On Wednesday last week, a new asylum seekers and refugee support group braved the cold to meet in Lithgow for the first time. This new group was formed in response to a local debate that was sparked in March this year when a group of 50 people attended a candlelight vigil at the Hoskins Uniting Church, Lithgow and a subsequent sign “Asylum Seekers are Human Beings” was displayed outside the church. The vigil and sign outside the church were both prompted by the death of a young Iranian man, Reza Barati, during a riot in February at the Manus Island Detention Center in Papua New Guinea. The new asylum seeker and refugee support group in Lithgow hopes to raise awareness in the Lithgow community about the facts and stories of asylum seekers and refugees. It also hopes to support asylum seekers and refugees by hosting retreats and writing letters of support. Among their initiatives the new group will be running a letter-writing workshop at the Lithgow Library on Refugee Day, Friday 20 June from 4 – 5.30pm. The letters will be collected and passed on to asylum seekers by Julian Burnside Q.C. and will be in keeping with the theme of Refugee Week, “Restoring Hope.” The next meeting of the group will be at the Lithgow Workies on 28th May at 7pm. Everyone who is interested would be welcome to attend. For further information contact Matt on 0458 789 738, or Ariel on 0457 116 257.
