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SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands, and waterways across Australia.
Rachel
From SBS examines, I'm Rachel Knowles. This year, SBS is turning 50, and in celebration we’re sharing stories of cross-cultural success and proud multicultural communities. There’s a stereotype about country towns: that they’re small, isolated and at times, unwelcoming. But is that really true? This small town on Wiradjuri Country in New South Wales' central west has become a thriving multicultural hub and is home to some of the largest Indian and Nepalese communities in the state. In this episode, SBS Examines travels to Dubbo to learn how it's leading the way in social cohesion. It's 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday and James and I are on our way to Buninyong Public School. We've been invited to join a local children's playgroup for migrant families.
Mala Ramjali
I love this playgroup, you know, what they have been doing here. I love seeing her, you know, happy when she comes here and plays with her friends.
Rachel
Mala Ramjali and Anupam Adhikari have been bringing their baby girl here since she was seven months old. The couple have lived in Dubbo since 2020, and happily call it home.
Mala Ramjali
I first thought maybe we won't be living this long, but we are loving it.
Rachel
Amongst those attending is the Taleb family; Khaled, Salam, and their three children Amelia, AKL and Ali. They migrated from Lebanon, and all three of their children were born in Dubbo. They’ve attended this playgroup since their eldest Amelia was six months old. Khaled is a migrant support officer at Connecting Community Services.
Khaled
Yeah like the multicultural community growing in Dubbo, I am the first person in contact with them. So a lot of women and even men come to us, they’re seeking support for driving lessons or sometimes like swimming lessons. I try my best to accommodate them.
Rachel
Khalid says the playgroup has been a joy for their children for one particular reason. And how do you get to playgroup?
Rachel
Who drives the bus?
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Lorna Brennan facilitates the playgroup and is another key contact for the migrant community in Dubbo. A migrant herself, she migrated from Scotland 40 years ago. While a self-titled nomad, she's spent the last 20 years living in Dubbo. She says the playgroup is for the parents as much as the children.
Lorna Brennan
To connect them to early learning opportunities, to connect them to a school, whether that be the school they ultimately go to and other services they might need, you know, health or housing or driving license or whatever.
Rachel
She says the migrant community still comes up against racism but believes the culture is changing.
Lorna Brennan
When I first started here, I remember they asked what did I see as an issue in Dubbo, and I said well, racism. That has changed, not everybody but so many people have had their outlook broadened just by having all that culture coming in and not necessarily overseas just Australian culture.
Rachel
After hours of chatting with parents, joining in on listening circle, making playdough hearts, and painting watercolour butterflies, James and I head off to prepare for Sunday. We're up early and we're parked at the Dubbo Senior Campus College, waiting in a long line of cars to enter the gates. Today we're attending the Nepali language school, run by the Dubbo Nepalese community.
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My favourite word translates to slipper, ... , which is food. in Nepal... That means water. My favourite part about school is to socialise with other people and learn, playing with friends and having free food, meeting new people because I only met them because of school.
Rachel
Anuadha Khadka is the principal of the language school. She says the school takes the load off parents to be solely responsible for teaching their children language and culture.
Anuadha Khadka
So, I mean, many of my parents are saying their kids are now interested more in learning about Nepal, and they're even talking a little bit more in Nepalese, so I feel that's the positive.
Rachel
Anu says there's grief that her child won't have the same connection to their homeland, but she says it's been special watching her foster her own sense of cultural identity and pride.
Anuadha Khadka
We were having this one conversation one day where she said, 'do you find this in Nepal?' You know, like a very tiny thing. And I said, 'what are you saying? Are you saying my country is poor?' And she goes, 'our'. So, she is feeling that cultural connection, so as a Mum I am proud. As a teacher here, if I can make that changes to many kids I will be prouder.
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Another parent in attendance is Rajiv Bhattarai, chair of the Dubbo Nepalese Community who are hosting Nepali New Year. He's invited us to join the New Year's celebrations.
Rajiv Bhattarai
Today we are celebrating Nepalese New Year, which is 2082 BS and um we still officially use this calendar in my country. This is, you know, that celebration, we forget everything about whatever we have done last year, and um we try to forgive the people, we invite the people, we, we gather together and and cook some food.
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The men gather early at Wahroonga Park to prepare the food, 2 telling us they travelled a 2 hour round trip to Yeoville for a fresh lamb. On the park barbecue plates, the men pour eskies of seasoned meat, some dressed in traditional clothing and Nepali music playing from their speakers. Half an hour later, the cooking is done and the crowd begins to gather, including Dubbo Lord Mayor Josh Black.
Josh Black
I've been in Dubbo since I was a kid, so 40 years I've been here, and it's been a huge change for the better in the community as we've had more migrants come in, and it's really added to the whole sense of community and given us something that we didn't have previously in Dubbo.
Rachel
Among those celebrating is Gargi Ganguly. She's the chair of ORISCON, Orana Residents of Indian Sub-Continental Heritage, a migrant from Eastern India – she's also dressed head to toe in traditional dress.
Gargi Ganguly
I came to Dubbo in about 1999. And I came with a job, and I thought to myself, look, yeah, it's a job. I'll probably stay here 2 or 3 years and, and then I'll move on and go somewhere else. But you know, they say that the dust of Dubbo gets to your shoes and it doesn't let you go.
Rachel
While Gargi acknowledges the hardships, she says Dubbo has become a place of growth and community,
Gargi Ganguly
It's not been an easy journey. There has always you know, they say racism is always at the surface. It not only in country towns, it's everywhere. And I suppose it creeps from the feeling of a fear of the unknown. And what we wanted to do is create and accepting sort of a community. And ORISCON as helped in creating that because we create spaces for whole of community come together not only a particular discrete cultural group, the whole of the community. So whether it's a festival of colors or it's a Diwali or it is any need, you know, the whole community comes together and that's where you learn, you grow, you develop and you become Australians.
Rachel
With the New Year's celebrations winding up, James and I are heading back to Sydney, but we take with us a new understanding of migrant communities in small towns and an appreciation for how places like Dubbo are leading the way in fostering social cohesion. And of course, a contact book full of new friends who have all offered to host us next time we're in town. It is true what they say, there is nothing like small town hospitality.
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This episode of SBS Examines was produced by Rachel Knowles and James Elliott. For more information, visit SBS.com.au/SBSexamines.
