The story of the book

How did a small aid and development agency like Quaker Service Australia end up with a book written about it? Well, back in 2007, Heather Saville and others were discussing the organisation's upcoming 50th Birthday, and figured that this milestone was worth commemorating in a special way. Not long after, Heather found herself volunteering to write this history, and the project just grew. Now the book is an astounding 343 pages in length, and includes many personal accounts from english teaching in Cambodia, a health clinic in India, organic farming in Uganda and many more. The book has been enjoyed by supporters and development workers in New Caledonia, Indonesia, Canada, USA, England, Hong Kong, New Zealand and of course Australia. To read the synopsis, click here. To order a copy right now, click here.

Launch of Friends in deed

Over 90 people gathered at the Australian Institute of International Affairs in Melbourne to help Quaker Service Australia launch its 50th Anniversary book "Friends in deed". John Langmore (pictured, right), President of the United Nations Association of Australia and a dear friend of many Quakers, launched the book. Margaret Reid, President of ACFID, was the MC.

Friends in Deed is the inspiring and deeply human story of a small group of people who wanted to help change the world, one step at a time. With a passionate sense of commitment and a filing system in a couple of boxes, a few Australian Quakers began a fifty-year journey to build a respected international aid organisation known today as Quaker Service Australia, or QSA. The author, Heather Saville, is a former QSA convenor and long time Quaker. She is pictured here, with many of the other people whose stories appear in the book (L-R: Barbar Wilde, Vanessa Read, Audrey Cornish, Topsy Evans, Margaret Bywater, Pat Mavromatis, Heather Saville, Sieneke Martin, Jackie Perkins and Tessa Spratt). Photo right: a launch attendee begins reading the book right away. We thank Ponch Hawkes for taking these beautiful photographs at the launch.

In the Media

Heather Saville was interviewed on Life Matters, ABC Radio National
Margaret Bywater was interviewed on Connect Asia, ABC Radio Australia
An article was published in Living Now magazine
An article was published in Alive Magazine
A piece was published in the Courier: the newspaper of the Adelaide Hills
Heather Saville was interview by Rich Bowden on AsiaPacific Media Group
Jackie Perkins was interviewed on 3CR Radio

Book Reviews

Friends Journal (USA) - October 2009
The Australian Friend - September 2009
Studio Journal - September 2009
Eureka St Online - May 2009
Greenleft Weekly - May 2009

You can buy the book locally from:

About the Author

Her involvement with aid and development activities stretches back over forty years and includes working in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Cambodia. Heather now lives in Coledale, a coastal village south of Sydney.  She is married with two adult children and two grandchildren. This is her first book.

Copies of the book, Friends in deed, are available from Quaker Service Australia. Payment is via direct credit to our account (preferred), credit card, or cheque. You can:

1. Download the order form, fill it out and mail it to our office at 119 Devonshire St Surry Hills NSW 2010 or fax to 02 9225 9241.

2. Call us 02 9698 9103 and order your book over the phone

3. Or, simply fill out the expression of interest form below and we will contact you