By Danielle Kutchel
After fleeing a devastating war, a family of refugees is grateful to be able to call Australia home.
Raed Hamoud Alshaar, his wife and their infant daughter fled the horrors of the Syrian conflict in 2018.
He has no doubt that had they stayed in Syria, they would have died.
“Our life was endangered all the time there. If we hadn’t died from the war, we would have died from not having food,” he says.
“You don’t have money or work over there.”
They spent some time in relative safety in Erbil in Iraq, before making the journey to Australia as refugees eight months ago.
Raed says they made the decision to come to Australia for a better life for their growing family.
“I want my daughter to study and have a life in a better community,” he says.
He was client of refugee and migrant settlement agency AMES Australia in Noble Park and studied English there as well as a pre-employment course.
Determined to support his family, he enrolled in VCE at Box Hill Institute and is studying a certificate two in English Language at Chisholm too.
In addition to his studies, Raed is also working at a warehouse in Keysborough.
Meanwhile, his wife is also studying English at Chisholm.
Both plan to go on to further study once finishing their basic qualifications.
Their daughter, now four years old, already speaks English well.
All Raed wants now is to be able to finish his studies and contribute in a positive way to the country that welcomed him home.
“I want to work in Australia and work for Australia because Australia saved me from the war,” Raed explains.
He has no plans to ever go back to Syria.
“I want to stay in Australia because it’s a safe and wonderful place for us – the best place,” he says.
Like Raed and his family, hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers have made Greater Dandenong their home over the years.
Greater Dandenong is Australia’s most culturally diverse community, with its residents representing 157 different birthplaces.
Many of those people have come from countries and places ravaged by conflict, according to the council’s website.
The week of 13-20 June is World Refugee Week, which raises awareness of the issues facing refugees around the world.
In a video message on the council’s website, Mayor Jim Memeti promoted said Greater Dandenong had a proud history of welcoming refugees and people seeking asylum.
“Greater Dandenong Council continues its commitment to supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our community by leading a mayoral taskforce delivering on council’s People Seeking Asylum and Refugee Action Plan, as well as facilitating the provision of material aid with community organisations,” he said.
“As a council we’ll continue to promote social inclusion, equity and community participation, and I encourage everyone to uphold our city’s welcoming spirit.”
