We are proud to announce that LinCoN has now been registered as a Charity by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) having met all their requirements.  This ACNC Registration gives reassurance that the LinCoN is transparent and accountable and listed on the ACNC Charity Register. There are certain requirements we must meet for this, such as to comply with annual reporting requirements and to follow good governance principles.  The Board of LinCoN decided to appoint me, Margaret Hamilton, as the CEO and I took up this position on May 1, 2025.  Since then, I have been busy meeting and working with the Board on many projects.  We held our first AGM in June and have updated the LinCoN Brochure as well as the Website.

In October, Pope Leo opened the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees with the theme “Migrants, Missionaries of Hope.” He reminded us that in a world darkened by war and injustice, migrants and refugees remain powerful messengers of hope. Many of us have histories of our own families being Refugees and Migrants and know of other similar families in our own lives here in Australia. Listening to some of their wonderful stories generates a great sense of hope and an appreciation of their courage. They can be great evangelisers and leaders of faith in our Jubilee Year of Pilgrims of Hope.

In my own life, I can attest to the new vibrancy migrants bring to the places which offer them settlement. I grew up in Wollongong which was established as a migrant community.  We lived primarily with immigrants from Italy and Europe who came to Wollongong’s migrant hostel after the war to work in the steelworks at Port Kembla.  These people mixed in with the local community and grew all sorts of grapes, tomatoes, lettuces, capsicums and chilli in their newly acquired gardens, with their Nonnas selling the extra vegetables and cooking feasts on the weekends.  All our lives were enriched not only by these migrants but by the future waves of new immigrants from countries such as India, Pakistan, Iran, Africa, China, Indonesia and Vietnam to name a few. I’m explaining this because Australians have lots of experience with many cultures and can be very generous supporting them. 

Our work in LinCoN starts with the step before migration, to help the people who have been forced to flee their homeland to an uncertain future. As discussed earlier, many are unable to be granted refugee status by the UNHCR and are forced to live in detention camps hoping for an opportunity to settle somewhere. Our work is particularly with the refugees who have fled Pakistan into Thailand but also with other asylum seekers from countries such as Africa, Iran and places where they may suffer religious persecution and be harmed by laws similar to the Blasphemy Law in Pakistan. We have a lot of work to make their journeys here possible, link them with appropriate networks and support them so their lives prosper. Bringing these families to safety requires immense effort and commitment.

As we take a break over Christmas, we would like to thank you for your support in the past and ask you to pray for our asylum seekers into the future. We seek your continued support in the future for our projects, fundraising appeal, donations and possible offers of support and recommendations of work for future migrants.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Margaret Hamilton
CEO, LinCoN