On the 24^th September the Dowling Rampa family – all nine of us – loaded up our Urvan with camping gear and with enough used cooking oil and biodiesel to fuel the first part of our trip to Alice Springs. The trial of the pine Gap 4 (Donna, Bryan, Adele, and myself) was due to commence a week later on October 3^rd.
 

Friends saw us off from our local church with lots of goodies for the trip, and a blessing and splashing with holy water. While the blessing did not prevent numerous breakdowns, it may have been responsible for the nine of us surviving the trip in 30/40 degree heat with minimal violence and still remaining friends at the finish!
On the fuel front, we managed to obtain enough used cooking oil from various take-aways to cover the trips there and back – thwarting the multinational oil companies once again!
Arriving in Alice, we were immediately welcomed by our good friends, David and Sue Woods, at Campfire in the Heart. Their retreat house was occupied with folks attending the national Aboriginal and Islander Catholic Council conference –600 people were gathering in Alice on the 20^th anniversary of the visit of Pope John Paul11.  The next day we set up at a great place outside of Alice Springs belonging to friends of the Woods. It became home for a number of people over the next two weeks.
But much of our time was spent in the city centre of Alice Springs.  A wonderful Uniting Church minister, Tracey, generously allowed us to set up our display on the lawn outside the Uniting Church each day. The Uniting Church lawn forms a central part of the Todd Mall. Tracey also allowed us access to rooms in the church building adjacent. Our display consisted of a  large professionally made sign with the words: Pine Gap Terror Base – Proudly subservient to the US – Civilians Bombed While You Wait –  Enriching GE and Raytheon.
It was great to meet lots of new friends supporting our action and trial. People came from Sydney (including my sister and nephew!), Melbourne, Adelaide, Cairns and Rockhampton to offer solidarity. Sam and Renford from the Catholic worker in NZ who were travelling around Australia also made sure they were in Alice for the event.
Sam became one of the five people arrested at the gates of Pine Gap that week.
Also in Alice were former community members John Pettit and Sean Heffernan- John on discernment retreat from his Cistercian monastery in NZ and Sean in Alice for an indigenous health conference.
The court case commenced on Tuesday 3^rd October when we were finally officially asked how we pleaded. Bryan Adele and Donna all pleaded not guilty while I said I would plead neither guilty nor not guilty, as I did not recognisee the legitimacy of a trial of war resisters by a government engaged in war crimes. 
Then came the first legal arguments. . Defence Barrister Rowena Orr argued that the prosecution had to prove that Pine Gap is necessary for the defence of Australia against external aggression in order to convict us under the 1952 Special Defence Undertakings Act, a law never before used in this country. Section 8 of the act says a base can be gazetted a “special undertaking” only if it is for such defence. The prosecution argued that they did not have to prove this, but that they merely had to prove the Defence Minister had gazetted it as such. Judge Thomas reserved her decision for a week and when we returned the following Thursday, she informed us that she agreed with the prosecution and they would not be made to prove that Pine Gap necessity for Australia’s defence.
Ding! Round one to the state!
Next the court was closed to the pubic. In a dramatic and symbolic action the Judge ordered friends and media to leave the court. If you are unaware, the prosecution had accidentally given us information in a brief which they later claimed to be so secret, they were not even going to let us show it to our lawyers! (But don’t lose nay sleep wondering why it might be, It is a pretty boring bit of information really) They sent police around to reclaim our copies and threatened us with a year in jail if we disclosed the information to anyone. We were arguing for a variation of the court order. Once again the court was adjourned and the arguments will be heard later.
That was it for court for the moment.  Most of the important action however was happening outside of court. On Saturday 7^th October we had a colourful and vibrant time outside the gates of Pine Gap. 50 people (half local and half visitors) took part. Sam and Renford started by erecting a very large cross. Soon after, Bryan covered the official Pine Gap sign with a more honest description of the Base – our Pine Gap Terror Base sign. Then followed music, street theatre and a moving children’s action. This culminated in children taking flowers to the police who were blocking the entrance to the base. One police officer  (obviously instructed not to take anything from us) whispered to little Ben, “Just put it on the ground there.” Next there was a “weaving of the web of life” with wool. As we all sat on the road, wool was thrown around until all were enmeshed in colour. The children had great fun including a police car in the web.
When police approached and asked us to leave, five people refused to do so. In the centre Sam Land, who stands 6ft 6 tall, and still an imposing figure even when kneeling, held his handmade cross out to the base and prayed. It was a powerful moment, causing tears to well up in many an eye. On either side of him were Tracey Macamae all the way form Rockhampton, Edward Cranswick from Adelaide, and Jamie Ford and Karl Johnston from Alice Springs. All five were arrested and charged with “failing to cease to loiter”, a strange charge for the people most actively resisting Australia’s biggest Terror Base
A week later the five went to court. Four pleaded guilty while stating at the same time that they had done the right thing in resisting the role of Pine Gap
Edward refused to acknowledge the court’s right to try him claiming it was representing the interesting of the US occupying power rather than the interests of Australia. Edward himself is a US citizen having grown up and worked there most of his life. He has an amazing story (lots of amazing stories actually) of his working as a seismologist until 9/11 when he was shocked into investigating what was happening re America and the rest of the world. His conclusions about the violent, greedy nature of the US Empire caused him to totally change his life. When we first met at Pine Gap in 2002, he had ridden a pushbike all the way from Adelaide. Edward was remanded on bail to go to trial on 5^th February.
Now we also have been given what is almost (hmmm) certainly our actual court date -28^th May to 6^th June 2007.  All are welcome to join us in further resistance to terrorism and deathmaking.
Hope to see you there.
Jim Dowling