Warwick and district residents who are concerned for refugees are invited to take part in the first-ever Welcome Walk for Refugees.
The event on Sunday morning, 19 June, is organised by the Southern Downs Refugee and Migrant Network to mark Refugee Week in Australia.
SDRAMN is supported by Rural Australians for Refugees.
SDRAMN spokesperson Bob Wilson said the walk was being held to raise awareness for the plight of millions of refugees around the world.
“While people are well aware of the war in Ukraine and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, there are many other countries where people have been internally displaced or had to flee to neighbouring countries,” he said.
“Civil wars, ethnic clashes and hostile takeovers have caused 26 million people from just five countries to become refugees.”
“Australia has accepted some of these refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Myanmar and Somalia, but more could be done,” Bob said. “With the change of government in Australia, we are hopeful of an improvement in our refugee policies.
“We will keep all these people in our hearts as we take a symbolic walk from the Queens Park car park.”
The walk will begin in the park, near the weir, at 11 am and walk 3.5 km through Warwick, ending in Leslie Park.
SDRAMN was formed in 2016 to extend a welcoming hand to people from distant lands.
In 2021 the group successfully worked with the Southern Downs Regional Council to declare Warwick a Refugee Welcome Zone.
Currently, SDRAMN is supporting a family from Afghanistan with the aim of helping them escape to neighbouring Iran.
