A Pakistani family celebrated their first anniversary in Australia with a joyful picnic at Leslie Dam, organised by their friends and supporters.
The event marked a significant milestone for Sajid, Samina, and their three children, who were originally from Pakistan and spent five years as refugees in Sri Lanka before arriving in Warwick 12 months ago.
Southern Downs Refugee and Migrant Network spokesman Doug Wilson shared the family’s journey and progress since their arrival.
“Both parents have found work, and the children are all well-established at a local school,“ Mr. Wilson said.
“Even though the sponsorship has ended, many of us have become friends with the family and still lend a hand on an informal basis.“
Sajid and Samina have been taking driving lessons, aiming to buy a car. In the meantime, they rely on their bicycles for transportation. The three girls have enjoyed learning to swim, and their parents continue to improve their English at TAFE.
The family was allocated through the Federal Government’s refugee sponsorship program in late 2022.
Warwick’s Welcome Circle raised over $11,000, thanks to the community’s generosity. These funds were used to rent and furnish a house for the family and assist them with essential formalities, such as applying for Centrelink, Medicare, and enrolling the children in school.
This successful integration was made possible through the Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia (CRSA) initiative, specifically the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP). The CRISP program enables local groups of five or more people to welcome and support a refugee family from their first day in Australia. Hundreds of families have been resettled in regional towns across Australia through this program, which matches groups with refugee households identified by the UNHCR as urgently needing resettlement.
CRSA is currently campaigning to attract more sponsorship groups to continue this vital work. For more information, visit CRSA’s campaign page.
The picnic at Leslie Dam not only celebrated the family’s first year in Australia but also highlighted the power of community support and the successful integration of refugees into regional towns like Warwick.
