Imagine you live in a country that is ravaged by war. Against the odds you escape with the intention of finding a location that is safe and secure. Imagine you come across to Australia and find yourself placed on Manus Island Detention Centre. Imagine trying to reconcile the fact that you are fleeing persecution but find yourself in detention. 

As you wait to be processed, you find the country that brought you to this detention centre has now left the island and you are in the custody of the police of the host island. Is this ethical? UNHCR has repeatedly warned Australia of the severe limitations of finding safe and effective durable solutions in PNG. Most of the 600 men found to be refugees on Manus Island are likely to find insurmountable obstacles to self sufficiency. Even though Australia will continue to bankroll the costs of their stay in PNG indefinitely, this will not amount to a durable solution. What is to become of these individuals? Are they expected to integrate into the small homogenous community of Manus Island where they are unwelcome and unwanted? Are we happy to witness the tensions that will arise out of this and wash our hands of any responsibility?

Other than the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, we have all travelled to this land and made it home. Imagine if this was the experience of our ancestors? Would we be happy to turn a blind eye to this? Do we remain ambivalent to this humanitarian situation because they are different to us in some way? Or is it because we have accepted the propaganda fed to us through some media channels or politicians from all parties? It is situations such as this that grieve me to say I am Australian. If we are happy to allow this to occur, without challenge, who will stand up for us when the tables are turned? Who will advocate for us when we are subject to discrimination because of our income, where we live, our education, our race or ethnicity or our abilities? The situation is very grave and this is not the Australia we sing about in our national anthem. As a Good Samaritan College we are called to care for our neighbour. Jesus teaches us to reach out to our neighbour and show compassion, care and respect, however, this is not evident at the moment. 

Fr Frank Brennan SJ AO CEO, Catholic Social Services Australia has posted a strong video on YouTube that you may find interesting. Perhaps it will urge you to write to your local member.

The term is quickly coming to a close. The girls are completing assessments and staff are preparing for reports and final marking. We will have the closing mass for the year and the awards on 5 December. You are warmly invited to join us for these events. This year we are introducing two new awards. The Waratah Award for a girl who represents the state in an activity and the Green and Gold Award where a girl has represented the country. In both awards, the girls have to have been selected from a field of candidates who are working to represent either their state or  their country. We believe we are aware of some of the girls who are possible candidates, however, if you would like to nominate your daughter or some other student at the College please complete the nomination form attached to this edition of the Inside Out. The criteria has been added for your consideration. All nominations will go before the selection committee, who will confirm they meet the criteria. There is no limit to the number of girls who could receive the award, they just need to meet the criteria.

Many classes will now be finishing off their projects and units of work. I visited the Year 9 Food Technology class through the week to view their exceptional cakes! You can see images of their work in this edition and on their Snapchat page. They have surely done a fantastic job with their teachers Mrs Durrington and Mrs Irwin. Well done girls. Next week, Year 8 will go on camp and I thank the teachers in advance for leaving their families to give the girls this experience. It will be a wonderful three days for all of them. Many staff are currently involved in HSC marking. This always brings invaluable experience and insight to teachers who are teaching the HSC course and can then be used the following year with the girls.  It is nevertheless arduous and demanding for staff as they mark after a full day in the classroom. I am appreciative of these staff for their dedicated efforts to improve the service they can bring to their faculties and the girls though this invaluable PD.

Finally, I would like to remind you of our evening with Madonna King on Wednesday 8 November in the Mary Sheil Centre, 6pm for a 6.30pm start. I hope you will be able to join us.

I will leave you with a prayer shared with staff on the morning of 1 November.

Blessings

Sue Lennox - Principal 

A prayer for justice for refugees and asylum seekers

God of mercy, help me to remember:
My ancestors came across the seas!
Help me keep in my mind
Those who came long ago
And those who now come to our shores.

As I face you in prayer, God of Compassion,
I remember my country’s words:
Send them back or Stop the boats.
Then I fear, not your anger
But the steady gaze of boundless love
and unlimited compassion
That impel me to hear Jesus’ command:
Love one another, as I have loved you
Or Pope Francis’ call to open our hearts
To a universal communion
Which excludes nothing and no one.

Daring to step into such relationship, I pray
For those forced to leave family,
home and all they hold dear;
May they find safe passage and helping hands.

I pray for an end to the wars and oppression
that forced them to leave;
I pray that those who welcome them
are blessed in abundance.

And with deep humility
and a heart hungry for justice,
I pray that we Australians, citizens and leaders,
Open our eyes, our minds and our hearts
That we may see, understand and welcome
our brothers and sisters.

May our change of heart penetrate to our beginnings
As strangers in this land.
May we allow those we displaced
– the First People of this land – to welcome us.
Then knowing, in humility, what it is to be welcomed,
We will know how to welcome
the strangers who come to our shores.

This we ask in the name of Jesus your Son,
In whom we are no longer strangers. Amen.

SAVE THE DATE - EMERALD DINNER DANCE - 17 MARCH 2018