Iranian refugees first to come under new program

A WARWICK household waits with anticipation for the first family of refugees to visit under a new program being rolled out around the Southern Downs.

LOOKING AHEAD: SDRAMN members Emma Yates, Anne Wilson and Fiori Cruz are looking forward to seeing the Homestays program offer a place for refugees to retreat to the country. Picture: Marian Faa

AN IRANIAN family of five will be the first to experience a weekend in Warwick as part of the new Southern Downs Refugee Homestays program.

A Warwick family will open doors in a gesture that says "welcome” to the Iranian parents and their three children.

Southern Downs Refugee and Migrant Network treasurer Anne Wilson said she was looking forward to hosting the family for the weekend.

"I am looking forward to getting to know them and welcoming to our part of Warwick and giving them a place to relax,” Mrs Wilson said.

Fr Terry Hickling, Fiori Cruz and Val Gray. Picture: Marian Faa

A combined initiative of SDRAMN and the Romero Centre in Brisbane, the program will give refugees the chance to spend time in the country side.

Coordinator Emma Yates said it was a great to be able to do something practical to help refugees.

"[Refugees] are so conscious of how much negativity there is in the media so this is a way of being able to send a really strong message that we are an ordinary Australian family and we welcome you,” she said.

Multicultural Picnic

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Mrs Yates said it was easy to feel "powerless” about the government's treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.

"This is something we can do to actually say I want a different Australia and I don't want it to be this way,” she said.

The program could also pave the way for refugees on safe haven enterprise visas (SHEV) to settle here in the future, Mrs Yates said.

"There are designated regional areas and if you can establish yourself and find work you have a better case to apply for another SHEV visa in the future.”

Jonafe Manzano and Ann-Maree O'Leary. Picture: Marian Faa

Mrs Yates, Mrs Wilson and other members of SDRAMN enjoyed a multicultural picnic at Southern Cross Bowls Club on Saturday, in celebration of Refugee Week.

It was an event enjoyed by all, but the underlying purpose was more than just an opportunity to kick off the shoes and have a game of bowls.

"I think everything that SDRAMN does, there is that bigger picture aim that is about shifting community perceptions and encouraging the Warwick community to be a bit more open and informed,” Mrs Yates said.

The Iranian family will visit for the weekend in two week's time.

They are the first in the Homestays program, but SDRAMN members hope many more will follow.