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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Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Australia, will be held at 3pm AEDT on Sunday 22 January 2023 in an online meeting, via Zoom. For the meeting details...
Editorial
A recurring theme in this month’s issue is the need to take care of ourselves physically, mentally and spiritually. The needs of the world are many, and our concerns are many. But to tackle these...
Openings and closings
Bruce Henry, Victoria Regional Meeting and Presiding Clerk Openings and Closings for me Most people wonder if the job they have is right for them. Parker Palmer struggled to find his vocation. He...
Reflections on a visit to countries bordering Russia and Ukraine
Tim Gee, Friends World Committee for ConsultationWhen I close my eyes, whether to sleep, rest or pray I find my mind going to Central Europe, in particular to a ship docked in Estonia’s...
Gender specifics and being a Quaker
Steve and Janice Blakeney Janice Blakeney, Tasmania Regional Meetingare As a Friend for whom being a Quaker has meant finding a spiritual path that makes not just sense but gives me a better...
Artists’ Retreat at Silver Wattle, October 2022
Judith Pembleton, Queensland Regional Meeting, and participantsTravelling by car, train, and plane; around a dozen women and one man arrived at Silver Wattle Quaker Centre (Silver Wattle) to use...
A letter to Quakers
Rowe Morrow, New South Wales Regional MeetingHomeNovember 9th, 2022 Dear Friends: “I learned that I have a community larger than me, than us, seeking to have the same common future: of hope,...
CMP: Ending homelessness, violence and suicide among men
Felipe Oliveira, Queensland Regional MeetingThe Counselling Men Project (CMP) was granted funding from the Quaker Peace and Social Justice Fund. CMP is so grateful for this support, the outcome...
Lilian Foxcroft: An almost forgotten Quaker
Liz Field, New South Wales Regional Meeting (and former member of Tasmania Regional Meeting)For some years, I have been interested in the Dictionary of Australia Quaker Biography (DAQB), my interest...
Poem: Stories of life and its experiences; Earth and Nature
Do you have a story to tell? All of us have a story to tell, but perhaps we have not realized it yet.Share your stories.Stories are for sharing. We need to hear each other’s stories.Stories bring us...
Candle, Kingdom and Consciousness
Gerard Guiton, New South Wales Regional MeetingImagine a candle nearing its end. The flame is about to go out but it continues to flicker nevertheless. However, you need light so you get another...
A new A&Q. Do you care for your body?
Helen Gould, New South Wales Regional MeetingLearn to listen to your body. It is through our bodies that we experience the sacred. Caring for your body benefits your family, community, and the...
Where did I last find God?
An Anonymous Friend[1] How easy it would be to begin this reflection by listing the places in which I have not found God recently. Easy, too, would be the list of where I miss...
QSA Notes: Reflections on the 2021/22 project year: Highlights and priorities
Fleur Bayley | QSA Project Manager, CambodiaQSA is a long-standing partner in the Australian NGO Cooperation Program, the Australian Government’s longest running and largest NGO program. Each year,...
Know Thy Friend: Aletia Dundas
Aletia Dundas Peter Jones, Tasmania Regional MeetingAlthough Aletia has frequently been thought of as a birth right Friend, her parents only joined Wahroonga Meeting after hearing about Quakers on a...
Future Proofing
Sue Parritt, Victoria Regional MeetingMark and I have been making plans together since the late 1960s, when we visited Australia House during our 3-day London honeymoon to apply for assisted...
Such is Life
David Swain, New South Wales Regional MeetingWhen a person possessed of an active mind explores nature, or ponders in imagination the broad range of organic creation, no single one among the...
Book review: The Search For Truth. Information, disinformation and the algorithms of social media
This is the the 2022 Quaker Lecture, Aotearoa/New Zealand Verica Rupar is a professor of journalism at the School of Communication Studies, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, and chair...