Circle of Friends Australia Inc.
Supporting asylum seekers and refugees
“An Iranian Food Journey” – a sold-out fundraising event by Nathan’s Circle has been featured on 9NOW as part of the Let’s Eat With George television program – Food for Thought – Episode Four. This event was one of Nathan’s Circle’s most memorable multicultural food events in 2025. Inspired by an email about refugees in Iran, the idea was put …
Circle of Friends Australia’s newest Circle is the Forgotten Refugees Support Circle (Circle 139) and our first Brisbane based Circle.
This is the Circle’s description of their work:
Who are we?
We are a group of Brisbane volunteers (plus valued supporters from interstate) working to house, feed, and care for otherwise destitute refugees trapped in Indonesia. This cohort are without allowances, work rights, access to healthcare or timely long-term resettlement options. We also plan to resettle skilled work ready refugees by sponsoring them under Refugee Skills Visas
Who are the ‘Forgotten Refugees’ in Indonesia?
Whilst visiting Indonesia, we initially got to know refugees living rough in the street, in front of UNHCR in Jakarta. These people either lost their very small allowances from UNHCR because of severe budget cutbacks, or family back home were unable to continue supporting them because of their own poverty. Some never had an allowance, and others had left IOM centres on other Islands because of unaddressed mental or physical issues and came to the UNHCR office wrongly believing they might be helped.
This cohort are comprised of mainly Afghan and Pakistani Hazaras, plus Somalis, Sudanese, Rohingya, and a scattering of others. Most are men alone, who have fled for their lives or been sent out by their families. More recently we are seeing Somali and Sudanese families. Invariably they’ve fled war and persecution in their own countries and are seeking a place of refuge. Ultimately all seek to re-establish their lives in a third country where they can work to support their families, either back home or elsewhere, and ultimately seek to reunite with them.
What do we do?
Firstly, we provide funding for housing, food, other necessities of life, and (when we can fund it) health care. We encourage the refugees to share their skills and resources for mutual support including education initiatives run by refugees for refugees. We aim to visit Indonesia annually to meet, support better understand their needs. These visits are paid for by volunteers out of their own pocket to ensure all donor funds go exclusively to refugees. At present our core group of 8 regular monthly financial donors provide ongoing support to just over ~45 people.
In addition, generally by a special appeal, we support some of the Indoneisan cohort’s close family who are refugees elsewhere, such as Iran or Pakistan.
Secondly, in the medium to longer term we are aiming to sponsor resettlement of some refugees in Australia by accessing Refugee Skills Visas and finding suitable employers for work ready individuals (particularly in the building industry that is crying out for skilled labour in Qld)
Finally, we work to lobby our government to increase the refugee intake and lift the mandatory ban on refugees that arrived in Indonesia after 1 July 2014. We particularly seek a government commitment to resettling long-term refugees stranded in Indonesia, many living without hope or support on the margins for over 10 years.
How can you get involved?
For more information you can contact the Convenor Erica Lloyd-Smith or Treasurer Ralph Lloyd-Smith.
Mij Tanith’s book “Laila’s Story’ is a fabulous and important testament to how persistence and self-less care can brighten another’s life. Heartwarming, funny and honest, this book grabs you and doesn’t let go until the last page. I read it in one evening.
Mij adeptly uses a mix of prose and poetry to and give us a glimpse into the horrendous, stressful process of securing visas for Laila and her five daughter’s to travel to Australia and the naturally bumpy start of their journey of settling into their new home. Through this shines the unexpected love and deep connection that develops between these women across culture and language.
Well done to Mij and all of Circle 108 for enabling Laila to come to Australia, and to Laila and her family for their strength and determination in making the most of their life and opportunities. I am sure every reader will be wishing Laila and her family all the very best.
You can buy a copy of Laila’s Story from Spinifex Press or directly from Mij Tanith. Email Mij Tanith to buy directly from her.
Congratulations to Margaret McGregor who was awarded Citizen of the year by Norwood, Payneham and St Peter’s council on Monday 26 January 2026. It is a well deserved honour and she did Circle of Friends proud.
Margaret started Circle of Friends 42 in 2003. Monica O’Wheel joined this circle in 2005 and notes that Margaret led the circle with energy, dedication, grace and consideration. Margaret still continues to contribute to the Circles though she is now 95. Following is the speach as read by Margaret in accepting the award.
Good morning!I am very honoured to accept this Citizen of the Year award and warmly thank the Mayor – Robert Bria – and the Council.
It is so wonderful that today’s event is being shared with new Australian citizens who are being welcomed into our community. On today of all days we reflect that the First Nation people are the original inhabitants of this country. The rest of us are immigrants, or descended from immigrants.
I first became involved with boat people in the early 2000s with the boat people who landed on the coast of Australia and were detained at Woomera, and later, the Baxter Detention Centre, near Port Augusta. I was shocked and horrified, by the inhumane way in which refugees from Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq were treated. All countries with cruel, and repressive regimes.
A horrifying thing about their incarceration, was that they had no understanding of why they were locked up and treated as criminals, nor if they would ever be released. Politicians cited rules and regulations but gave no thought to the inhumanity of their actions. No wonder that mental health issues became endemic in the centres.
Circles of Friends were set up in South Australia to raise funds, lobby politicians, help with legal cases, and to regularly visit refugees in detention.
I started Circle 42 with sympathetic friends. It comprised mostly women but also two stalwart men: The late Richard Llewellyn and the late Viesturs Cielens, who swept us along with their energy and commitment.
When we support refugees, we’re not just offering help, we’re investing in a more just future – for all of us. They enrich our communities, and remind us of our shared humanity.
At a time when division can feel loud, choosing empathy is a powerful act.
Thank you again for this honour. I accept it with gratitude, and share it with the members of Circle 42, who proved that kindness is not abstract. It is practical. May we keep building communities where everyone has a sense of belonging, the chance to feel safe and valued – and at home.
Thank you.
written by Alex Reilly
Circle of Friends wishes Milad all the best as he begins a new journey to settling into New Zealand. Circle of Friends supported Milad for most of his 5 years in Australia. On 7 November 2025, Milad Zaree flew from Australia to New Zealand to begin a new life after 7 years in Manus Island Detention, and 5 years as a stateless asylum seeker in Australia.
Milad fled Iran when he was 25. He is now 37 years old. He has no family connections in Australia, and has navigated his journey alone. I met Milad in 2021. At that time, he was homeless and living in his car or in the Adelaide Hills, above Waterfall Gully.
Since that first meeting I have walked alongside Milad as he has navigated life as a stateless person with an insecure status in Australia, with no government support, and limited language skills. Milad was in and out of paid work as a Disability Support worker, an Aged Care worker, a barista, an Uber eats driver and as a soccer coach. He attempted to start a house painting business, and a business cooking and delivering meals he cooked at home. He wrote a book about his experiences, and about his unique philosophy of life. He encountered discrimination in the work place, and battled depression without any medical or psychological assistance.
Circle of Friends’ support for Milad over the years has been invaluable. The Emergency Circle was an extraordinary source of support for Milad, responding at short notice to requests for rental assistance, car registration, and dental treatment. The Manresa circle contributed to the cost of a TAFE course, and provided money for the development of a website for a painting business that Milad tried to launch.
Milad was reluctant to accept the assistance of COFA, particularly in the early years, as he did not want to feel indebted. It took some time for me to be able to convince him that there were no strings attached to the assistance, and in fact, Circle of Friends’s mission was to support people in his situation.
I am deeply grateful to Circle of Friends and to Monica O’Wheel and Trish Dundon, in particular, for their unwavering support for Milad.
Milad left Adelaide with high hopes for the future and great excitement at the prospect of belonging to a country, and finally being able to see his mother after 13 years.
In the next post we will include the heartfelt letter Milad wrote to the Minister for Immigration seeking the exercise of the Minister’s power to intervene in his case. This was written before he was offered the chance to relocate to New Zealand. It is a detailed and heartbreaking account of what asylum seekers arriving by boat to Australian waters are subjected to.
