Two nights ago, on the phone from Christmas Island, Priya told me that she has faith that we will meet in Biloela again.
After everything she has been through, Priya has never lost hope. When I marvelled at her strength, she said: “I am strong because of all the love”.
Last year, in his Christmas message to the nation, Mr Morrison told us that Christmas is “about being connected to each other, to our family and friends, to those sometimes we don’t even know - where we lend a hand.”
“It’s also about hope. Hope for the future, hope for what’s to come, hope that was expressed in the birth of a child at Christmas,” Mr Morrison said.
One small source of hope is that after 22 months of isolation, four year old Kopika is now allowed to leave detention to attend pre-school with the local Christmas Island kids. Last week, she performed a special end of year dance with her new friends!
It’s hard to believe that this little girl was just two years old when Border Force took her away from Biloela.
She turns five in May. What a gift it would be if the politicians used their power to let her come home to Biloela in time to start Prep next year.
With love and hope,
Angela
PS Every day until Christmas Eve, we're taking one simple action to support Priya, Nades and the girls. The actions for the 8th, 9th and 10th Days of Christmas Island are:
- Friday: Follow Nades’ example by supporting Vinnies
- Saturday: Share a photo of your Christmas tree with a message of hope
- Sunday: Share this petition with five friends
Remember to follow Home to Bilo on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates!