The Australian Friend
Journal of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Australia
About
The Australian Friend is the official journal of The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Australia Inc. It has been continuously published since 1887. There are four issues per year, in March, June, September and December.
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Editorial
Almost from the start of the Society of Friends, Quakers have been noted for social work in the community after Spirit-led discernment. This edition of The Australian Friend contains reports of...
Resolving Conflict: Reflections
David Purnell, Canberra and Region QuakersThis article arose from a Share and Tell session at YM 2024 in Adelaide, where over 20 people joined me in a talk and discussion on ways of resolving...
Supporting the Afghan families of Australia’s offshore Refugees
Dorothy Scott, Victoria Regional MeetingIn 2019, refugee advocate and volunteer Jan Trewhella established ‘Our Afghan Families’ to provide basic necessities to the families still in Afghanistan of...
Parliament is not for the people
Greg Rolles, Queensland Regional Meeting In this article I am going to go after some sacred cows. Please read with an open mind. When I attack politicians in...
Gender, sex and me – a memoire
Roger Sawkins, Queensland Regional MeetingI first became aware of gender as a child. I can date it fairly accurately because at the age of eleven I transferred from primary to secondary School and...
Walking with the People of Gaza
Rob Leslie, Victoria Regional MeetingOn a cold, grey morning we arrived in the small town of Creswick to join the last half of a Pilgrimage for Gaza. We were a bit early, but after twenty minutes a...
Know thy Friend: Gerard Guiton
Gerard Guiton Peter Jones, Tasmania Regional MeetingGerry was born in Stockport (Greater Manchester) into an Irish family, his mother hailing from Co. Sligo and father from Cork city. After a mostly...
QSA Notes: Introducing QSA’s vision for the future
Fleur Bayley, Project Officer This overview of QSA’s current activities, and details of its vision for the future is based on the presentation by Therese Douglas and Cressida Hall to the QSA session...
Silent Meeting
Rosemary Longhurst, Western Australia Regional Meeting“Why meet in silence?” you ask, The silence is. No more, no less. Allowing everyone, everything to be what they are, it breathes us....
Assisting and Failing to Assist Asylum Seekers
Kaye Wright, Victoria Regional MeetingI can’t imagine what it would be like not to be welcome in my own country. Not to feel welcome, nor to feel safe. Perhaps to fear for my life… I have always...
Purity of Heart
Tony D'Sousa, Finchley Meeting, UKOne day Saint Francis of Assisi and his closest companion, Brother Leo, were out walking. Noticing that Leo looked downhearted, Francis said, “Leo, why are you...
Theophilus Pollard (1795-1872) – a Quaker bigamist
Liz Field, New South Wales Regional MeetingIn a visit to the Friends section at Cornelian Bay cemetery the graves of Theophilus Henry Pollard, and his wife, Jane Dixon Pollard caught my eye,...
First- and Second-Generation Quakers
Michael Corbett, Queensland Regional MeetingImagine if you would that you are amongst the first 2 or 3 people in the world who came to be named “Quakers”. To use a phrase from Professor Brian Cox...
Book Review: The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic War between the US and China, by Kevin Rudd.
Kevin Rudd is ideally placed to write this book. He speaks Mandarin, he has lived for three years in Chinese-speaking countries, both on the mainland and Taiwan, and he has spent seven years working...
Editorial
Reg Naulty, quoting from Thomas Kelly’s A Testimony of Devotion, asks how we can become “a blessed community”. This theme of a blessed, and inclusive community is raised in a number of this month’s...
50 years supporting the rainbow community
Roger Sawkins, Queensland Regional Meeting In January 1975, nearly fifty years ago, Quakers were the first Australian religious body to publicly support the gay community. As with all Quaker...
In conversation: Jessica Morrison (Quaker Peace Worker) and Margaret Clark (Australian Friend Committee)
Margaret ClarkCongratulations, Jessica, on your appointment as the new Quaker Peace Worker! I know that QPLC is really looking forward to the energy and experience that you bring to the role.Thanks...
Happy 400th George!
Tony D'Sousa, Finchley Meeting, UKHappy 400th Anniversary George Fox! George Fox was a truly great man. I know this because his spiritual discoveries have transformed my life, but it is only now,...