It’s common for friendships to remain long after the Welcome Dinners are hosted. One particular example comes from Kate, who shares the privilege of getting to know one of her dinner attendees.

A Privilege for Me

I finally got around to contacting one of the newly arrived attendees from December’s dinner at our place and they joined us for lunch over the weekend. We had such a lovely afternoon, and she and I were chatting over jasmine tea for several hours whilst the kids played.

It was quite eye-opening for me in that I had always thought that the benefits of the project went largely one-way – flowing from established Australians to new Australians as a kind of charity, or if I was being cynical, as a band-aid attempt to mitigate on a personal level some of what we see happening to people who are seeking a new life here. I’m slightly ashamed now at this patronising attitude – having spent the afternoon with such a brave, open-hearted woman, it was a privilege for me to be in her company.

I’m really excited about catching up with her again soon, and I like to think that this may be the start of a good friendship for the both of us. Thank you Welcome Dinner Project for opening the door.

 

Kate

established Australian

WDP host

based in Sydney, New South Wales