About

I am a writer and volunteer refugee advocate based in Sydney, Australia, who focuses on the challenges which life throws at us.  A former journalist, I previously worked in publishing and taught French to university students while undertaking post-graduate research. I am a member of Supporting Asylum Seekers Sydney (SASS) and also served on the board of my children’s school for 14 years, including three terms as vice-president. I also serve as a guide at the Sydney Jewish Museum, with the aim of combining lessons learned from Jewish history and notably the Holocaust with my passion for social justice. My work has appeared in online and print publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian, Biostories, The Australian Jewish News, Independent Australia, New Matilda, Eureka Street, Jewish Literary Journal, The Forward, Alzheimer’s Reading Room and Online Opinion. My first book, “Unlocking the Past: Stories from my Mother’s Diary“, is a series of creative non-fiction short stories about Israel in the 1950s, based on my mother’s diary, which was only discovered after her passing. I am currently working on my second book about my work with Vietnamese refugee families. I can be contacted at sebban@tpg.com.au