The latest issue of Tui Motu magazine is in the mail so keep an eye on your mail boxes.

Welcome to our new subscribers for this month! We hope that you enjoy leafing through and reading Tui Motu magazine.

And thank you all for the messages you send. We put them up in our staffroom and feel the encouragement they convey.

Marist Asia Foundation Education

We were rivetted by the news of the rescue of the Thai boys and their coach from deep in a cave in northern Thailand during the month. You may have heard some talk that a couple of the boys were "undocumented", which is very possible in that area. This month Aleisha Keating has written about the Marist Asia Foundation school in northern Thailand which provides education for the largely "undocumented" migrant population from Myanmar. They have left the harsh regime of their country seeking better opportunities for their children in Thailand. As Aleisha and other earlier Tui Motu writers who have volunteered at the school have explained, trying to obtain Thai documentation is extremely expensive for families working for subsistence wages. When everyone in the family could be working, it is a hard decision and sacrifice to allow children to go to school. This is why the Marist school in the area is so important. Now, as well as primary and secondary classes, the school is able to offer tertiary courses sponsored by the Australian Catholic University. For information about the school and volunteering, see their website.

Award Entries

Our entries for the Australiasian Catholic Press Association (ACPA) and the Australasian Religious Press Association (ARPA) awards were due in this month. Ann and I trawled through last year's issues and quite easily amassed several possibilities for each category. Once again we were reminded of the quality of the contributions published during the year and of our gratitude for all our contributors. We finally — and painfully — narrowed our selection!

Jack Derwin is Back From Spain

You'll have noticed that Jack Derwin has been writing from Spain this year. He has now returned to Sydney so will be writing for us from there. 

St Dominic's Day

We celebrated St Dominic's Day (3 August) as well as our Dominican volunteer Sister Susie's birthday with morning tea after we'd packed the magazines today. The photos are courtesy of Jim Neilan.

Mary MacKillop Day

Feastday blessings to you all for 8 August the feast of St Mary MacKillop!

Happy reading!