Joy is a midwife, child masseuse and multicultural advocate living in Ballarat.
Her great-grandparents were freed slaves who were settled in Kenya, and she comes from generations of displaced people and migrants. She has fond memories of her life in Kenya but after she married she moved with her family as skilled migrants to the regional town of Horsham.
When we got there we were the only African family.. so we were celebrities!
Jobs were easy to find and they had excellent English, but even with so many advantages their transition was not always easy.
I felt like I was disenfranchised as far as my career was concerned, because I went there to work in a paediatric unit but I was not allowed, I had to do re-entry to midwifery
Because she knows how hard it can be for migrants and refugees to find their feet and feel at home in Australia, Joy is now a passionate advocate for them. She volunteers her time as chair of the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council.
Joy in her home in Ballarat Source: Alison Hanly
On the SBS podcast New Home, hear from migrant and refugee women who are quietly building new lives in regional Australia, making friends, and finding community.
Follow New Home in the SBS Radio app, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever else you get your podcasts.
New Home is presented by Alison Hanly, and produced by Alison Hanly and Ginny Tan.
