Pilgrimage to Canberra 2010

This year was the third Pilgrimage to Canberra (also known as P2C). On the 22^nd and 23^rd  of May 150 pilgrims, the majority being young people aged 12-18, gathered, having travelled from Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales & the ACT.

 Many  of the pilgrims, all connected with Fusion at various levels back in their home communities, would have participated in the Pilgrimage to Uluru in April.

P2C 2010 issued our participants with the challenge of taking their ability to shape our nation more seriously than they might do now.

The morning started with a visit to the War Memorial, where they heard about the self sacrifice of Simpson with his donkey and were inspired by the spirit of the Anzacs who went before us, sacrificing their present for our future.  

At Lunchtime every participant helped to run a community festival in front of the parliament house. A hot dog, friendly company and fun games for all the family was freely offered and received by many locals.

The afternoon was concluded with a visit to the SIEV X memorial site in Weston Park. The site stands to remember the tragic loss of life after hundreds of asylum seekers drowned when their boat, bound for Australia, sunk  in 2001. The pilgrims, profoundly moved by the recount, committed themselves to a future where the suffering peoples of this world would not be overlooked or ignored by our nation. Instead, 150 people stood together, committed to a future where our country would operate under the values of justice, mercy and compassion.

In the evening an all night concert began, with ten musical acts including  Sydney bands such as Red Ruth and Road to Canaan as well as local bands such as Transience Invalid and The Naddicks. Guest speakers, including one of Kevin Rudd’s speech writers, Tim Dixon, also provided inspiration and encouragement throughout the night. Mr. Dixon issued our pilgrims with the challenge of living for others instead of ourselves. It was fantastic to see some of the young pilgrims also take to the stage to share a little of what they have been doing with Fusion to make a difference in their own communities.

The pilgrimage finished with a Dawn Service on the grounds in front of Parliament House, where pilgrims were given a final encouragement before they headed home.

It was a fantastic weekend, made all the more special when you observe the responses from some of the lives it touched. One young person from Sydney West was asked “What do you think was the most important lesson you learned?” They answered, “These are the years I can make a difference. So many young people have.”