FUNDRAISER FOR REFUGEES ONLINE MOVIE SESSION

Movie: A Nun's New Habit (by Robyn Hughan)
Time: 3.00 PM Sunday 17 Aug 2025, Adelaide time or 3.30 (AEST),
Venue: Across Zoom. Link will be emailed once your order is confirmed.
Cost: $20 Adults $10 Children - all money helps displaced people.

NB: This has been postponed from 10 August to 17 August same time.

A Nun's New Habit is a documentary about Sister Carmel Wauchope and her work at the Baxter Immigration Centre.

Not all heroes set out to be one. Some, like Sister Carmel Wauchope, find themselves drawn into a fight they never intended to join, simply because they refuse to look away. A Benedictine nun of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan, Sister Carmel never aspired to be an activist. She was a teacher, a woman of faith, and a devoted member of her community. But when she was confronted with the harsh reality of Australia’s immigration detention system, she had no choice but to act. Her journey began quietly, in the small South Australian town of Port Pirie. Born into a family that valued faith and compassion, she grew up in a home where kindness was practised rather than preached. Yet, she never imagined that her life would lead her to the front lines of one of Australia’s most controversial humanitarian crises.

She was nearly 70 years old when she first heard about the Baxter and Woomera Detention Centres. It was her niece, Bernadette, who nudged her towards the cause. "There’s a man inside who has no one to visit him," Bernadette had said. That was all it took. A single plea, a simple call for help, and Sister Carmel found herself stepping inside those walls. What she saw there changed her forever.

Baxter was designed to be hidden, built in such a way that detainees were robbed of even a glimpse of the surrounding Flinders Ranges. It was a place meant to be out of sight and out of mind. But Sister Carmel refused to let it be forgotten. What set her apart was not just her presence, but her approach. She did not march in with grand speeches or political arguments. Instead, she brought small gestures of humanity—flowers from her garden, letters of encouragement, freshly baked cakes. She listened. She learned their names, their stories, their fears. And she did something that the system itself refused to do: she saw them.

But she didn’t stop at visits. Letter by letter, she made sure their voices reached beyond the steel fences. She wrote to politicians, challenging policies that dehumanised people seeking refuge. She joined protests, standing outside electorate offices with placards in hand. She connected with Rural Australians for Refugees, a group that defied the stereotype of rural conservatism and proved that compassion could thrive anywhere.

For Sister Carmel, religious tolerance is very important and  her respect for the people who were detained and their Muslim faith is an inspiration. In return these young men openly adore her. It is a breath of fresh air when contrasted against Australia's harsh immigration policies which so often seem full of fundamentalism and hatred.

Sister Carmel Wauchope

This movie tells not only her story, but through the eyes of the men detained at Baxter, the harsh realities of Australia's immigration policies. It's so important for the detainees to maintain some connection with the real world outside and to experience some form of humanity. The movie speaks of this. Sister Carmel died in Melbourne in 2019.

This movie will be followed by a Q & A. Refugees from around the world will speak and be able to answer their questions. Because many are in such heightened danger, all will not be able to show their faces.

The Baxter Detention facility was notorious and operated from 2002-2007. It was at the centre of much of the debate about Australia's immigration detention policies.

One thing everyone can do whether they are coming or not is sharing like crazy and inviting your friends. Please invite friends, enemies, neighbours, cats, dogs - just go crazy with sharing and inviting everyone. Here is my link tree: https://linktr.ee/schmidt4sturt, You can find all my social media and find the posts about the movie and share, like and comment on them

Film by Robyn Hughan and generously provided to us without cost as a fundraiser.

To purchase a DVD copy: https://www.roninfilms.com.au/...

Contact the host of A Nun's New Habit - Story of Sister Carmel Wauchope -4th Screening

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