A staple of Refuge since 2016, Ruth Crow Corner has provided a cosy nook for practical and through-provoking chats about floods, heatwaves and pandemics. Now our attention turns to the convergence of emergencies.

This years Ruth Crow includes Ethiopian coffee ceremony, activities for the family, conversations with Red Cross and more.

Hosted by historian Lorna Hannan and a band of locals, Ruth Crow Corner is a space where you can meet your neighbours, quiz experts and throw around new ideas for how we prepare for the long emergency of climate crisis. This welcoming space is named after local humanitarian and environmentalist, Ruth Crow AM (1916–99) who showed us that great things can happen when we talk over a cuppa.

Refuge 2021 will also feature Ruth Crow Walks, where you can explore the fascinating stories of North and West Melbourne neighbourhood through the trees and waterways.

“Refuge is striving towards equality. It uses creativity to create empathy for us to connect with each other and the environment. Our creativity delights our lives, and fills us with joy – but it is also deeply serious. It is tied to our fate and the fate of the universe. You can’t have equality without empathy, and you can’t have creativity without empathy. This is why artists as so important for the world. They hold creativity at the centre of their being.” – Lorna Hannan, 2021.