The Refugee Group is now focussed on three different areas – firstly, the Villawood detention centre, secondly, Miowera Village adjacent to the detention centre but no longer enclosed and thirdly, ex-detainees now living in the community.

Immigration is making it increasingly difficult to visit the detention centre as soon it will be necessary to apply 5 days beforehand, provide 100 identity points and at least in theory, see one person only.

Miowera Village, that houses mainly mothers and children, is now open but those who live there still have significant problems, both financial and existential. In this village, we are focussing on an Iranian mother and her young adult children (22 and 24) all of whom have mental health issues after 4 years on Nauru. The son was sent to the detention centre with no explanation given. Their severe depression has made it hard for the children to leave their rooms, except for treatment. Some of our members also visit a young Somalian mother, and her baby girl. The mother is separated from her husband who is still held on Nauru and who has never seen his baby daughter, now 9 months old.

In the community, we are providing relief from poverty, distress and misfortune experienced by a widowed Sri Lankan mother who is a refugee with glaucoma who had many unpaid bills including medical bills. We are also providing relief to a Mexican human rights journalist who was tortured in Mexico for his politics and who recently found himself with $20 per week to live on after paying his rent. We are also assisting a Rohingyan ex-detainee in Adelaide who must leave Australia in 4 months as he was once on Nauru. He, like others from Nauru, was brought here for medical reasons. With a 4-month visa, it is very difficult to find work and he receives no Centrelink payments. Some of us make social visits to ex-detainees and one of our members organizes an annual lunch or outing for our Tamil friends who are now free.

Thus, our funds have been mainly used for living expenses, telephone calls, driving tests, medical expenses and the partial cost of an ambulance.

A number of refugees attended the recent fund-raising evening held by the Association bringing generous quantities of delicious ethnic food enjoyed by all.

So, all in all, we are still assisting asylum seekers and refugees working towards relieving their poverty, distress and misfortune and lending a hand when we can. We always welcome new members and we thank all present members for their time, efforts and compassion.