Shine - Anglican Retirement Villages

christian coMMunity
dR StEPHEn MoRRiS
Christians should know
what it is like to be an alien in
the world. Try to put yourself
in other people’s shoes.
Dr Stephen Morris
44 shine
or rain. Visitors were required to know
the particular refugee’s number before
they were allowed to visit them—at that
time only a detainee’s number was used
by the Centre staff, never names. Dr.
Morris describes it as “a very unpleasant,
aggressive environment.”
Later, after many public complaints,
a visitor was able to request a visit to
a specific detainee, using their actual
name. the refugees, mainly from
afghanistan, iraq and iran, were very
appreciative of the time spent with them
and for the chance to talk with people
from outside the razor-wire. “this made
it all worthwhile,” Dr. Morris says.
over time Dr Morris developed very
close relationships with a number of
the refugees. He was saddened and
distressed as he saw inmates slowly
descend into depression and apathy.
“when they first came to Villawood
they would usually have quite a positive
attitude,” he remembers. “they liked
to chat and talk about their country
and their family, the situation they
were fleeing from and what they
hoped to achieve. But because i visited
continuously for a number of years
i could see changes. after about six
months they usually started to withdraw
into themselves, getting more and more
depressed. it was really tragic to see
the mental damage being done to these
vulnerable people, before my eyes.”
Dr Morris has maintained close
friendships with about six people from
those early days of visiting. “of those six,
i think only one is leading a productive
normal life. the other five, despite their
many talents and potential when they
arrived in australia, have permanent
mental scars or ongoing severe depression
and post traumatic stress. For them,
coping with the daily demands of life,
education or a job is extremely difficult.”
Dr Morris now works with a group
of people who are former detainees,
supporting them as they settle into life
in australia and get used to the “outside
world”. while conditions have improved
significantly at Villawood, stephen
believes that not only should australia
review its refugee policy and take a
politically bi-partisan approach, but that
individuals should be more empathetic to
the situation refugees are in.
He says, “i think there is a harshness
in the church that wasn’t there before. it
was present in the mid 2000s, but is still
very evident today. you have passages
like Matthew 25, where Jesus talks to his
disciples about the time ‘when i was a
stranger and you welcomed me in.’
“Many people seem to feel quite
distant from that, as though they have
no responsibility, Christian or otherwise,
to these people. the reason for this
attitude is often because these ‘bad
people’ have not obtained official travel
documents from the government of their
country (usually either bureaucratically
impossible or a life-threatening task)
and have not applied officially to join the
‘queue’ (again impossible as no australian
embassies in or near any of these refugee
countries allow applications for refugee
status to be made).
“Christians should know what it is
like to be an alien in the world. try to
put yourself in other people’s shoes, or
at the very least consider the strength of
language Jesus used in Matthew 25:31-46,
against those who refused to consider
the less fortunate as worthy of any help
or sympathy.”