Aireys Inlet played host to the sixth annual Lighthouse Musical soiree on Sunday January 5, welcoming international musicians Georgia Brown and Tom Foster to the stage.<\/p>\n
A fundraiser event for the Aireys Inlet Rural Australians for Refugees, all money raised from the concert will help fund refugee projects in Geelong, including a scholarship program at a Geelong secondary college as well as the Wesley Uniting Church food bank.<\/p>\n
Event organiser Lyn Barnett said it was an honour to feature classical music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Carl Phillipp Emmanuel Bach and Georg Phillip Telemann in the soiree\u2019s program.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are privileged to hear these world-renowned musicians in this chamber concert,\u201d she said before the event\u2019s kick-off.<\/p>\n
Event supporters included two Canadian women from Advocate Harbour who played a significant role in the community\u2019s efforts to sponsor a Syrian refugee family three years ago.<\/p>\n
With a population of 250 people, Susan Boyd and Claire Young raised $17,000 in just one month.<\/p>\n
Advocate Harbour \u2013 the smallest village in the country to sponsor a family \u2013 welcomed a Syrian family of four, including eight-year-old Karim Alboush and his six-year-old brother, Imad.<\/p>\n
Having spent much of their childhood in a Jordan refugee camp, the brothers had never attended school.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the community got right behind it. It has been a great success,\u201d Claire said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe family are happy, are now fluent in English and jobs have been found. An adult son has also been sponsored.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Claire and Susan were thrilled to be able to support local refugee initiatives while visiting Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cOften for these families it\u2019s the difference between life and death, so it was important that Canada opened its doors,\u201d Susan added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aireys Inlet played host to the sixth annual Lighthouse Musical soiree on Sunday January 5, welcoming international musicians Georgia Brown and Tom Foster to the stage. A fundraiser event for the Aireys Inlet Rural Australians for Refugees, all money raised from the concert will help fund refugee projects in Geelong, including a scholarship program at […]<\/p>\n