Sounds of Sunday – Tres Amigas

From left to right the Tres Amigas performers are – Ann Palumbo, Inge Courtenay-Haentjes, Jane Andino, Paul Laszlo and Rev Leigh Gardiner

by Grant Medaris, Refugee Employment Officer

Would you take extraordinary action to protect your family? Can you imagine such a circumstance? If your life was threatened what would you risk?

Refugees know what they would do. No doubt they struggle to imagine the likely outcome but they know they need to act. Sometimes it is the husband, sometimes a son, often a family is moved to a safer country first and a male goes on the refugee journey alone.These questions echoed in a song (If You Were Me – Refugee) performed by Tres Amigas at the Sounds of Sunday fund raising concert at Springwood Uniting Church on 6 August.. The event was held to raise funds for the Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group but also to highlight the precarious journey that people seeking asylum and refugees undertake.The afternoon of music was uplifting and joyous. The very talented musicians – Jane Andino (piano), Inge Courteney-Haentjes (violin) and Ann Palumbo (vocals, double bass, guitar and mandolin) performed latin and tango music and many of their own original songs. They were joined onstage by Paul Laszlo (double bass) and Ben Palumbo (vocals).

Our thanks to Rev. Leigh Gardiner and Sounds of Sunday for the money raised for BMRSG.

If You Were Me
I met a man and he said to me
Would you risk your family and your dignity
So many people just trying to be free
But would you really want to be me
When I was young I thought the world was wide open
Plenty of space for all humanity
I don’t believe there’s no place for compassion
Some of us have much more than we need
I met a woman and she said to me
Would you risk your family and your dignity
So many people just trying to be free
But would you really want to be me
If you were in trouble I’d open my home to you
I wouldn’t leave you languishing there to die
I just hope my children haven’t hardened their hearts
So when the tables are turned you won’t have to go through what I did.
How would it be if we all came together
Found a solution to this tragedy?
Sure we could find it together
Get rid of all this hypocrisy.
Cause when you are like me
Just a refugee,
You will risk you family and your dignity,
You’ll be a hero in your fight to be free –
I hope you never have to be Me

Words and music by Ann Palumbo, 2012