Meet the Moderator
Cafe of Dangerous Ideas
Friday 27 March 2026 at 7.30pm
Sycamore Tree Cafe
185 Burgundy Street, Heidelberg
We’re going to spend an evening talking to Salesi Faupula – the current Moderator of the Uniting Church in Victoria/Tasmania.
Born in Tonga, Salesi’s family moved to Australia when he was a baby and he spent his first 10 years in the Yirrkala Aboriginal mission in the Northern Territory.
From there the family moved to Sydney, a time in which Salesi wrestled with his identity, as Tongan born but living in middle class, predominantly white Australia.
It was a move back to Tonga, where a college place was arranged for him, that proved to be a turning point for Salesi. “In Tonga, they are a deeply religious people, so on a Sunday everything stops and everyone goes to church, and I think I came back with this re-found faith,” he says.
He is, he admits, a “colourful mess” when asked how he would describe himself: Tongan-born, Australian-raised and with a deep connection to indigenous Australians.
No bookings necessary – just turn up.
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