Refugee Week in Yass 20th-26th June 2021

Yass Rural Australians for Refugees (YRAR) held an event in Yass last Sunday at the commencement of Refugee Week at St Clement’s Anglican Church Hall. The event was hosted by Paul Bongiorno AM, Contributing Editor to Channel 10.

The theme of Refugee Week in 2021 is “Unity” and YRAR decided to promote this theme by celebrating some of the good news stories about the resettlement of Vietnamese families in the Yass township during the early 1980s.

The Convenor of YRAR Sarah Johnston said, “The effort to sponsor and resettle families in Yass was the result of a united effort by the different church groups in the town. The story of the generosity and hospitality of a rural town that welcomed refugees in response to the Fraser Government appeal for help is a good news story worth celebrating. The stories of the refugee families and their contribution to the community and the world are inspirational.”

The event consisted of two of the original members of the resettlement committee sharing the story of how they came together and what they did.

One of the panel members was Fr Peter My who is the new parish priest for St Augustine's Parish in Yass. Fr Peter arrived in Australia as a refugee over 40 years ago and graciously shared his story with participants.

To the delight of the audience, the Canberra Vietnamese Choir sang at the event, which was then followed by a lovely afternoon tea.

For further information about the work of YRAR, please email: yass4refugees@gmail.com

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