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
In this issue we feature the voices of young people. The theme in every case is the state of our environment, and their fears for the future. How are we to respond to their fears, and our own? How...
Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in Australia, will be held at 3 pm on Sunday 16 January 2022 in an online meeting, via Zoom. For the meeting details please...
How far are you willing to go…to try to reduce climate change?
Ryan M*, Canberra and Region QuakersIn four of my school holiday breaks, when my friends were playing computer games, I was willing to spend time with my family contacting, and interviewing experts...
The Peter Jones Peace Prize
Ayah Anwer, The Friends SchoolPeace its own prize The Peter Jones Peace Prize is held annually at Friends’ High School. It’s a writing competition in which students submit poems, reflections, essays...
Debating the fate of the world with a six-year-old
Kaye Wright, Victoria Regional MeetingI had just arrived at my first client’s house. Her name is Susan* and she is a beautiful, elderly lady with dementia and various physical problems but with a...
Protesters face court
David Johnson and Jason MacLeod, Queensland Regional MeetingJason MacLeod and David Johnson were arrested on 31 May 2021 during a silent witness outside of the global arms manufacturer Thales,...
Reflection on the Raising Peace Festival
Wies Schuiringa, New South Wales Regional MeetingSome things seem like a good idea at the time and then grow into a substantial enterprise. Early 2020, Quakers were invited to join a small group of...
Update: AUKUS Opposition
On 16 September 2021, the Australia-UK-US trilateral security pact (AUKUS) was jointly announced by the leaders of the three countries. Although the public focus of the Pact has been primarily on...
QSA Notes: Partners deliver innovative activities to meet the specific needs of their local communities
Fleur Bayley | QSA Project Manager Local organisations know what their local communities need and are best placed to provide services and support appropriate to the location and circumstances and...
Advices and Queries for Nontheists
Gryff and PeterPeter Williams and Gryff Jamieson-Ballard, Victoria Regional MeetingIn the 378 responses to the 2014 Australian Quaker Survey, when asked “Do you believe in God” 62% of Australian...
“Doing Good Well” – is there a Quaker Way?
Dorothy Scott, Victoria Regional MeetingIn the year 2000 I was walking through the laneways of York, trying to find my way to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. On my return to Australia, I was to take...
The Kingdom of God Is Near?
Rae Litting, New South Wales Regional MeetingThere are many references in the Gospels to the Kingdom of God. In Matthew’s gospel, the preaching about the Kingdom of God begins with John the...
Soul Strangled
To sit with a soulA soul rent apartA soul shatteredA soul without hopeTo sit with such a soulAnd listen to tornRemembranceOf a spent flameFlickering angrilyUntil the splutter stopsWith will...
Book review: Escape From Manus. The Untold True Story
Jaivet Ealom, a member of the persecuted Rohingya minority in Myanmar, arrived as a boat person at Christmas Island in 2013, after fleeing from his native land. He was bewildered to find that the...
Book review: The Bride of Almond Tree
This novel by Robert Hillman was reviewed in the Sydney Morning Herald recently and mentioned that the protagonist is a young Quaker man who lives in regional Victoria, as did the author who now...
Editorial
We have had our second Yearly Meeting by zoom. The articles in this issue show how we have improved our technical skills, and completed our essential business. Discussions at Yearly Meeting...