A family reunited

After many assessments, long waits and talks about the future, Samina and her family were finally on the plane to Melbourne. And to her, it was like a miracle.

At the other end were family members that she had not seen in eleven years.

“It felt so good. Sitting with them, chitchatting, even having sleepovers – it was a good thing for me. You know, remembering the old days when we used to be in Pakistan, when we used to have gatherings and everything. Remembering it all, made it all so fresh for me again”.

Starting from zero

Samina had already rebuilt her life from scratch once before. When danger escalated in Pakistan, her family had to leave behind her homeland to go to Indonesia to be considered for resettlement elsewhere. “In Pakistan, we are not safe. We do not have any guarantees that we can go to the bazaar and still make it back home. At first we used to say they won’t hurt women, so we will go. But now they start to hurt the women and the kids. And so Indonesia was the only way.”

But this short-term solution, turned into thirteen years of waiting.

“After my father’s death, I was the one taking care of my mother when my brother was young. I never get pocket money, I’m earning. I’m taking care of my son by myself. I would take my mother to the doctor, and my son to the playground. That was the only thing keeping myself busy… Otherwise, there was nothing.”

A hard worker, and keen to support her family, Samina contributed at a community school in Indonesia. She decided not to spend on pleasures, but only on necessities. “My brother was sending us money from him in Australia, and we had a very specific budget to not spend too much.”

Life was stifling for a motivated and determined young mother. The only bright spot, she says, was community. “We had very good neighbours, a very good community. Going and talking, celebrating other occasions with them. Otherwise, not a single moment did I enjoy Indonesia.”

The pressure of waiting

Over the years, there were many difficult family conversations. Samina recalls, “People were taking the boat to Australia. And my brother, who in those days was working on Christmas Island (at the immigration detention centre) said, “Don’t take a boat. There is no option that they are going to accept anyone, they will send you to another island [detention].” My father is a heart patient, so we can’t even go on a boat anyway. So we stayed in Indonesia. Others we see, they are fighting in front of the UNHCR building, protest.”

By this stage, for many families stuck in limbo for so long, it is easy to see how fear and desperation could take hold.

But then came the call from Australia’s Department of Home Affairs.

Samina, with some amazement, shakes her head at the memory of that call. “At first, I ignored it. When we said goodbye to our neighbours, no one was believing that we are going to Australia. I still say, it was a miracle”.

One year in

When we meet, Samina has just finished work, and will soon go to collect her son after school. In just over a year, she has thrown herself into life in Australia with determination.

In the earliest days, Samina saved up carefully to buy herself a laptop for study. After several months, she passed her Pathology certification and now works in hospitals and medical clinics around Melbourne. She has her eye on a Registered Nursing degree but is also keeping her eye out for Reception roles in the meantime. She’s still caring for her mother, and they share a family home with her siblings.

It’s an incredible load. Yet, Samina speaks of it all with visible relief and enthusiasm – of having the opportunity to work, earn, save, and support her son freely. They both dream of a house of their own, with their own rooms.

She’s keen for her son to thrive in Australia too. “I say to him, just go study. The things you want? You earn it. Study and earn it. The only option is to study hard”.

Again, it seems a sense of community has made all the difference. With supportive teachers and new friends, life – and academics – have bloomed. He excels at maths and has discovered a talent for Japanese language, scoring an impressive 98% on a test.

Samina has recently passed her driving test with flying colours. She bought a second-hand car and we share a giggle about trying to follow GPS directions in Melbourne’s hectic afternoon freeway traffic.

Again, what many would find daunting, Samina takes in stride. She’s going further each time, and feeling good about no longer having to spend two hours on public transport before and after every work shift.

Focused on the future

A former teacher, Samina is fiercely independent, and it’s clear that it has been a strength for her during her long journey. She explains “Life here starts from zero. But the more you do work, the more the government will be good with you. We [migrants] are not a burden on them. We are just on our own, like Australian citizens. We work, earning money, paying taxes. From the start, I am not relying on Centrelink. I have my plans, I’m applying, and after, I will buy my house.”.

She has advice, too. “Earn your own money. Never depend on other things, like Centrelink. Earn your own money. It is sweeter. Yes, it is. You will know the value of it when you are earning it yourself.”

It’s clear to me, and to her Case Manager Saghar, that Samina is full of tenacity. She has overcome huge hurdles to settle in such a short time, and with her focus firmly fixed on the future. But she is not interested in praise. Instead, she remembers by name the people who have helped her along the way.

“Australia is having lots of opportunities. I’ve just opened the gates for myself, and using each and every single one. That’s what I would say to others. Just use the opportunities, and open the gates.”

Celebrating life and family

But life is about more than work. Samina’s eyes shine when she speaks of sitting down on that plane to Melbourne, and the joy in reconnecting with family and community here in Australia after so many years of patience.

“And Eid! To be with family, now I know how this feels – this is Eid, this is Ramadan, now it is the weekend and we are together, we are celebrating together. Each and every single thing with them. It feels so good.”

Kelsey Dattoli – Communications Coordinator
Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre

Find out more about Spectrum’s Settlement and Family Services.