Tamils almost meet their match
August 1, 2010 11:59 pm
Daily practice has turned fathers and sons from Christmas Island’s families compound into competition for cricket-loving Tamil detainees.
Yesterday, the young men from Camp Bravo -- mostly Sri Lankan Tamils -- belted 96 runs from 15 overs after electing to bat first in yesterday’s weekly detainee cricket match.
They may have thought they had done enough, but the Afghan teenagers who dominate the Family Camp team had a surprise; they have been allowed out to train at the oval behind their camp, and they have improved.
Family Camp unveiled an attacking batting style that excited fellow detainees on the sidelines. They had 82 runs with two overs left when Camp Bravo, sensing danger, brought on its best bowler. Within moments, an aggressive slugger from Family Camp was clean bowled and the spectators stood, cheered and applauded. Family Camp batted on stoically, but didn’t score again.
“They are getting everyday practice from the Family Camp,” said one Sri Lankan from Camp Bravo, clearly a bit relieved at the result.
“They are getting to be good.”
Camp Bravo, by contrast, practises with a soft ball on tennis courts made a part of their compound by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
While it seems unlikely the men of Camp Bravo will train on real grass with a real cricket ball any time soon, they have been told they might be getting an excursion to the beach.
Sunday is the best day of the week for the Tamils of the compound known colloquially to guards and asylum-seekers as Camp Bravo, an assortment of tents and transportable cabins cobbled together next to the island’s rubbish tip.
At 9am they are taken by bus to the island’s church, which has no priest but a welcoming community of Chinese and European Catholics. Bible readings were once read in Mandarin and English, but now a detainee is invited to read in Tamil too.
Outings are sought after but rare for most of the 2503 detainees on Christmas Island.
Today, two charter flights are scheduled to move detainees from Christmas Island to Curtin detention centre, where there are already 460 men. - (The Australian)
