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Awareness of our Surrounding World

View their latest newsletter here February-2021
JustAct is the social justice unit at the Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania. They equip church members and non-church members to take action on issues that matter most to them.
JustAct campaign on issues that matter most to their supporters.
Sometimes this means adding your name to petitions, letter writing or making phone calls, but it can also result in direct lobbying. They also offer other types of resources for those interested in making social justice change.
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change.org
An update to 11 years too long: It all began when:
Elizabeth Young RSM started this petition to Peter Dutton (Minister for Home Affairs)
“11 years is too long. Hon Peter Dutton MP, we call on you to release A from detention and grant him his SHEV visa immediately!
Despite more than 11 years in detention, and being recognised as a refugee, A has still not been granted his liberty. Now he fears he will be transferred back to Christmas Island as part of the government’s reshuffle of the detention network in response to COVID-19. ‘Christmas Island is where I was first held; I cannot return there 11 years later,’ A said.
A Sri Lankan of Sinhalese ethnicity, A fled his country, in fear for his life, in the midst of bloodshed during the height of the civil war. He was 29 years old when he arrived in March 2009.” Read in full here
And Now: A is free – thank God!

We are now thanking God for some very good news:
“Dear Australians, By the will of God and your support, I got the visa and am now, finally, a free man. I am forever indebted to you all. At this moment I am reminded of the words of God. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God…. Read A’s Full message of thanks
LOYO – Our new Sister Community in the Philippines
“Hello Father Gerry, Hope you are well.
Our stay here in Cebu has been quite overwhelming. My heart aches for the people. What we have seen has been so incomprehensible.
Our visit to Loyo Elementary was pleasant yet sad. The school and community are in desperate need of every possible thing you can imagine. For one, the school itself has no running water so the children need to fill up 2 x 2 gallon bottles of water collected at the well approx 800 meters from the school, then walk up the hill to the school. That is their drinking water and bathroom required water for their school day. At the end of the day they walk back down the hill, refill their 2 gallons with water from the well and take it back home to their home for the family. 🙁
Both Anna-Maria and myself went shopping the night before for school supplies. We purchased 90 exercise books, 200 writing pencils and 40 packets of colouring pencils. (With Parish money)
We also purchased the Loyo community (17 families in total ) a 50 kilo sack of rice which we then divided amongst the families . Emely gathered a member from each of the families to the school where we then distributed it. Some of the parents were crying upon receiving the bag of rice. We had the underwear to distribute and lots of other donations family and friends had given us for the school/community.
After having visited Loyo we then purchased paint for the Prep classroom as the Prep teacher had been asking Emely for paint to paint her room for a long time. Our hearts broke upon hearing her desperation on covering the holes in the walls & peeled paint. All the classrooms are so run down, old, tiny, dark ( little if any sunlight)
Emely let her know we had purchased it for her and she came to the Patupat community where we were staying to collect it and to personally thank us, with tears in her eyes and biscuits she had baked for us. We still have about $30 left over so I will add that to Charity’s money. Hope that is ok with you.
Dearest Father Gerry, my goodness I have so much to share with you about this whole trip. The people. The communities. The life of the people. Our sponsor child and her family. What we have seen, heard and experienced has been so incomprehensible. It hurts my heart so very much.
Thank you for allowing me to travel here and experience this.
Take care and God Bless,”