Enterprising migrant hope

THE Enterprise Rose is a symbol of hope, safety and beauty for more than 30,000 immigrants and refugees who found a home at Springvale’s Enterprise Migrant Hostel.
On 9 December Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship Minister Nicholas Kotsiras unveiled a tribute garden featuring the rose at the hostel’s former site, now Lexington Gardens Retirement Village.
It’s part of an ongoing community vision to publicly and permanently honour the significant contribution the Enterprise Hostel made to Australian migrants between 1970 and 1992.
The Enterprise was built to accommodate up to 1000 refugees and migrants at any one time and the original rose garden was the first site new arrivals encountered.
Today’s garden pays tribute to their memorable experiences of welcome, support and hope.
A new rose named in Enterprise’s honour was officially launched at Lexington in April and the first 200 will bloom in the new garden, symbolising security, protection and refuge.
A three-metre glass rose petal is inscribed with a world map representing the countries the residents came from, and a pair of open hands for the welcome the Springvale community gave them.
The seat documents the number of people who resided at Enterprise – their first home before settling in the general community throughout the nation.
The tribute garden came from the Spirit of Enterprise Project, which started from a small exhibition and with community support grew to a lasting tribute – a website and the garden. Also proposed is a trail of public art in significant areas.
Visit www.enterprisehostel.org for more information on The Spirit of Enterprise: a Project of National Significance.