Nicholas Procter argues that the mental health of refugee populations is influenced by global catastrophic events, by emotional connections with former homelands, and by local conditions and events. Health and human service workers who work with refugees must therefore take local and global contexts into account, and should recognise the importance of promoting tolerance locally. The case study used in this paper is the experiences of Serbian Australians during the Balkan conflict, and how they managed the interplay between homeland events, media reports, cultural identity and mental health issues.