We are a Sunshine Coast group that advocates for just and compassionate treatment of refugees, consistent with the human rights standards which Australia has developed and endorsed.
We support policies towards refugees and asylum seekers that reflect respect, decency and traditional Australian generosity to those in need, while advancing Australia’s international standing and national interests.
HOSPITALITY AND SUPPORT
We make friends with refugees and asylum seekers living in south east Queensland, exchanging visits and phone calls, offering practical support as needed.
COMMUNITY EDUCATION
We seek the truth about refugees and asylum seekers in Australia, and we make this public in different ways including offering talks to schools and community groups.
LOBBYING AND ADVOCACY
We lobby our politicians, and use media publicity to advocate for just and compassionate treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.
Meetings: FOURTH Sunday of each month,
11.30 am to 1 pm,followed by finger food lunch. In Buderim.
Email: buddies1@westnet.com
Here are some photos from the Golf Day!
events
Quilt Raffle»Buddies member, Meg Fitzsimmons worked tirelessly towards the end of last year in organising a raffle to add to the funds to help bring Malik out from Afghanistan. First prize was a beautiful hand-made quilt, crafted by the Patchwork Group of Buderim Craft Cottage. Second and third prizes were hand embroidered book covers on a […]
Picnic Day at the Beach»
An important and happy part of Buddies activities are the Picnics at the Beach
buddies in the news
buderim buddies make their mark»Barbara Brewster of Buderim Buddies writes letters to the refugees in Woomera
A growing number of Sunshine Coast residents are opening their hearts and homes to the thousands of refugees in Australian detention centres.
Buddies, based in Buderim, was founded five months ago and has since engaged in a dedicated letter-writing campaign to asylum seekers as young […]
open hearts»
Barbara Brewster with a picture of the Afghan family she has come to know and love
AUSTRALIANS need to look behind the rhetoric to see the world of heartache suffered by refugees, says a Buderim group opening its hearts and homes to asylum seekers.
Author Barbara Brewster started Buddies 10 months ago after speaking to a refugee […]
documents
ARTICLE by Caroline Hutchinson, Friday, September 14, 2007»“For the price of a game of golf….”
Full Text :
As a reminder of what the Golf Day was about, read the following: Is it just me or does everyone think Afghanistan is no place for a child? Stick with me. I know that sentence might not seem that relevant to you, but don’t go yet….. […]
REPORT on the GOLF DAY!»
The Golf Day Fundraising Event was a wonderful success from a number of different angles. Probably one of the most positive was the ‘exposure’ to the refugee situation of people who would otherwise not have had anything to do with the plight of refugees, let alone with refugees themselves. This happened through the generous media […]
resources
Is Mandatory Detention in line with Australian Policy?»In 1999, ninety-seven percent of applicants from Iraq and 93 percent of applicants from Afghanistan were recognized as genuine refugees by Australia.
Australia is a signatory to the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, which states: “No child shall be deprived of their liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily.”
No country, other than Australia, detains unaccompanied children […]
Comparative Costs: How Much does Detention cost us?»
Estimates of the cost per day per asylum seeker vary. DIMA estimates $104.00. Accountant Naomi Edwards, in the Sydney Morning Herald estimates costs of detention at $117 per day, with the cost of housing an average total of 3500 people per year $150 million.
Edwards estimates that allowing asylum seekers to live in the community and […]