My Settlement Journey, stepping into a new world

With the notable exception of our Indigenous people, we’ve all come here from somewhere else, or are the offspring of people who did, and who shared a hope of finding a better life. Despite this journey being so interwoven into the Australian story it’s easy to forget just how challenging settling into a new country, especially with no English and no family, must be. 

Learning about My Settlement Journey, I was struck by the passion, enthusiasm and persistence of the masterminds behind this project – Sandra Simendic, Manager Multicultural Services at Community Northern Beaches, Julie Howard, President, Spill the Beans, and Simone Slesarenko, TAFE Services Co-ordinator. They had an absolute belief that migrants would be uplifted and inspired by reading stories written by people just like them. 

The challenge to get My Settlement Journey from idea to reality required similar levels of perseverance and resilience to that displayed by the eight brave people who contributed to it. They came from Colombia, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Japan and Tibet, some fleeing persecution, violence and corrupt governments.  The original goal had been to obtain a grant to help fund the project but when the grant application was unsuccessful Sandra, Simone and Julie pressed on undeterred. Sandra and Julie worked their networks to bring the project to potential storyteller’s attention. From there Julie, who runs Spill the Beans, a membership based online writing community, ran workshops for the writers and Sandra matched writers to the storytellers. 

All this extraordinary work was celebrated at an event on 21 June 2022 where the storytellers and writers were interviewed in pairs by The Tawny Frogmouth’s Founder, Liam Carroll, who channelled his inner Graham Norton. His “guests” needed little coaxing as they spoke of the various challenges they faced to start with and how they feel about now. The bond between writer and storyteller was evident and touching. It’s wonderful to know the Australian spirit we see on display in times of strife, such as bushfires and floods, really does exist in day-to-day life. In their stories the expressions most used by the storytellers about Australians included “friendly and relaxed people,” “Australians follow the rules and are respectful of each other,” “it’s calm and peaceful,” “felt welcomed – much more than expected” and “people are free to be themselves.” 

All the storytellers spoke of their feelings of loneliness, frustration and anxiety in the first year or so. The most consistent advice they have for newcomers is to learn to speak English, mix with English speakers, get into sport or a community activity and don’t spend too much time with expats because it slows down becoming acculturated.  Reading about their experiences, their successes and the entrepreneurial spirit displayed in the new businesses they’ve started is truly inspiring. Australia is a luckier country for having Ana, Yuki, Michele, Phunstok, Marketa, Maria, Tenzin and Annika living here. 

We’re also lucky having people with the skills and commitment of Sandra, Simone and Julie, and the writers, to have brought these stories to the page. I have no doubt more Settlement Journey stories will follow and a grant for this important work will be easier next time.