Thursday 16th October 2025

Time: 12:00pm – 2:00pm

Networking food and Music 2.00pm - 3.00pm

Location: Fairfield Public Park, 14-20 Lawson St

What to Expect:

• Welcome to Country and grounding session led by the First Nation artist Brielle Neilson, providing a moment for connection to self and Country and a moment of reflection.

• An introduction to TDTF vision, mission and methodology

• An opportunity to hear your voice and ideas for the future

• Join us for delicious cultural cuisine provided for all attendees catered by our Seed of Hope FoodLab along with live music.

Funded by Fairfield City Council

Every Tuesday During School Term

Seed of Hope Collective is a community arts and wellbeing program for women from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The program welcomes women from many countries and walks of life, creating a vibrant space where multiple languages, cultures, and lived experiences are celebrated.

It promotes connection, community and creativity, as well as personal growth. Seed of Hope has several ongoing projects:

When and Where

Every Tuesday during School Term

Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Locations may change week to week.

Register

Are you new to Seed of Hope? Just drop in and we can assist or speak to one of our team.

Tel: 9727 3928

Every Tuesday During School Term

Seed of Hope Collective is a community arts and wellbeing program for women from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The program welcomes women from many countries and walks of life, creating a vibrant space where multiple languages, cultures, and lived experiences are celebrated.

It promotes connection, community and creativity, as well as personal growth. Seed of Hope has several ongoing projects:

When and Where

Every Tuesday during School Term

Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Locations may change week to week.

Register

Are you new to Seed of Hope? Just drop in and we can assist or speak to one of our team.

Tel: 9727 3928

Every Wednesday During School Term

Supporting Students, Supporting Families

Do you want additional support for your child’s schoolwork in English or Arabic?

Our free Homework Club at the Community House in Fairfield is here to help. We provide after-school support for students from Kindergarten to Year 12, in English, Arabic, and other languages by arrangement.

It’s a calm, welcoming space where children can focus, ask questions, and build confidence.

Cost: Free.

Small Donations are welcome if you can give.

When and Where

Every Wednesday during School Term

Time: 3.30pm - 5:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Register

Tel: 9727 3928

Every Wednesday During School Term

Supporting Students, Supporting Families

Do you want additional support for your child’s schoolwork in English or Arabic?

Our free Homework Club at the Community House in Fairfield is here to help. We provide after-school support for students from Kindergarten to Year 12, in English, Arabic, and other languages by arrangement.

It’s a calm, welcoming space where children can focus, ask questions, and build confidence.

Cost: Free.

Small Donations are welcome if you can give.

When and Where

Every Wednesday during School Term

Time: 3.30pm - 5:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Register

Tel: 9727 3928

Every Tuesday During School Term

Seed of Hope Collective is a community arts and wellbeing program for women from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The program welcomes women from many countries and walks of life, creating a vibrant space where multiple languages, cultures, and lived experiences are celebrated.

It promotes connection, community and creativity, as well as personal growth. Seed of Hope has several ongoing projects:

When and Where

Every Tuesday during School Term

Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Locations may change week to week.

Register

Are you new to Seed of Hope? Just drop in and we can assist or speak to one of our team.

Tel: 9727 3928

Every Wednesday During School Term

Supporting Students, Supporting Families

Do you want additional support for your child’s schoolwork in English or Arabic?

Our free Homework Club at the Community House in Fairfield is here to help. We provide after-school support for students from Kindergarten to Year 12, in English, Arabic, and other languages by arrangement.

It’s a calm, welcoming space where children can focus, ask questions, and build confidence.

Cost: Free.

Small Donations are welcome if you can give.

When and Where

Every Wednesday during School Term

Time: 3.30pm - 5:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Register

Tel: 9727 3928

Every Tuesday During School Term

Seed of Hope Collective is a community arts and wellbeing program for women from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The program welcomes women from many countries and walks of life, creating a vibrant space where multiple languages, cultures, and lived experiences are celebrated.

It promotes connection, community and creativity, as well as personal growth. Seed of Hope has several ongoing projects:

When and Where

Every Tuesday during School Term

Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Locations may change week to week.

Register

Are you new to Seed of Hope? Just drop in and we can assist or speak to one of our team.

Tel: 9727 3928

Event description

About the Book

A Lemon for Safiya is a gentle and respectful story about a family’s compassionate response to a disoriented older woman whose ‘eyes held a sadness as deep as the ocean’. Written in English with sections of translated Arabic, Jemima Shafei-Ongu (Aslan and Benny, illustrated by Jade Goodwin) beautifully handles natural bilingual communication across three generations. Nisaluk Chantanakom’s exquisite illustrations deepen the story by giving insight into a lost past and a distant homeland. Each page invites reflection, just as ‘every line on her face seemed to hold a story’. Suitable for preschool and primary-aged children, the book provides discussion points on cultural diversity, language preservation, respect for elders, multisensory memories, and the different ways families communicate and function. Empathy and humanity are depicted on every page as the old woman finds her way back home with the help of young Safiya and her family. At the end of the story, the woman gives Safiya a lemon, but the true gift is Safiya’s growing understanding that relationships and memories shape who we are. A Lemon for Safiya is an excellent resource for parents and educators who want to explore themes of family heritage, aging, generational changes and compassion. 

Author Bio

Jemima is a Sydney-based author, psychologist and teacher with a passion for picture books and a commitment to inclusion in children’s literature. She crafts heartfelt stories that depict diversity as a natural part of life.

Inspired by her family and community’s rich heritage, Jemima explores themes of well-being, belonging and connection, in her writing.

When she’s not writing, Jemima enjoys watercolour painting, learning the darbuka and playing lip sync battles with her adult daughters. She resides on Dharug Country with her partner, their mini schnauzer and whichever of their three daughters are in the country at the time.

Every Wednesday During School Term

Supporting Students, Supporting Families

Do you want additional support for your child’s schoolwork in English or Arabic?

Our free Homework Club at the Community House in Fairfield is here to help. We provide after-school support for students from Kindergarten to Year 12, in English, Arabic, and other languages by arrangement.

It’s a calm, welcoming space where children can focus, ask questions, and build confidence.

Cost: Free.

Small Donations are welcome if you can give.

When and Where

Every Wednesday during School Term

Time: 3.30pm - 5:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Register

Tel: 9727 3928

Every Tuesday During School Term

Seed of Hope Collective is a community arts and wellbeing program for women from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The program welcomes women from many countries and walks of life, creating a vibrant space where multiple languages, cultures, and lived experiences are celebrated.

It promotes connection, community and creativity, as well as personal growth. Seed of Hope has several ongoing projects:

When and Where

Every Tuesday during School Term

Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Locations may change week to week.

Register

Are you new to Seed of Hope? Just drop in and we can assist or speak to one of our team.

Tel: 9727 3928

Every Wednesday During School Term

Supporting Students, Supporting Families

Do you want additional support for your child’s schoolwork in English or Arabic?

Our free Homework Club at the Community House in Fairfield is here to help. We provide after-school support for students from Kindergarten to Year 12, in English, Arabic, and other languages by arrangement.

It’s a calm, welcoming space where children can focus, ask questions, and build confidence.

Cost: Free.

Small Donations are welcome if you can give.

When and Where

Every Wednesday during School Term

Time: 3.30pm - 5:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Register

Tel: 9727 3928

Every Tuesday During School Term

Seed of Hope Collective is a community arts and wellbeing program for women from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The program welcomes women from many countries and walks of life, creating a vibrant space where multiple languages, cultures, and lived experiences are celebrated.

It promotes connection, community and creativity, as well as personal growth. Seed of Hope has several ongoing projects:

When and Where

Every Tuesday during School Term

Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Locations may change week to week.

Register

Are you new to Seed of Hope? Just drop in and we can assist or speak to one of our team.

Tel: 9727 3928

Every Tuesday During School Term

Seed of Hope Collective is a community arts and wellbeing program for women from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The program welcomes women from many countries and walks of life, creating a vibrant space where multiple languages, cultures, and lived experiences are celebrated.

It promotes connection, community and creativity, as well as personal growth. Seed of Hope has several ongoing projects:

When and Where

Every Tuesday during School Term

Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm

Community House

2/40 Harris Street, Fairfield

Locations may change week to week.

Register

Are you new to Seed of Hope? Just drop in and we can assist or speak to one of our team.

Tel: 9727 3928

Hasta el sol y todas las ciudades en el medio es un conjunto de crónicas sobre el habitar ciudades extrañas y es también una forma de nostalgia por el Cabo de Santa María, más conocido como La Paloma. Como en toda la obra de Rosario Lázaro Igoa, los límites entre los paisajes internos y los externos se desdibujan con facilidad. Es un libro al mismo tiempo intimista y cosmopolita, que da cuenta de una existencia itinerante y de una mirada aguda y sensible que atraviesa continentes, estaciones y relaciones humanas. Los paisajes cambian de la playa al desierto, de la nieve al cemento, así como cambia la narradora con la maternidad, con el exilio, con el tiempo. La literatura es una presencia constante y una herramienta para entender los nuevos mundos.

"En el principio, la escritura y el mar fueron uno solo. La realidad, claro, era caos y confusión. También libros, rocas, aguavivas y expresiones que se repetían. Fue ella, aspirante a regente del universo, quien con el pasar de los años consideró esas dos dimensiones ajenas, incapaces de intersectarse ni siquiera en un punto. La vida del mar y la vida de los libros, que se las ingeniaron para ser una masa amorfa, indistinta." 

To the Sun and All the Cities in Between is a collection of chronicles about inhabiting strange cities and is also a form of nostalgia for Cape Santa María, better known as La Paloma. As in all of Rosario Lázaro Igoa's work, the boundaries between internal and external landscapes are easily blurred. It is a book that is both intimate and cosmopolitan, depicting an itinerant existence and a sharp and sensitive gaze that traverses continents, seasons, and human relationships. The landscapes change from beach to desert, from snow to concrete, just as the narrator changes with motherhood, with exile, with time. Literature is a constant presence and a tool for understanding new worlds.

"In the beginning, writing and the sea were one. Reality, of course, was chaos and confusion. So were books, rocks, jellyfish, and repeated expressions. It was she, aspiring to be ruler of the universe, who over the years considered these two alien dimensions, incapable of intersecting even at a point. The life of the sea and the life of books, which managed to become an amorphous, indistinct mass.

AUTHOR BIOS

Rosario Lázaro Igoa (Salto, 1981) es traductora literaria, además de investigadora y cronista de prensa. Se licenció en Comunicación y tiene un doctorado en Estudios de la Traducción por la Universidad Federal de Santa Catarina, Brasil. Coeditó y tradujo del portugués la antología Crónicas de melancolía eufórica, de Mário de Andrade (2016); del inglés, tradujo Dinosaurios en otros planetas, de Danielle McLaughlin (2020), entre otros. Publicó la novela Mayito (2006) y varios cuentos en antologías colectivas de Brasil, Bolivia, Francia, Paraguay y Uruguay. En Criatura, publicó las colecciones de cuentos Peces mudos (2016) y Cráteres artificiales (2021, segundo Premio Nacional de Literatura). Su nuevo libro es Hasta el sol y todas las ciudades en el medio.

Rosario Lázaro Igoa is a novelist, essayist, and literary translator. She holds a degree in Communication and a PhD in Translation Studies from the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. She co-edited and translated from Portuguese the anthology Chronicles of Euphoric Melancholy by Mário de Andrade (2016); from English, she translated Dinosaurs on Other Planets by Danielle McLaughlin (2020), among others. She published the novel Mayito (2006) and several short stories in collective anthologies in Brazil, Bolivia, France, Paraguay, and Uruguay. For Criatura, she published the short story collections Mute Fish (2016) and Artificial Craters (2021, second National Literature Prize winner). Her new book is Hasta el sol y todas las ciudades en el medio.

Esther Lozano es periodista multimedia y documentalista con una amplia trayectoria que abarca tanto Australia como España. Actualmente trabaja como periodista de radio en SBS Spanish, donde ha sido una de las principales presentadoras del programa en español durante más de diez años. En este puesto, continúa produciendo diversos contenidos, incluyendo podcasts de radio, artículos web y vídeos. También es codirectora de dos documentales independientes: Between The Lines, la iniciación de Adam Hill, sobre el artista indígena Black Douglas, y A Ticket to Your Life, sobre la migración de españoles a Australia. Además de su trabajo periodístico, también se dedica a la fotografía. Imparte cursos de fotografía online y desarrolla su práctica artística personal, participando regularmente en exposiciones colectivas.

Esther Lozano is a multimedia journalist and documentary filmmaker with a broad career spanning both Australia and Spain.She currently works as a radio journalist at SBS Spanish, where she has been one of the main presenters of the Spanish-language program for over ten years. In this role, she continues to produce a variety of content, including radio podcasts, web articles, and videos. She is also the co-director of two independent documentaries: Between The Lines, the initiation of Adam Hill, on Indigenous artist Black Douglas, and A Ticket to Your Life, about the migration of Spanish people to AustraliaAlongside her journalism work, she is also a dedicated photographer. She teaches online photography courses and develops her personal art practice, regularly taking part in group exhibitions.

Is Australia ready for the multilingual mindset?

To celebrate the launch of a new five-part documentary series for ABC RN's Earshot program on multilingualism in Australia, LOST IN BOOKS will be hosted the launch party for Tongue Tied and Fluent to thank everyone who’s been so generously involved in the making of the program. We played excerpts from our series, which has been a huge undertaking over the past two years.

Special thanks to Shelia Pham, Masako Fukui, Zarlasht Sawari and the audience for sharing their experiences, ideas and afternoon.

Click here to listen to the EARSHOT Podcast