We’re so grateful for your wonderful support this year, which is forging friendships and lifting spirits in the Outback. In this issue we take you to Bingara (NSW) where farmers Greg and Bethany Stace have their first Outback Links experience. We share the ongoing struggles people in the bush face and demonstrate the growing need for our incredible volunteers and Bush Chaplains.
“We all need to listen, learn, respect and nurture. We all have a place here and we all have a critical role to play in encouraging others to take an active part in making the future different from our past.” During NAIDOC Week 2019 our National Programs Manager, Michelle McLeod shares her experience of Walk on Country at Uluru.
In mid-2017 an extraordinary event took place at the heart of Australia. Chosen representatives of all First Nation Peoples gathered and, setting aside all differences, forged one unified call to all Australians. In NAIDOC week 2019 we encourage all to read the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Earlier this year, the mining town of Tom Price in our Pilbara Remote Area (WA) was rocked by the mysterious disappearance of one of its beloved members. Our Bush Chaplain, Rev John Dihm brought the community together. He provided practical and pastoral care during one of its darkest times. He was with them every step of the way. This is his story.
As an agency of the Uniting Church in Australia, Frontier Services is in full support of the 2019 Budget response statement released by President Deirdre Palmer. Frontier Services’ National Director Jannine Jackson welcomed extra funding of $5.5m over four years for mental health services for people in Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland who had been affected by natural disasters…
People in remote Australia need your help right now. Many of them have suffered through years of crippling drought. And this year they’ve been dealt another devastating blow – floods and bush fires. You can make a real difference to the lives of our Outback brothers and sisters by volunteering or giving a gift. Every little bit matters.
Follow the stories of our amazing volunteers and learn why they joined our Outback Links program to bring practical care to people in remote Australia. Read about Rev David Ellis and his unique ministry in our McKay Remote Area in north west Queensland.
Many of you will have seen in the media just how much people in Remote Australia are struggling. The country is experiencing the most severe weather conditions we’ve seen in a very long time. Even as an organisation that specialises in providing support and care for Remote Australians, the images and stories being shared have been incredibly confronting. These extreme weather events are going to forever change whole communities.
National Director, Jannine Jackson was “saddened” by the latest statistic released that online searches on mental health had grown by 64% in the last week alone. As the lights fade from the passing of Christmas, January usually becomes a time where we take stock of our lives and think about resolutions for the year to come. “I am aware of the effects Mental Health issues have on families and the communities in which we live”, “sometimes this can be a life long struggle, but for others it can just be a period of time.”
Wishing you a Merry Christmas! I’ve been so humbled listening to our Bush Chaplains in the lead up to Christmas and so I wanted to share two lovely things with you below. A short video from Bush Chaplain Pastor. Gary Ferguson of the Ceduna Remote Area, and a Christmas blessing from Bush Chaplain Rev. Peter Wait of the Tennant Barkly Remote Area. From all of us, may your Christmas be full of blessings, for you and your loved ones. Stay safe and I look forward to sharing stories with you in 2019…
