disruption of the online AA meetings and discussion forums will not be tolerated and will result in loss of attendance privileges.

Please be respectful of each other.

Abusiveness isn't tolerated here.

Harassing or making prejudicial comments to other members is considered abusive.

Please remember, PRINCIPLES BEFORE PERSONALITIES, if you are having a personal problem with someone in the community, please try to resolve it privately. If you have tried to address it privately without any resolution send us an email and we will take appropriate action.

Please Do Not Use Neon Fonts In The Chat Room these colors are very hard on the eyes.

Please dont spam the chat room.

Taping of our room or any speakers without specific permission will NOT be tolerated...Breaking anonymity is contradicting our traditions, consequently, any offenders will be removed immediately!

Posting links to other groups outside AA is not permitted.

If someone is sending you unwanted whispers put them on ignore and email us immediately.

Recommendations passed on from the Australian GSO on behalf of all AA groups

Board Recommendation 1-2/99:

The Board recommend that barring a problem person from an AA meeting does not constitute barring from AA, but is rather applying Tradition 1 and putting the common welfare of members first. If the matter deteriorates, a Restraining Order should be obtained and, should the order be violated, police assistance should be sought.

Thanks For Taking The Time To Read This.


By entering the room I agree to abide by the guidelines of the group as determined by group conscience

Group Conscience AA Unity Group

Saturday, January 01, 2005

A letter sent to all offices and groups in Australia informing of the criteria and functional details of online groups in Australia

G'day all, my name is Gordy, and I am an alcoholic.

I am a member of the AAustralia Unity Recovery Group, NewBBaa, Eleventh step group, Recover email and my f2f group at Port Adelaide Friday Night, South Australia.

From here on in I'll just refer to the AA-Australia group to make it simple.

A little while ago, I was granted the great privilege (on Saturday the 5th of February 2005) to address the South Australian Regional Forum in regards of the statistics and criteria of online AA meetings and importantly, on their functions and statistics.

I was kindly introduced to all by the chair and gave them a brief outline of my personal involvement with Online AA etc. I then continued by illustrating the fact that I believe as many other on-liners believe also, that a fair percentage of our general membership seems to be un-aware or un-informed of the level AA has developed online, since it's conception and up unto the present day. I feel too that many members seem to prefer to show 'contempt prior to investigation' rather than what I tend to believe is possibly, their true feelings; that it is merely a simple fact of basic computer illiteracy restricting their participation rather than a true indication of how they really see online recovery.

I can understand their sentiments as I was probably one of the worst 'knockers' in the beginning but after a few years of experience sharing with other alcoholics online, I have been swayed by the merits and realism of such meetings and together, coupled with an added bonus of true to life emotionalism (portrayed by the audio feature in a direct parallel with the blandness of text) I can feel much more humanness filtering through by the person up there sharing.

Now, before I start with the facts etc, I must say I am a keen convert to this form of meetings and I gratefully employ them as an added supplement to my regular f2f meetings and not as the main source of my recovery therapy! I never reverse that order and you may say why? Well I stress that fact because I feel we need to have plenty of person to person contact via the f2f meetings mode for us to feel enthused, inspired on by our older sober members and to experience all the processes of this wonderful fellowship, first hand.

Now down to the real truths of how online meetings operate, I'll refer to the AAustralia Online Recovery Group which was formed from a small nucleus of members ( in 1999 ) in Australia and now blessed to carry the message far and wide through out furthermost corners of the earth, to be a viable form of recovery for all who may seek it out.

The AAustralia Group has at the time of writing consists of 5 dedicated members or trusted servants holding the following offices as Secretary, Assistant Secretary, List Keeper, Greeter and Group Mentor.
We have two (unwritten) sections to the group - one is the email section where a group of topics are selected once a month ( it changes one by one once a week ) and members are invited to share on them as well as any other item they feel deemed necessary plus, lovingly encouraged to share in depth of their despair, recovery and especially plenty on their elation in a 'new found freedom' from their impending demise.

The second section is our online audio meeting located on Paltalk www.paltalk.com where we hold meetings daily 3pm and 8pm EST or located in the Sydney Australia time zone. The directions on how to access these meetings are found on our web page www.aaustralia.co.nr and also, if any members have difficulty in finding the rooms they can email any of the above committee direct from the web page to receive further instructions and information.

We also have an under structure called the Business list or in shortened phrase we term the Biz-List. This committee handles all business appertaining to the group in conjunction with the traditions using the Group Conscience as the appropriate vehicle for doing so. Anyone who wants to go on this list is welcomed 'open arms' and the excellent feedback returns in the form of personal satisfaction to service, gratitude and a deep sense of a belonging as an integral family member of a wonderful bunch of AA on-liners like my groups, stated in the beginning paragraph above.

To continue - at the time of writing we (AAustralia) have 104 members who share their experience, strength and hope via the meeting rooms on Paltalk or simply, by the constant flow of each others email (on or off topic) to and fro throughout the group. To add to that we hold Group Conscience meetings once a month to discuss ways and means to enhance our ability to 'carry the message' and implement certain structures along the way with the traditions to mold and protect our unity. Without that we have no united front to carry out our 'Primary Purpose' and a group could easily fragment as others have done before us without a stabilizing structure, to shore us up with good strong solid foundations.

Our meetings as aforementioned, are held daily and aligned along similar lines as f2f meetings with a designated chair person and at least one or two greeters to welcome (quietly people to the room in the background) members into the room. The chair calls the meeting to order in the usual manner with the Preamble and then someone is requested kindly to read chapter five. Next a short introductory is commenced by the chair asking each member present via the process of going down the list saying hi (eg my names Bill, I am an alcoholic from Sydney Aust etc) and when finished, the meeting proper commences.

Some of our daily online meetings have a topic like a reading from the 'Daily Reflections', 'As Bill sees it' or one of the 'Steps' etc. but most are the common ID style meetings we have all over Australia.
The chair asks for volunteers (to do this there is a little hand that when clicked on, pops up for the whole room to see) but if none forthcoming he/she usually goes down the list selecting as he/she goes, or maybe at random, the chairs prerogative.

Some meetings have guest speakers and this information can be found on our web page well in advance leading up to the actual time the guest is scheduled to share. As well it is usually forecast as announcement's via regular email's to the group and by the time the speaker is ready to share his recovery, most have been well informed prior to the event. The group has the added ability to publish a flyer to that effect and, it can be easily accessed on personal request.

Some members have elected to open rooms for general fellowship like just chatting amongst themselves, playing music or what ever and that is really up to the members involved and needs not be recognized as being directly related to AA but only as a place where members can have some fun or say, similar as visiting the local coffee shop before or after a f2f meeting. These rooms are often used for playing speaker tapes, 12 step work and members are encouraged to share of themselves using a recovery based theme. The actual meeting room is kept just as it's designated for in the first place, primarily for our AA meeting purposes only, and a more informative disclaimer to that effect can be found as a notification (keeping in line with that specific purpose) on our web page to keep our members up to date, and well informed.

We encourage online sponsorship for anyone who has a need for or offers themselves for that service and a selection of group mentors have stepped up in that regard so all one needs to do is contact any of these members and it is usually arranged privately, and with a minimum of fuss.
I am one of those members mentioned and my feelings on that (my thoughts only) is as it was passed on to me in my early days of acquiring a sponsor was, men for men and ladies for ladies. My thoughts only and I think most agree on that as a personal thing.

At the time of writing one of our members has been invited to sit on the OIAA (Online Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous) as a valued groups representative and we feel that it is a good step in the right direction keeping us united and a direct means to share information and the same time, helping us to gel together many of our online groups with a sense of direction, and a definite purpose.

I feel that if Bill W was still alive and as an enthusiastic young man, this would have been 'tailor made' for him to reach out to all those guys despairing and isolating in their own personal environment, screaming silently in anguish and crying desperately for the kind of help that we have so readily available on offer here.
Talking on that more, I believe we have just the right vehicle to connect to those unfortunate people who are so alone and suffering a incessant alcoholic forlornness within the confinement of their own homes; to reach those too who are forcibly incarcerated in prisons, lost in rehabs, ill in hospitals, possibly disabled without contact or remotely located.

This ability we have is an enormous 'God send' for all who want to become a part of, and more involved in this new age tech. of spreading the message; that there IS help out there and the amazing thing is that they can find it right from where they're at. It's from this position, with our ES &H that we are able to recognize these wonderful assets in a collective sense and begin to utilize them in the best methods of defense for maintaining our own individual sobriety, and to reach out to those who need it most by introducing them to our fellowship and an online recovery program.

Nothing is more inspirational in our life long quest of total sobriety than to bear witness of a miracle evolving before our very eyes especially of some poor unfortunate lost soul caught up in a seemingly hopeless position and despair. I love to be to be a part of their special miracle; to watch a smile slowly becoming evident and to see them helped along by Gods supreme love as the binding adhesive kindly remolding them into the beautiful spirit that was so long concealed by their addiction to alcohol.

In the near future according to recent discussions that have been taking place, an Online World Service Conference alternating between the Normal World f2f Conference on a regular basis will come into being. The actual format and when and where will be released after reasonable debate/discussion on such items concerned re. the agenda and will be made public in due course. The latest information I received was it is well underway and shouldn't be too long before an announcement will be forthcoming.

BTW...the web site of OIAA is displayed here http://www.aa-intergroup.org/ and all groups registered and falling under its umbrella are located there for your perusal, including AAustralia.

In summarizing I think I can say on behalf of our group (AAustralia Online Recovery Group) that by increasing our energies via the online concept we will increase AA membership as a whole and broaden our concepts to present much more needed assistance to many of those 'sick and suffering alcoholics' out there in suburbia and beyond; to help allay their fears and and implement our online groups as guiding stepping stones into f2f meetings and importantly, along the path to recovery and a new way of life.

God bless

Yours in the fellowship

Gordy
AAustralia Unity Recovery Group
www.aa-oztralia.com