The Wayville Circle (Circle 111) was originally set up in 2011 by members of Christ Church Wayville Uniting Church and a group of people who were visiting refugee families at the Inverbrackie detention centre. When it was closed in 2014 this group saw a need to keep connected with those families. They recognised their desperate need for support and friendship as they tried to make their way in a community they knew very little about in a country that had cruelly detained them for seeking asylum. Settling into a new community where cultural values and practices were very different to what they had known was even more difficult for the majority who had little English.
Most of our current members are retirees who come from a wide range of backgrounds. We share a commitment to welcoming and assisting people seeking asylum and are very active in ensuring that the families we support have up-to-date advice on a range of matters. The members of the Circle provide a wide range of practical support including:
- helping refugees and asylum seekers to find private rental accommodation,
- sourcing furniture, household items, clothing, toys,
- help find employment by assisting with the preparation of resumes and transport to job interviews,
- providing funds or helping to source funds for urgent dental and medical treatment,
- taking asylum seekers to the appointments,
- helping to negotiate payment plans for electricity bills etc.,
- organising social events such as Harmony Day Party, end of year picnics for the families and their supporters, a trip to the zoo, school holiday events to aquatic centres and Bounce venues. These events are actively supported by Young Mercy Links. Their values of compassion, justice, hospitality and hope match very closely with those of Circle 111, and as we grow older we appreciate their youthful energy and enthusiasm for connecting with the families our Circle supports.
The Wayville Circle holds regular meetings for planning events and where the current needs of the families being supported are discussed, progress reviewed and future activities planned.
Contact Circle Convenor Meredith Edwards via email.
