Walk / Run / Ride the boat to Canberra

“The Gift of Refuge” A Pilgrimage from Brunswick to Canberra

With a little help from his friends, Tri Nguyen is planning a pilgrimage from Brunswick Baptist Church to Canberra to deliver a gift to Parliament: a boat.  It is a large model of the boat in which he and his father and sister fled Vietnam in 1982.  The boat has been put on wheels and will be pulled behind walkers and runners.

Tri and his family would like to say "thank you" to Australia for the gift of refuge, hospitality, and care that they received as refugees in Australia.  This is also an opportunity to express solidarity with the millions of refugees in the world, and with friends who are seeking asylum in Australia.

The walk will also raise funds for Baptcare’s Sanctuary facilities in Brunswick and Preston, which provides supported accommodation for over 70 asylum seekers.  You can help bring this positive message to Australia by walking or running with the boat, or contributing to the fund for Baptcare Sanctuary.

For those wanting to help in the pilgrimage itself, Tri is looking for support vehicles and drivers, walkers/runners, accommodation along the way, and local media opportunities.

After considering all the options and complexities of walking the boat to Canberra by Christmas, the team have come to the conclusion that postponing the walk until Easter 2014 will enhance the value of the project. That is, the walk would take place during Lent and finish with a service beside the lake in Canberra on the afternoon of Easter Sunday.

With more time, we will be able to secure higher levels of involvement, and more fully engage the interested agencies and the wider community. This will also increase the opportunities for raising the profile of Baptcare Sanctuary, and for clarifying the strategies for advocacy. 

The Team: Phil, David & Michaela