A TEACHER walking about 700 kilometres to celebrate Australia’s generous and welcoming nature says she’s seen these traits first hand in the Border and North East.
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Jessica Hackett arrived in Wodonga on Monday during her journey from Melbourne to Canberra to promote her petition of welcome, which calls for refugee policy change. During her visit she will meet with the Bhutanese community and also speak at a function on Wednesday evening at St Stephen’s Uniting Church, Wodonga.
Border-based volunteers have been collecting signatures in Albury’s Dean Street as part of the walk, which began on January 16 and is due to end on February 23.
The petition, which will be given to Liberal MP Russell Broadbent to read out in Parliament, seeks to increase the number of refugees accepted for resettlement, abolish closed detention centres and process people in a timely and humane way.
Ms Hackett said the idea for her walk evolved from thoughts that contrasted her own life with that of a refugee stuck in detention.
“She's probably feeling so alone, so isolated, has probably been through hell,” she said.
“I would just get so frustrated thinking here I am in my comfy bed complaining that I have to get up in the morning to go to work and I can't do anything to help her. The structures that are surrounding the issue make it very hard for us to have contact and they build up a bit of fear and trepidation around who these people are.”
Project manager Peita Collard said regional people had been calling to offer accommodation and food.
“Their lives are busy but they've just easily opened their homes and their hearts to Jess and it's just been an amazing experience,” Ms Collard said.
Ms Hackett said everyone had made her feel welcome.
“Just generous, organic hospitality, it's just wonderful, I've been looked after so well,” she said. “I was shivering outside a little shop because I forgot my rain jacket for the day and a lady came out of the shop and said, 'Oh love, would you like a hot chocolate?'.
“From what I've learnt along this trek, every little thing counts, every signature, every letter .... all of them add up and they show that we care.
“Even if it just helps one person to feel that they are welcome and loved, that's a good thing anyway.”
More details available at thewelcomepetition.com.
