Proud of my City

Excerpt from our parish newsletter - click to embiggen.

Toowoomba has been identified as a Refugee Welcome Zone.

This is in stark contrast to the demonizing of refugees that has become a hallmark, now bipartisan, of the debate on the national scene.

 Scores of refugees from backgrounds as diverse as Somalia, Iraq and Sri Lanka have made the Garden City home in the last few years.

It has happened with the minimum of fuss, and I don’t think the good burghers of Toowoomba live in fear of terrorism. Not the last time I checked, anyway

Nor do we believe we will be murdered in our beds.

Contrast this with the hate and loathing spewing forth from the likes of Scott Morrison and Cory Bernardi.

What has helped is an active set of Christian communities, represented by agencies such as TRAMS.

The local regional council has also become involved. The bloke in the blue shirt with the grey hair in the pic in my first link is the TRC mayor. Where else would you see a Conservative Lord Mayor taking to the streets in support of multiculturalism?

At least I can be proud of my city. Unfortunately, at the same time I'm ashamed of my country.