Gerroa’s Glenn Kolmeitz has worked tirelessly over the past few weeks, pro bono and living Kabul hours, to help organise visas for Afghan refugees who worked side-by-side with the Australian Defence Forces.

He has been helped by another local.

“Mark Croxford has lent me amazing support with his access to the Immigration Minister,” says Glenn.

“He opened a couple of doors and as a result, we have kicked a couple of goals, getting a family out who would still be stuck there now.”

Glenn is a former Army officer, now barrister, who served a number of rotations in Afghanistan. He has been in the national news recently, working, again pro bono, to represent some of the whistleblowers who helped bring to light the alleged atrocities in Afghanistan as outlined in the Brereton Report.

Now that the evacuation from Kabul has ended, a larger crisis is just beginning, according to the UNHCR.

Glenn’s attitude is: Let’s do whatever it takes.

“There are still things we can do, as a community, to support these refugees,” says Glenn.

Glenn on service in Afghanistan

He points out that Amanda Findlay, the Mayor of Shoalhaven Council, moved a motion which was carried by the August Meeting for community support, calling on the Prime Minister to increase the number of resettlement places and give permanent protection to the 4,300 Afghanis already here on temporary visas. 

“Perhaps Kiama Council can move similar motions of support,” says Glenn.

“Our community can get on social media and other platforms to speak to our Federal MPs and senators to say that the Kiama community welcomes our Afghan colleagues – because don’t forget, these people worked for us, they helped Australian forces and Australian reconstruction efforts in support of their country.

“Stepping up as a community would be a very good welcoming message.”

He says that forty years ago, the Wollongong community embraced Vietnamese refugees.

“There is now a thriving Vietnamese/Australian community in Wollongong, and they are contributing to the cultural richness of our area. Their contribution has been enormous.

“Kiama can do that.

“Let’s rapidly get these people settled, let’s fix up these emergency visas that are only valid for one month, let’s give them some sanctuary and security in Australia. And ideally settle some in the Illawarra and Shoalhaven.”

Mark Croxford, who lives in Kiama Downs and is standing as a candidate in the next local election, says that all he did to help was take advantage of his network to do what he could to help his community.

He served 20 years in the Navy and was a peacekeeper in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In 1999 he worked as a ministerial advisor on Operation Safehaven, when the Howard Government airlifted 4,000 Albanian Kosovars here and resettled them.

“Glenn is doing remarkable things to help people not just in our LGA but around the world,” Mark says.

Another local, George Gittoes from Gerringong – who went to Afghanistan as an official war artist and set up an arts school in Kabul – has teamed up with Ben Quilty, also war artist and a strong humanitarian.

Through the UNHCR, Ben started the For Afghanistan fund-raising campaign which within a week raised over $4 million, through tech billionaires Scott Farquhar and Mike Cannon-Brookes, and Karen Wilson of the Wilson Foundation, each matching the first million raised.

To donate to For Afghanistan: crisis-in-afghanistan.raisely.com/ben-quilty

Donations to help the Red Cross search for Australians caught up in the crisis can be made via redcross.org.au/Afghanistan or by phoning 1800 733 276