We hope everyone had a fantastic time at our Sydney dinner last week. We’re now looking forward to our Melbourne dinner this Friday. The events bring together friends, colleagues and supporters from across the human rights, justice and philanthropic sectors to celebrate recent human rights progress and energise the movement to tackle upcoming challenges. They are important fundraisers for the Human Rights Law Centre and offer a great night out.
Even if you can’t join us this Friday, make sure you check out the fantastic fundraising auctions we are running to coincide with the events. You can join in the fun via our online bidding system: for the Melbourne auction click here.
Update 24 May: Due to unexpected circumstances, Maina Kiai has had to cancel his trip to Australia and will no longer be the keynote speaker at the dinners. We are very excited to announce that Peter Greste will deliver the keynote speech at the Sydney Dinner and Stan Grant will deliver the keynote speech at the Melbourne Dinner.
Peter Greste is an Australian-born journalist with 25 years experience as a foreign correspondent.
He covered the civil war in Yugoslavia and elections in South Africa as a freelance reporter, before joining the BBC as its Afghanistan correspondent in 1995. He went on to cover Latin America, the Middle East and Africa for the BBC where he has been since 2006. In 2011 he won a Peabody Award for a BBC documentary on Somalia before joining Al Jazeera as its East Africa correspondent. In December 2013 he was covering Egypt on a short three-week assignment when he was arrested on terrorism charges. After a trial widely dismissed as a sham, he was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison. In February the following year, after intense international pressure, he was deported under a presidential decree.
As a result of the letters he wrote from prison in the defense of freedom of the press, he won a Walkley Award in Australia in 2014, and Royal Television Society and Tribeca Disruptive Inovator’s Awards in 2015. He has also been awarded the International Association of Press Clubs’ Freedom of Speech Award; and the Australian Human Rights Commission Medal.
Stan Grant is a multi-award winning current affairs host, author and adventurer.
Stan Grant’s Aboriginal heritage shaped his dynamic, resilient personality. Born in Griffith in south-west New South Wales, in 1963, Stan Grant’s mother is from the Kamilaroi people and his father is of the Wiradjuri. Stan spent most of his childhood on the road living in small towns and Aboriginal communities across outback NSW. His father was an itinerant saw-miller who worked when and where he could. Stan moved so often he attended 12 different schools before he was in his teens.
Stan has won many major awards including an Australian T.V Logie, a Columbia University Du-Pont Award (the broadcast equivalent of the Pullitzer Prize), the prestigious U.S Peabody Award and he is a four time winner of the highly prized Asia TV Awards including reporter of the year.
Stan is passionate about justice and humanity. His years of international reporting has given him a deep understanding of how the world works. He is deeply immersed in the politics and history of Asia and the Middle East. He can link the importance of leadership and the impact of history and above all believes in the power and resilience of people.
Melbourne
Friday 3 June from 6.30pm
The Plaza Ballroom under the Regent Theatre at 191 Collins Street.
Sold out.
Sydney
Friday 27 May from 6.30pm
The Hilton Sydney, 488 George Street.
Bookings have now closed.
If you have any questions please contact our Fundraising Coordinator Rachael Hambleton at events@hrlc.org.au
Dress code: Cocktail/Lounge suit
We hope you can join us!
Big thanks to our sponsors The Saturday Paper and Colin Biggers & Paisley.