Bass Coast Refugee Sponsorship Group members gather with other local refugee families to
welcome the Ali family, 2023.
welcome the Ali family, 2023.
By Catherine Watson
WHEN the world is so troubled, it's tempting to turn your back and take up tai chi or woodwork.
Globally, more than 40 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to wars and violence. A small group of local people decided that while they couldn't save the world, they could offer refugee families a new home and hope.
Since 2022, the Bass Coast Refugee Sponsorship Group has sponsored four Syrian refugee families who had spent many years in refugee camps or temporary accommodation in Iraq and Lebanon
WHEN the world is so troubled, it's tempting to turn your back and take up tai chi or woodwork.
Globally, more than 40 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to wars and violence. A small group of local people decided that while they couldn't save the world, they could offer refugee families a new home and hope.
Since 2022, the Bass Coast Refugee Sponsorship Group has sponsored four Syrian refugee families who had spent many years in refugee camps or temporary accommodation in Iraq and Lebanon
They also supported an Afghan family who had fled the Taliban and were reunited in Wonthaggi after 12 years apart.
That makes 31 people – 10 adults and 21 children – who have started a new life in our community.
That makes 31 people – 10 adults and 21 children – who have started a new life in our community.
"It's been rewarding, challenging, frustrating and hilarious ... We've also made friends for life with these families." |
Yesterday the group met once more to decide whether they had the energy and the resources to sponsor another family.
The answer was yes. At least they know what they're in for this time!
The local group operates under the Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia program, which enables everyday Australians to support refugees through their first year in Australia.
Starting again in a new country, with a new language and far from family and friends, is daunting. Volunteers raise funds, find homes to rent, furnish them and meet families at Melbourne Airport.
They help parents to set up Medicare, Centrelink and bank accounts, enrol in English classes, learn to drive and find work. They enrol children in kinder and school, teach them to swim, help them join sports clubs and, just as importantly, introduce the families to a welcoming community.
In recent weeks, local group members have scrambled to cover English as an Additional Language classes for the adults after Bass Coast Adult Learning closed suddenly. For now the class is being taken by volunteer tutors (including former BCAL teachers) at the Wonthaggi library.
Many people have contributed since the group formed in 2021, but three have been constant: Maddy Harford, Janice Connor and Sylvia Davey, each bringing different life experience and skills.
A "ten pound Pom" who arrived in Australia aged 10, Sylvia Davey remembers the kindness shown by the local community towards her own family when they arrived, and was determined to do the same for others.
After 15 years helping refugees settle in Bass Coast, she spends countless hours on the phone and in Centrelink offices untangling problems. She gave one family her car and housed another in her own home for two weeks while they waited for a rental property. Most importantly, she keeps her cool in stressful situations.
Janice Connor taught English at Bass Coast Adult Learning where she showed a talent for enduring friendships. She helped to establish the Multicultural Women's Group with Mitchell House, which now brings together migrant and refugee women each week to improve their English, learn new skills and build friendships.
A former physical education teacher, Maddy has made it her mission to help the children feel at home through sport. She's taught them to swim, found bikes and taught them to ride, enrolled them in gymnastics and even navigated FIFA paperwork so they could play for Wonthaggi United Soccer Club.
"It's been rewarding, challenging, frustrating and hilarious," Maddy says. "We now understand so much more about the challenges refugees face in Australia. But we've also made friends for life with these families."
Asked about unexpected hurdles, she says they initially struggled to find a rental property.
"Some real estate agents simply weren't prepared to give refugees a go. Then we found Ray White, who persuaded a hesitant owner to consider the family.
"Since then, every time a new family has arrived, Ray White has found a house for us. There has never been an issue with any house or any family."
The answer was yes. At least they know what they're in for this time!
The local group operates under the Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia program, which enables everyday Australians to support refugees through their first year in Australia.
Starting again in a new country, with a new language and far from family and friends, is daunting. Volunteers raise funds, find homes to rent, furnish them and meet families at Melbourne Airport.
They help parents to set up Medicare, Centrelink and bank accounts, enrol in English classes, learn to drive and find work. They enrol children in kinder and school, teach them to swim, help them join sports clubs and, just as importantly, introduce the families to a welcoming community.
In recent weeks, local group members have scrambled to cover English as an Additional Language classes for the adults after Bass Coast Adult Learning closed suddenly. For now the class is being taken by volunteer tutors (including former BCAL teachers) at the Wonthaggi library.
Many people have contributed since the group formed in 2021, but three have been constant: Maddy Harford, Janice Connor and Sylvia Davey, each bringing different life experience and skills.
A "ten pound Pom" who arrived in Australia aged 10, Sylvia Davey remembers the kindness shown by the local community towards her own family when they arrived, and was determined to do the same for others.
After 15 years helping refugees settle in Bass Coast, she spends countless hours on the phone and in Centrelink offices untangling problems. She gave one family her car and housed another in her own home for two weeks while they waited for a rental property. Most importantly, she keeps her cool in stressful situations.
Janice Connor taught English at Bass Coast Adult Learning where she showed a talent for enduring friendships. She helped to establish the Multicultural Women's Group with Mitchell House, which now brings together migrant and refugee women each week to improve their English, learn new skills and build friendships.
A former physical education teacher, Maddy has made it her mission to help the children feel at home through sport. She's taught them to swim, found bikes and taught them to ride, enrolled them in gymnastics and even navigated FIFA paperwork so they could play for Wonthaggi United Soccer Club.
"It's been rewarding, challenging, frustrating and hilarious," Maddy says. "We now understand so much more about the challenges refugees face in Australia. But we've also made friends for life with these families."
Asked about unexpected hurdles, she says they initially struggled to find a rental property.
"Some real estate agents simply weren't prepared to give refugees a go. Then we found Ray White, who persuaded a hesitant owner to consider the family.
"Since then, every time a new family has arrived, Ray White has found a house for us. There has never been an issue with any house or any family."
"Thanks to all Australia, a country of love, safety and peace." |
Instead, Maddy says, the families have found Wonthaggi to be remarkably welcoming.
"The women are very recognisable and people regularly stop them in the supermarket just to say hello.
"At the end of their first year we ask the families how they're going. We thought some would want to move to places like Dandenong where there's an established Syrian community.
"So far, none of them has wanted to leave. They tell us, 'We love Wonthaggi. We love the environment and we love the community.' That's been a wonderful surprise."
"The women are very recognisable and people regularly stop them in the supermarket just to say hello.
"At the end of their first year we ask the families how they're going. We thought some would want to move to places like Dandenong where there's an established Syrian community.
"So far, none of them has wanted to leave. They tell us, 'We love Wonthaggi. We love the environment and we love the community.' That's been a wonderful surprise."
A welcome picnic for the Al Hajj family at Guide Park, January 2026, a week after they
arrived in Australia.
arrived in Australia.
When the world feels overwhelming, it's easy to look away.
Maddy, Sylvia, Janice and the others chose instead to make a difference.
The proof is in the families they have helped: Lukman and Khadija Ali and their five young children (including one born in Wonthaggi); Hossam and Iman Al Habra and their three children; Sabri and Jihan Darwesh and their five children; Khaled and Amira Al Hajj and their four children; and Zamin and Shafiqa and their four children.
As Sabri Darwesh puts it: "Thanks to all Australia, a country of love, safety and peace."
Maddy, Sylvia, Janice and the others chose instead to make a difference.
The proof is in the families they have helped: Lukman and Khadija Ali and their five young children (including one born in Wonthaggi); Hossam and Iman Al Habra and their three children; Sabri and Jihan Darwesh and their five children; Khaled and Amira Al Hajj and their four children; and Zamin and Shafiqa and their four children.
As Sabri Darwesh puts it: "Thanks to all Australia, a country of love, safety and peace."