In recognition of National Refugee Week in Australia, Ilana’s special guests this week all play a role in amplify the voices of refugees.
Catherine Franklin is a social worker, activist and community organiser. She has worked with refugees, both onshore and off-shore, including having spent more than a year on Manus Island, working with 850 men across 4 compounds. Since 2011 she has been working with refugees in our local south-east region.
Fleeing the Sri Lankan Police, Kumar Sinna came to Australia by boat from Southern India. He was detained offshore on Christmas Island and then later at a camp in Queensland, totalling 17 months in detention. Kumar has worked in the community non-for-profit sector, particularly supporting other Tamil refugees.
Jarred Turnbull, who many may know as the owner of popular Edithvale haunt - Bo Gurks. Jared originally trained as a mechanic and was involved in the construction industry as a Fly-In Fly-Out worker for a decade. Jarred spent 3-4 years working on Naru as Health & Safety Manager for Ocean Outback Contracting, a construction company engaged by the Australian Government to build Offshore Processing Facilities on the island.
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