On January 29, Jess Hackett, a young woman who is walking
from Melbourne to Canberra to carry a petition to Parliament, arrived in rain
in Wangaratta. Her petition seeks
to alert Parliament to the plight of refugees especially in Australia's
offshore detention centres and to ask for a more compassionate policy.
Originally Wangaratta's welcome to Jess was meant to be in
King George Gardens with a picnic lunch.
Instead, the weather being wet, we retreated to the Uniting Church
Hall. About one hundred people
gathered to be with Jess and to sign her petition. Many others had signed the petition prior to her arrival. We were delighted that Rural City of
Wangaratta Administrator, Irene Grant was able to attend the welcome.
Jess was accommodated for two nights by Uniting Church
couple, Adrian and Helen Twitt. The day following her arrival in Wangaratta, Jess had a
scheduled "rest" day.
Instead of walking, she visited Shepparton at the invitation of its
Ethnic Council. The Mayor and
Deputy Mayor of Shepparton greeted Jess and took her on a tour of the Filipino
Cultural Centre, the Lutheran Church with its Africa House, one of the three
Mosques in Shepparton, and the Sikh Temple. She was accompanied by several people representing various
ethnic backgrounds, and the Inter Faith Chaplain for Shepparton.
Jess then returned to Wangaratta for the second night in the city. She set off in rain the next day, for a 33 km trek by foot
to Chiltern, the next leg of her long journey.
Jess is planning to arrive in Canberra on February 23rd to present her petition.
Jess is planning to arrive in Canberra on February 23rd to present her petition.
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| Jess Hackett |
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| The welcome group in the Uniting Church Hall |
Check out her journey on The Welcome Petition Facebook page - www.facebook.com/thewelcomepetition
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