PAWES (Providing Awareness With Education & Sport) is a not for profit association for marginalised and disadvantaged young people. The organisation’s slogan is ‘many shades one shadow’ and they welcome young people from all areas of Brisbane, offering physical activity and social interaction as well as education and life skills. PAWES aims to provide the opportunity for coaching, learning and playing competitive basketball through their local Hoop Dreamz teams.

David Yohan arrived in Australia from Ethiopia in 1993, under a humanitarian program as a refugee. He developed the volunteer organisation in 2008, which started out with five or six players and has now grown to over 150. David uses his knowledge and passion for the sport to help young people from diverse backgrounds develop a sense of trust, belonging and community.

Photography / Sound: Juanita Wilson

Production: Juanita Wilson / Rodney Dekker

Thank you to David Yohan and all the kids from PAWES

Welcome to Australia is a project celebrating friendship and human connection between Australians and refugees in Australia. This story highlights the reciprocal benefits of welcoming Saliah into the lives of Sophie and Patrick.

Photography / Video / Sound : Nicole Marie

Production: Nicole Marie / Naomi Herzog / Rodney Dekker / Joseph Feil

Music: Prelude No. 7 by Chris Zavriskie – chriszabriskie.com

Between 1987 and 1991, Chol Yahmalek walked around parts of Africa, escaping from civil war in South Sudan. During this time he and around 26,000 ‘Lost Boys’ walked approximately 1,600km looking for safety. Many perished due to starvation, war and wild animals. After living in atrocious conditions in a camp for around 10 years, he and around 4,000 of the ‘Lost Boys’ were granted refugee status by UNHCR and were relocated to the USA. Chol completed a university degree while in the USA and now works and lives with his wife and three children in Melton, Australia.

Photography / Video / Sound: Rodney Dekker

Production: Rodney Dekker

Thank you to Chol, his family and the church

It’s been 8,400 days since I felt the warmth of your delicate hands

The same hands that pulled triggers on the colonisers and oppressors

The hands you used to bury your comrades yesterday after a battle in Awna, Om Hajir, Agordat and She’eb

The hands that covered the eyes of a mother, forced to attend a public execution of her child

The hands that took photographs with your 1970 Pentax of a mountain you named your son after

The hands that gently stroked my mothers sharp cheekbones

The hands that wrapped around my sister, sang her revolutionary lullabies and put her to sleep

One hand held a cawa cup and sipped ginger and cardamom infused coffee filled with mama’s love and the scent of burning frankincense and sandalwood

The other hand smoked a cigarette

It wasn’t this smoke that killed you

It’s been 8,400 days

The only thing between us was my mother’s soft brown skin

I felt your warm blood mixed with her sweat turn cold

I felt her ribs fold like origami with every beat of her rhythmic sob

The same rhythmic sob I hear after 23 years

The whole city was surrounded by grief

Flooded with tears and candle wax

Poem / Narration: Walat Barka

Photography / Sound: Tobias Titz

Production: Tobias Titz and Rodney Dekker

Thanks to the Spectrum Migrant Resource Centre

These words are the writings of an asylum seeker who cannot be named. His is a story of fading dreams and what is left when hope is gone. Having been in detention for ten years now, five of which have been here in Australia, he fled persecution in his own country with the search for a new life of peace.

With dreams of a new life here almost completely faded, there is little left for him beyond day-to-day survival. He spoke of his time in here detention, “all that we need is provided for, a bed, food, medicine – everything except hope.” Faceless, voiceless and with nothing left to live for, all that remains for this man is a heavy heart and thoughts of suicide.

Photography: Naomi Herzog

Production: Naomi Herzog / Alex Joseski

Music: Anthony “ToK” Norris

Thank you to an asylum seeker who cannot be named,Randol Rajakaruna,Mora Imbriosia,Andrew Paranavitana,Silvi Glattauer

Mohammad

Mohammad arrived in Australia on a boat with his family when he was 10 years old. They were forced to flee from their home in Afghanistan due to persecution by the Taliban. They then spent 3 years inside the detention centre on Nauru.

MohammadHe has faced enormous difficulties and challenges since arriving in Australia. Memories of the horrific incidents he witnessed on the boat journey to Australia and inside the detention centre on Nauru have resulted in feelings of depression. He has also experienced the isolation of starting school in a foreign country and not being able to speak the language. And there is the ongoing conflict of being caught between two cultures, between his birth country Afghanistan and modern day Australia.

But he has worked hard to overcome the difficulties and is now living in Melbourne and studying law and business.

He frequently speaks publicly about his past experiences, with the hope that he can contribute towards raising awareness and bringing about change in the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia.

Photography / Sound

Jenny Hodge

Production

Jenny Hodge / Rodney Dekker /

Naomi Herzog / Ponch Hawkes

Thank yous to

Mohammad, and his family and friends,

McGuire College Shepparton and

Salsa Foundation Melbourne.

No Names No Faces

A 19 year old Tamil asylum seeker living in Melbourne, this young woman has requested that she not be identified. She has no official status in Australia, she and is on a bridging visa. A condition of her visa relates to not publicising her story to the media. She cannot work, she cannot study, she is on hold and has been so for the past three3 years since arriving by boat from Sri Lanka. Her story is told through her melodies and her singing voice. This inspiring young woman remains positive and is looking forward to finally commencing a ‘real’ life in Melbourne.

Photography / Sound

Silvi Glattauer

Production

Silvi Glattauer

Queue Jumper

Najaf Mazari left behind his wife and 6 month old daughter when he arrived by boat in 2001 as a refugee, having paid people smugglers $3500 for his passage to Australia from Afghanistan. This is his story of why he left, how he got here and what problems he faced in dealing with the various stages of his journey and in getting reunited with his family. Najaf now lives in Melbourne, where he runs a successful Afghan rug shop. He has had two books published about his journey and his story is studied as part of the Australian high school curriculum. He was nominated for an Australian of the Year Award in 2014.

Photography / Sound / Video

Joseph Feil

Production

Joseph Feil

Bonegilla Aand Benalla

This project features photos of two migrant camps, which housed the first wave of refugees to Australia after the Second World War. Bonegilla Migrant Reception Centre was the first and largest migrant camp to accommodate the first wave of refugees coming out of Europe after the Second World War.  Approximately 350,000 people spent time there.

Photography

Helga Leunig

Production

Helga Leunig / Naomi Herzog /

Rodney Dekker

Thank you to Sabine Smyth of the Benalla Migrant Camp Exhibition

I'm Just Like You Because

The video series I'm Jjust Llike Yyou Bbecause shows us that people who have sought refuge in our country are not the demonised people our government would have us believe they are. They are people who love their children, who want safe futures for them and , who desire very simple things like playing with their children in a park. They are indeed people just like us.

Photography

Julie Bowyer

Production

Julie Bowyer/ Naomi Herzog / Joseph Feil

Thank you to Neam Cing Hau and sons Mang and Pum

I'm Just Like You Because

The video series I'm Just Like You Because shows us that people who have sought refuge in our country are not the demonised people our government would have us believe they are. They are people who love their children, who want safe futures for them and , who desire very simple things like playing with their children in a park. They are indeed people just like us.

Photography

Julie Bowyer

Production

Julie Bowyer/ Naomi Herzog / Joseph Feil

Thank you to Neam Cing Hau and sons Mang and Pum

The Gift of Refuge

Recently Tri Nguyen, who came to Australia as a refugee in 1982, recently walked to Canberra,  He was accompanied by Linda, Daniel and Majid, young asylum seekers from Iran.  They pulled a replica of the wooden boat that Tri’s family had used to escape from Vietnam. Their pilgrimage was to raise awareness of the plight of asylum seekers and to say ‘thank you’ for the gift of refuge that Australia has given to generations of migrants and refugees.

Photography /Sound

Ponch Hawkes

Thank yous to Tri Nyugen, Linda, Majid, Daniel and Jenni

God's Mercy

 In God’s Mercy, photographer Andrew Chapman explores the journey undertaken by Father Nhan Le, who along with his brother Phu and 53 others, fled Vietnam by boat in 1980.  Like today, the late 1970’s were filled with fear and trepidation over the influx of a new wave of refugees.  Chapman shows the value to Australian society of one individual, his journey here and his gift back to the country that befriended him.  For the photographer, this story is personal. In 2010 Nhan administered to him the Last Rites and in 2014 he performed the marriage ceremony of one of Chapman's daughters.

Photography / Sound

Andrew Chapman

Production

Andrew Chapman / David Callow

Thank you to Father Nhan Le, Phu Van Le and the communities and choirs of St Thomas More Belgrave and St Paul’s Monbulk.

Robabeh's Kitchen

Robabeh, 26, is an asylum seeker from Afghanistan. She has come to Australia by boat with her husband and three children. Prior to this they lived as refugees in Iran. With no right to work, study, or live a normal life in Iran, they decided Australia was their only hope. They are now waiting for the long and drawn out process of the bridging visas, with no certainty that they will be able to remain in Australia. For a woman with three young children, she sees the only hope for her family is to be accepted in this country, where education is the right of every child. Her biggest wish is to study.

Photography / Sound

Silvi Glattauer

Production

Silvi Glattauer