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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Stop Press: Quakers Australia Coordinator
Quakers Australia (QA) is revisioning its support structures to assist organisational effectiveness and vitality within the Australian Quaker community. We invite applications for the role of QA...
Editorial
A new year can bring with it a variety of sentiments: relief that the old year has departed, the anticipation of better times, the hope for change, to name but a few. The March issue of the...
Our Way Forward to a New QA Office
Kerstin Reimers, Tasmania Regional MeetingFriends in what we call Australia have embarked on an adventure. We are about to make the transition to a different way of running our national office with...
DISRUPT LAND FORCES CAMPAIGN: DECEMBER 2022
Christine Venner-Westerway, Queesland Regional MeetingIn many respects the June 2021 Disrupt Land Forces Campaign never ended. It continued on with actions occurring at different...
A Quaker’s response to a man who is a bully
Kaye Wright, Victoria Regional MeetingI had known my neighbour, Kelly, for over twenty years. He was a tall, gruff man who was born overseas. He spoke English, but poorly. He once told me that he...
Exploring gender
Compiled by Vidya, Rainbow Friends and Allies MeetingOur Rainbow Friends and Allies Meeting invited personal contributions on gender. The pieces below show our diversity...
Know thy Friend: Jenny Spinks
Jenny Spinks Peter Jones, Tasmania Regional MeetingJenny was born in 1951 into a Quaker family in England, with roots on her father’s side going back to the early days of Friends in Wensleydale....
QSA Notes: Helping communities meet the challenge of climate change
Fleur Bayley, QSA Project Manager, CambodiaWater pit constructon in Uganda SOURCE: St Jude Family ProjectEarthcare is a Quaker testimony, and Quakers seek to “develop a culture of caring for the...
WERONA a place of peace: the first years (1969 – 1982)
Heather Saville, New South Wales Regional MeetingThis is the first of a two-part contribution about Werona, the 38-hectare property at Kangaroo Valley that was purchased in 1969 and is now majority...
A Forever Armistice in the War Against Children. Armistice Day event – 11.11.22
Christine Venner-Westerway, Queensland Regional MeetingThe Rememberance Day meeting.Armistice Day 2022 clocked up a seven-consecutive-year tradition of holding a people’s way of marking Armistice...
The Brothers and Sisters of Jesus
Rae Litting, New South Wales Regional MeetingI believe that religious art has influenced the way we imagine Jesus more than we realise. If we read the Bible, it is clear that Jesus came from a...
Review: Charting our Own Course: Questioning Australia’s Involvement in Us-led Wars and the United States Alliance
The results of a People’s Inquiry by the Independent and Peaceful Australia Network The primary aim of this Inquiry was to build dialogue and pressure for change to develop a truly independent...
Book review: Bullies and Saints. An Honest Look at The Good and Evil of Christian History by John Dickson.
In its first three hundred years, the Christian Church took seriously Jesus` injunction to do good to those who hate you, since they, too, are made in the image of God. In these centuries, the...
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...