SHARING Aussie mateship was the order of the day when more than 80 refugees from around Woodridge, in Logan City, south of Brisbane, were invited to a day at the beach on the Gold Coast recently.
The Burleigh Heads parish Infant Saviour Conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society has been holding an annual Refugee Picnic Day for the past six years with the aim of helping migrants from Africa and Asia feel welcomed in their adopted homeland.
Infant Saviour Vincentien Hans Van Mosseveld said the day included an introduction to the Aussie barbecue and beach lifestyle.
“The Tallebudgera surf lifesavers volunteer their services to create a fun day where they introduce these new Aussies to their lifesaving equipment and water safety,” Mr Van Mosseveld said.
“The surf lifesavers take the children out into the water and they have got them used to water things like their rubber ducks (inflatable rescue boats, IRB) and safety gear.”
Mr Van Mosseveld said the day was all about welcoming the refugees to Australia and sharing Aussie mateship.
“As a Catholic community, we have all these people who are refugees in this country. They come here, they’re accepted into our country, (and) there are two things we can do here.
“We can either let them go on and (become part of) ghettos … and not become part of the Australian community or we as a Catholic community can reach out to people on days like this and make them feel there is an opportunity there to become integrated into the Australian society.”
Tallebudgera nippers president and one of two surf club youth development officers on the Gold Coast Skye Bond said members enjoyed the day as much as the refugees.
She said members from Tweed Heads and Coolangatta, Currumbin and Rainbow Bay surf lifesaving clubs also joined the Tallebudgera volunteers on the day.
“We taught some kids how to swim, took them out for a little spin in the IRB and took them on some boogie boards and some (water) noodles,” she said.
“Some of our kids just played sandcastles with the little ones, but most of all the day was to give them a bit of water confidence and have a bit of fun.”
Ms Bond, who has been involved in the refugee picnic day since its inception, said refugees were also introduced to basic surf safety such as swimming between the flags, and were taught how to attract assistance if they needed it.
“I’ve been in surf lifesaving for 28 years now and been doing this for the last six years and it is awesome. We get just as much out of it as they get out of it,” she said.
Mr Van Mosseveld said that, along with volunteer surf lifesavers and St Vincent de Paul Society members, the local Catholic primary and high school were also involved.
“Marymount College and Marymount Primary School donate gear and sports materials as well as lending their outdoor equipment,” he said.
Mr Van Mosseveld said this year the St Vincent de Paul conference from Ozanam Villa also donated 100 “Aussie” hats to the refugees from Burma and East Africa who now live in the Logan City area.
“In the past the majority of the refugees have come from Central African countries such as Nigeria and the Sudan; this year however most are from Burma,” he said.
“We had four different Burmese sub-groups with us on the day, along with people from Burundi in East Africa near the Congo region.
“After lunch the various refugee groups dress in their national costume and entertain us with music, and Roger Munsie leads everyone with traditional Aussie songs.”
St Vincent de Paul Society migrant and refugee volunteer Bev Anderson, from the St Paul’s, Woodridge, travelled to the picnic with the refugees.
She said some had been in Australia for several years while others had just arrived in the country but, for many, it was their first trip to the beach and they loved it.
