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 expressed our gratitude for the work that went into keeping us all in touch, and our recognition of our many privileges. Even so, we expressed our longing for more face-to-face contact.  During our latest lockdown I have found that zoom is an excellent way of sharing information, but not for sharing experiences.

One of the highlights of Yearly Meeting was hearing about the Disrupt Land Forces campaign against the Arms Fair in Brisbane.  We have two articles about this, plus a statement from a Conscientious Objector.  Friends have been thinking deeply about peace, and why we so quickly turn to military solutions to our problems.  Adrian Glamorgan addresses this matter in his article on militarism, and Rosemary Morrow writes about the difficult situation of peace activists in Afghanistan.

Another aspect of peace is the need for reconciliation with our Indigenous Peoples.  Indigenous people took part in the Disrupt Land Forces campaign, and Chris Highes reviews a book from an Aboriginal Anglican minister seeking to introduce insights from Aboriginal spirituality into Christianity.

While we are locked down, we are called to remember those beyond our shores for whom we still have responsibility.  Quaker Service Australia reports on the difficulties faced by our project partner in Cambodia, but shows that the work done there bears fruit in troubled times.  Whilst we live restricted lives, the words of Bronwen Meredith remind us that we must “grow where we are”.