Geelong’s St Paul’s Church is hosting a musical event to raise money and awareness for refugees in the region.
The Latrobe Terrace church will host a Jam for Refugees featuring organists, choirs, trombonists, percussionists, and school groups from 11am to 9pm on Saturday, October 28.
The event is the brainchild of Dr Terry Norman, who said entry to the event was by donation and that all funds raised would go to The Combined Refugee Action Group Geelong Legal Fund.
“The object is not to just raise money, but to raise awareness of the plight of refugees,” he said.
“There are many people around who work tirelessly for refugees, and seeing people get together for an event with this at its focus is encouraging.
“There are still a lot of refugees who are in limbo, including some in Geelong who are not allowed to work and face the constant threat of being sent back home, which could be a war zone.”
Dr Norman said the 10-hour concert would showcase many talented musicians, including local school groups, and people were encouraged to come when they could and leave when they must.
“I like to involve school groups because a lot of school kids are very good players and I think it’s good that they’re involved in something like this,” he said.
“It’s also important to get kids involved so they become aware of the issues and can say, ‘in my small way, I helped’, and that’s great.
“I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of people here and the support that there is for refugees as well as the desire to help out where we can.”
