Australia : Sudanese refugees making themselves at home
By Margaret Wenham, Family Services writer, The Courier-Mail, Australia.
Aug 26, 2005 (Brisbane) — To Sudanese refugee Magdoline Makobi, her new homeland of Australia doesn’t just mean a big country with strange wildlife.
It also represents happiness and safety.
Magdoline, 16, now intends to learn all she can about Australia.
Her first opportunity to do so will be when she and 13 other young people from Sudan and Liberia take off next month for a week-long Outback adventure organised by the Queensland Government as part of a state/federal unaccompanied minors humanitarian program.
“Because I’m new to this country, this will help me to understand more about Australia,” Magdoline said yesterday, as she tried on some fair dinkum headwear with fellow refugees including Daniel Deng, 17, Gabriel Kiir, 17, and Jane Eimani, 15.
The children want to learn about Australians, their lifestyle and their culture, as well as the land and its history. Not to mention kangaroos, emus, koalas and other wildlife.
The youngsters will spend six days exploring the region around Barcaldine, Blackall and Longreach. They’ll catch yabbies, cruise on a river, learn about the Aboriginal Dreamtime and visit Barcaldine’s Australian Workers Heritage Centre, the Stockman’s Hall of Fame at Longreach and other Outback venues.
Magdoline, who has been in Australia for nine months, spoke little of her former life, which included four years in Egypt waiting to be accepted by Australia’s refugee program after she and her sister fled their strife-torn homeland.
“My parents are no longer with us,” she said. “But I have other family — aunts and uncles.”
Asked if they liked Australia, the response from the young people was unanimous — Australia meant safety and freedom.
“It’s good being so relaxed,”
said Gabriel.
“I’m happy,” Magdoline said. “I think I’ll be staying here for a long, long time.”
Federal Multicultural Affairs Minister Chris Cummins said the adventure holiday for the teenagers was made possible by a range of sponsors including a major financial contribution by Brisbane doctor Dr John Skala, whose parents were post-war European refugees.
The unaccompanied minors program has been operating since 1985. There are 154 refugee children in the program in Queensland, most from Sudan and most of whom spent years in refugee camps before their refugee applications were approved.