April 2026
Living in Australia Program (LAP)
by Lesley Willcoxson
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We had a smaller group than usual but the smiles, conversations, warmth and learning felt just as big and embracing as every other LAP!
With new sessions this program including an introduction to dogs (fear of dogs is an often reported issue amongst participants, unsurprising as many have come from living conditions where aggressive stray dogs and rabies can be very real and present threats!) and a very popular dance class, our families (and volunteers) went away energised, informed and inspired.
When the organisers sit down and actually count the number of people involved in delivering each program, we get very close to three digits! It takes heart, belief and a huge amount of energy to deliver each program so THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to everyone who steps up and gets involved. It could not happen without you.
We had a wonderful number of hosts offer to host this time round and were very sad to have to disappoint a few. Thank you so much for being SO understanding and we hope to see you at a future program, September maybe?
Wishing all of the LAP family a wonderful autumn!
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September 2025
Living in Australia Program (LAP)
by Lesley Willcoxson
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Hosts host, teachers lead activities, classroom volunteers assist participants, musicians perform, life savers help with training and during beach day and Farmer Jeff teaches the kids about beekeeping, caring for chooks and growing veg!
Not in the photos are the sessions with a wonderful GP who helps our families understand the health system, a lovely therapist who leads a session that teaches a technique for calming the nervous system and a TAFE representative who helps anyone interested in accessing their courses. And, of course, local schools lend us their spaces and transport, local businesses help provide experiences, and behind the scenes, volunteers set up the spaces, provide the supplies, and clean it all up after it's all over...
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It truly takes a community to run each LAP :)
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April 2025
Living in Australia Program (LAP)
by Lesley Willcoxson
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The April LAP iinvolved 28 participants from seven different countries - Afghanistan, DR Congo, Colombia, Iran, Palestine, Syria, and Venezuela. Also participating were 10 homestay hosts and their families, 37 adult classroom volunteers, 12 student classroom volunteers, and 15 water safety volunteers. In the classroom we were also privileged to have a large amount of input from a variety of professionals (see report for more details) with various other people also contributing in so many different ways.
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16–20 September 2024
Living in Australia Program (LAP)
by Lesley Willcoxson
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The September Living in Australia Program was held at Matthew Flinders Anglican College from 16-20 September. Our guests numbered 33 in total and were primarily from Africa – 3 from Eritrea, 9 from the Democratic Republic of Congo, 8 from Uganda, 6 from Ethiopia – with one also from Myanmar and 6 from Syria (Buddies’ CRISP family living on the Coast).
Many of these participants in our program had spent a long time in refugee camps where some had access to classes, and so quite a few of the young adult and teenage participants spoke quite good English, unlike most of their parents!
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8–12 April 2024
Living in Australia Program (LAP)
by Lesley Willcoxson
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Unusually the range of countries represented by participants was quite small – Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and one Afghani. Thirty two of the participants came from Brisbane referred by Multicultural Australia and a further eleven came from the Sunshine Coast, being members of the Syrian family that Buddies has settled through the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Program (CRISP) and members of the Congolese family also settled (by another group) as part of the CRISP program.
It takes many unsung heroes to get a Living in Australia Program working – not only the homestay hosts, drivers, teachers, and classroom volunteers but also the wonderful Immanuel sports staff and students who taught our participants to ride boogie boards and kept them safe at the beach.
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18–22 September 2023
Living in Australia Program (LAP)
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Last month's program had 35 participants from Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Guatemala, Afghanistan, Myanmar and Ukraine. Almost all had been in Australia for only 2-3 months. Some spoke good English, but a group of older participants who spoke almost no English.
This program could never run without the generosity and support of our homestay hosts – 23 this time – who invited our guests into their homes. Or the 37 classroom volunteers who worked with small groups or (for those with almost no English) one to one.
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11–15 April 2023
Living in Australia Program (LAP)
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Formerly called Learn English Holiday (LEH), the April program was held at Immanuel Lutheran College. We were very grateful to have the use of such wonderful facilities and the support of several other organisations and people: Community Underwriting, Buddies’ public liability insurance provider who gave us a grant to fund both 2023 LAPs; St John’s College Nambour, Wildlife HQ, Immanuel Church volunteers and Kendall, Linsey, Ziena, Jemima, Gun and Mu-raay.
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12 November 2022
Buddies 20th Anniversary Dinner
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Buddies members recently enjoyed a night of celebration and festivities at a multicultural buffet with entertainment held at Connections on King in Buderim
Ex-Director Paul McKinlay and special guest Barbara Brewster, founder of Buddies, reminisced about the early years of Buddies and launched the recently produced book 20 years in the making.
The event also included a buffet prepared by Siva, recent proprietor of Raj Restaurant in Noosaville and an exhibition of multicultural dancing.
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 A good gathering of Buddies old and newer |
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 previous Buddies Director Paul Mckinlay |
 Barbara Brewster, founder of Buddies speaks about how we came into being and the political |
 Barbara Brewster, founder of Buddies. |
 Long term Buddies members Kayla Szumer and Margaret Landbeck |
 Buddies Director Len Mangan |
 A delicious meal was prepared and served up by Siva and helpers |
 A delicious meal buffet style |
 Multicultural dancing |
 20 year flyer |
18-23 September 2022
Learn English Holiday
Lesley Willcoxson
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Our homestay hosts and classroom volunteers have missed the opportunity to share their lives with our refugee guests due to COVID-19, so this LEH program was extra special!
On this occasion we had 26 participants in the program - from Ukraine (11) Iran (3), Afghanistan (5), Tibet (2), Iraq (4) and Syria (1). Along with the 17 adults and a teenager we also hosted 8 children under the age of 8, most of whom were here as part of a single-parent, female-led family. We therefore not only ran a program for adults but also ran a separate full program for the children.
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 LEH participants and friends |
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 Connie and Phoebe - volunteers with children's program |
 Connie and friends |
 Ziena with LEH participants |
 Nataliia and Mariia (Ukraine) |
 Linsey Pollak |
 Listening to Linsey's music |
 Linsey Pollak and the group making music |
 Preparing to dance at the Multicultural Dinner |
 Card games - on a wet day at the beach! |
 Meeting the snake at Wildlife HQ |
 Ozra and friend |