Dawlish Notices

Former Exeter teacher, Patricia Cockrell, recently returned from three months living and working with local people in the Holy Land, will speak on Tuesday 3rd May at 7.30pm in the Music Room in Exeter’s Central Library.

Patricia liaised with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists, monitored violations of human rights and offered nonviolent protection to vulnerable people, including children going to school and farmers to their fields, as part of an international team through the World Council of Churches.

A Quaker for 25 years, she was inspired by the notion of ‘faith in action’ to take early retirement from teaching Russian at the Maynard School and Exeter School, in order to take up Quaker work in Russia. This included projects for refugees and disadvantaged children, peace building in Chechnya and hospice development for which she was awarded the MBE in 2005.

“Before going to the Middle East I attended seminars and training sessions, did a great deal of background reading and learnt some Hebrew,” says Patricia, “although I discovered that almost all the Israeli soldiers on duty at checkpoints speak Russian, English or Arabic. The photograph shows Patricia, at 4.30am, with Ruth and Natalie from Machsom Watch. They had trampled down the barbed wire to reach the fence that divided us. We all had to beat a hasty retreat when threatening words were shouted in Hebrew from the watchtower.”

The meeting is free, open to all and organised by Exeter Quakers.