I firstmetJonOwenata Wayside
Chapelfundraisingeventheldat
BillyKwongin 2018.I feltaninstant
connection;Jonexudesa natural
warmthandopennessthatinstantly
makesthosearoundhimfeelreally
comfortable.Forme,heis likeone
ofmybrothers,andwithourshared
Asianbackgroundstheconversation
alwaysturnstofoodandfamily.I’dliketocelebrateandthankJonforhiscontinuouscare
of those who are the most vulnerable in our community.
W
itheverychallenge,comesan
opportunity.Whichmeans 2020
hasnotbeenwithoutitspositives,
saysJonOwen,chiefexecutiveand
pastorofSydney’sWaysideChapel.
“We’vebeengettingpeopleoffthestreetand
intohotelrooms,theGovernmenthasbeenpaying
forthat.It’sbeenquiteanamazingmomenttobe
workinginthisspace.There’sbeenlotsofpleasant
surprisesthroughit all,”hesays,radiating
a charismasostrong,youcanfeelit eventhrough
a glitchyZoomcall.
WaysideChapelhasbeena fixtureofSydney’s
KingsCrosssince1964,whenit firstopenedits
doorstooffera placeofsanctuaryandsupport
forthosewhohadfallenbythewayside.
“Waysideis thisbeautifulplace
wherewearethefamilyofhumanity.
Fromthepersonwalkingoutoftheir
apartmentinPottsPointtothe
personwakingupinthegutter,you
cancometothisplacewhereyouwill
betreatedasequals.”
Waysidehaslonghelda specialplaceinthe
greaterSydneycommunity– andit takesa special
persontoleadtheorganisation.Foryears,that
wasRev.GrahamLong,whoretiredin2018,
choosingOwenashissuccessor.
BorninMalaysia,OwencametoAustralia
asaninfantashisparentssoughta betterlifefor
theiryoungfamily.Fromanearlyage,hislifewas
clearlymappedout.
“I’mtheonlyboyoutoffourkidsinanAsian
immigrant family so there was a lot of pressure andvalueonprovidingforthefamily.Tothepoint
wheremymotherchosemyuniversitycourse
forme,”helaughsfondly.
Owenwasa yearawayfromcompleting
a doubledegreeincomputerscienceand
engineeringwhenhetookanelectivepaper
onsocialjustice– andderailedhismother’s
plansforever.
“Itcaptivatedmeandcapturedmyheart.
I foundmyfitintheuniverse,really.I thought
there’snocosttoohightopay,I needtoinvest
inthislifestyle.”
Owentooka gapyearfromhisstudies.But
insteadoftravellingtheworldand“finding
myselfinsaffronrobes”,hestayedinMelbourne,
volunteeringinoneofthecity’spoorest
neighbourhoodstoworkwiththevulnerable
anddisadvantaged:asylumseekers,refugees
andthoserecentlyreleasedfromprison.
“Allofa sudden,thisfeelingofgrowingup
asanoutsiderandbeingexcludedmadesense.
I hadthisgreatempathyandcompassionand
I couldconnectwithpeopleinthatspace.That
waswhatsparkedthepassionandthejourney.”
Aftermorethan 20 years,thatjourneyled
OwentoWayside– viaa decadeinMtDruitt,
whereheandhiswifeLisaopenedtheirhome
tothoseinneed,attimessharingtheirfour-
bedroomhomewithupto 13 people,alongside
theirtwoyoungdaughters.
Hismissionhasalwaysbeentospreadloveand
compassion,whichheachievesthroughcreating
communityandconnection.Andoftenthefirst
stepinthatprocess,hesays,is throughfood.
“AnAboriginalladyoncesaidtome...you
arewhoyoueatwith.Foodis thecatalystfor
connectionandcommunity.Theshortest
distancebetweentwopeopleis a sharedmeal.
“AtWayside,whenwehandouta meal,we
lookpeopleintheeyeandcallthembytheir
nameandsayyou’renotforgotten.”
AsweapproachChristmas,Owensaysthat
philosophyis moreimportantthanever.
“Christmasis alwayshardforourguys.It’s
oftena reminderofwhatthey’velost,notwhat
theyhave.ThisChristmas,we’rereallyfacingthe
realitythateveryfamilyis goingtohavetochoose
the 20 peoplethattheywantattheirhouse.We
knowourguysarenotgoingtomakethecut.
“Whattheworldputslast,we’regoingtoput
first.Andfoodis thewaywegetthemin.Come
andeatprawnsandham,cherriesandmeringues.
But what we’re really saying is ‘I love you’.”●“Theshortest
distancebetween
two peopleis
a shared meal.”GOURMET TRAVELLER 29