Grace and Disgrace Part 2
Last week I wrote about my encounter with grace. Today I want to talk about being drawn to a movie by its subtitle – how the church is better and worse than you ever...
Category
Asylum Seekers & Refugees
Attending to Stories of Trauma
This is Otholi Okwot. In front of him are a few items from his ancestral homeland Gambella in south west Ethiopia. When he and his family were still living in Ethiopia,...
Red poppies and ethical storytelling
When I worked part-time and mothered full time, my garden suffered. I frequently allowed annuals to go to seed and hoped that they would sow next year’s display. I later...
The curious scribbler meets the rug maker
‘Would you like some tea?’ asks Najaf, the rug-maker of Mazar-e-Sharif. I accept his kind offer gratefully as I step into his shop – Afghan Traditional Rugs...
Don’t let headlines kill the welcome
In The Australian last weekend, journalist Paige Taylor described the gradual hardening of her heart. She wrote of baby Abul flushed from a baby-carrier strapped to his mother...
Interview with Blackwood Circle of Friends convenor: Tricia Rushton
Last week, I spoke to Tricia Rushton, the current convenor of the Blackwood Circle of Friends, a support group for refugees and asylum seekers. The Circle of Friends was...
Rohingya in Singapore – not advisable?
Last week, I shared Theophilus Kwek’s article where he suggested that even though Singapore is a small country, it can try to find creative and mutually beneficial ways...
Hosting New Migrants: on the capacity to welcome
When we first arrived in Adelaide, we stayed in a two-bedroom unit off Goodwood Road. My sister’s old school friend had arranged for us to live there while the...
A Crack in the Immigration System
My home was built in the late 1960s, a federation-style house with amber glass, faux gold fittings and slate floors. For a middle-aged entity, this double-bricked beauty is...