Anne Moon, of the Rural Australians for Refugees, hopes to raise awareness of the plight of the hundreds of people in detention on Manus Island.

“There’s not enough news about the reality of Manus getting out,” she said. “People need to know what’s happening.”

On Thursday, Papua New Guinea authorities entered the decommissioned Manus Island detention centre and gave the men an ultimatum to leave.

Ms Moon has been in direct contact with the men, who were giving her details as the event was unfolding. “They’re all terrified,” she said.

Ms Moon returned from her third month-long trip to Manus Island on October 30, just one day before the centre was closed.

“It was very oppressive. Many of them were too frightened to come out,” she said.

She had been acting as a liaison between the men, many of whom are ill, and medical staff and charity groups.

She said she had also started a campaign to help fund the legal case for many of the men to have their negative determinations for refugee status reassessed by the supreme court in PNG.

The pot luck dinner will be held at the Warrnambool Uniting Church from 6pm.

She said many of those in detention had been there for over four years and were being moved to another detention centre.

“They’ve had enough. They’ve lost their youth. All those lost years when people are completing education and going to university, getting married, buying a house, having a career,” she said.

“Some of them have been there since they were 14 and 15-years-old.

“They’re desperate and they’re pleading for help.”