HOSPITALITY DAY

Our next hospitality day is Saturday, June 28.

YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED …

· R4R members Ella Tickle and Lyn Moore spoke about our group with broadcaster Phil Smith on 612ABC Radio last Saturday morning, as a lead-in to Refugee Week. Went very well. (Audio not on the ABC web site, regrettably.)

· The Uniting Church in Victoria has produced a video reflection following the suicide of Tamil asylum seeker Leo Seemanpillai. It’s called Turn Back the Indifference.

· The Jesuit e-magazine, Eureka Street, often has excellent analytical articles about the asylum seeker issue. The most recent is, “Why 71% of Australians want boats pushed back.” Worth a read.

· Julian Burnside QC is one of Australia’s foremost human rights lawyers, passionate about asylum seeker and refugee rights. His web site won’t win any design awards, but the content is excellent and very current – worth visiting regularly. He is inviting Australians to write letters of encouragement and care to detainees at Nauru and Manus Island: details here.

· It’s been around for a few months now, but the “What would you do?” video and Facebook campaign by Jewish Aid Australia is excellent, designed to put empathy into the asylum seeker ‘debate’. Your responses by text or video are invited.

· One way to make a personal statement about your feelings on this issue is on the Sorry Asylum Seekers web site. It began in February 2014 to collect photos and notes from Australians opposed to current government policies and practices.

· Some R4R members visit asylum seekers at the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation (BITA) Centre. Let me know if you’re interested in visiting there, and I’ll send you the required forms and put you in touch with our folk who are involved so they can help you.

· R4R member Tracey Huges has invited people who are in Wellington Point for the Hospitality Day on June 28 to stay on for a soup night with her church fellowship from 5:30 pm, at her place in, Wellington Point. For contact details email: redlands4refugees@gmail.com.

· Some R4R members and I are meeting Lilly Matich, the Redland City Council’s new Community Development Officer, next Friday, to see how Redlands for Refugees might interact with Council and local community organisations. Will keep you posted.

· One way to keep across this issue is to create a Google alert for “asylum seeker” and/or “refugee”. You can choose how often, and across what range of web sources, you’d like to receive a list of sites with new references to those terms. That list will be sent to your designated email address. It’s a great way to keep across breaking news, as well as mentions on blogs and sites that you wouldn’t usually come across.

Thanks very much for your interest and involvement. Hope to see you either at our Hospitality Day on Saturday, or our next social BBQ (date to be advised).

_____________________________________

Pastor David Busch

Coordinator, Redlands for Refugees

Redlands4Refugees@gmail.com