HALL OF FAME

Tell us a bit about you and your life outside NSW SES.

My name is Elie and I came to Australia in 2018. Before coming to Australia, I grew up in the refugee camps and lived in different refugee camps for over 20 years of my life. When I look back, I didn’t know there was a life outside the camp.

My family fled Congo in 1999 during the war. We fled to Burundi first, where I was in a camp from the age of three until I was about 13 years old. Then we moved to Uganda where we lived as urban refugees in Kampala for over nine years. I came to Australia with four members of my family. Two of my brothers are still in Uganda and one brother is in Germany. When you flee during war, some members of your family can become separated and you end up in different camps and can be resettled to different countries. That’s how my brother ended up in Germany.

 I speak six languages – Kinyamulenge, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Swahili, Luganda and English.

When I arrived in Australia, I immediately started studying a Certificate III in Aged Care. I was very motivated to gain employment to support my family. Speaking English was one of the greatest tools I had, which helped me to navigate the systems in Australia and to help my family feel safe here. My family know I’m here to support them with accessing essential services – Interpreting for medical, school and other appointments. I am so grateful to have English language skills. It is such a great asset for me and for my whole family.

Before I completed my Cert III, I gained a job in Aged Care with Illawarra Retirement Trust. This was great for me to support myself and my family. I worked full-time for about six months and then became interested in university study. I couldn’t afford Uni back in Africa, no one in my family could afford to go to Uni. When I saw the opportunity to go to Uni here, I really wanted to take advantage of this. During high school, I was always interested in Mathematics, so I am studying for a Bachelor of Mathematics at UOW. I’m in my first year.

I have so many interests – anything that makes me and makes people around me happy. I love music and sport. Music and sports bring people together regardless of who you are and where you’ve come from.

What initially sparked your interest - how did you come to join the NSW SES?

I had no idea what NSW SES did and didn’t know anything about volunteer. But I got to learn about it through SCARF Refugee Support and through the SCARF youth leadership program. I am motivated to do things that leave a positive footprint on this earth. I joined in late 2018 and volunteering with NSW SES is one of the ways where I can make a difference.

Can you share an example of how flood or storm emergencies are different in your country of origin, compared to floods and storm emergencies in NSW?

In Uganda, I remember when it used to rain SO much and the floodwaters would come into the house. When the house was flooded, you just had to roll up your jeans to avoid the water and wait for a few days for the floodwater to dry up.

Here, things are very different – NSW SES is there to help. Kudos to NSW SES volunteers and to everyone involved.

How do members of your community access information about what to do in a flood or storm emergency in NSW?

Many of my community members use social media – it’s a really good way to transfer information. The Congolese community in the Illawarra has a ‘WhatsApp’ group where important information and key messages are shared so everyone receives it in English and in various local languages.

For older people, they rely on younger people to interpret the information. Otherwise it’s very hard for older members of our community to get the information they need to stay safe.

Why is it important for the NSW SES to have Multicultural Liaison support?

I like to use stories or metaphors when I talk about things, like the importance of the Multicultural Liaison Unit. Put it this way, when you are cooking (like when my Mum is cooking traditional food), you always bring different ingredients to make the meal more nutritious and more delicious, so that when you eat it and share it with others, you discover new tastes and enjoy the satisfaction of a hearty meal. Bringing different people from different backgrounds together – like different ingredients – combines to create an incredible community service. Everyone in the community is satisfied. Everyone wants to take part and contribute. It’s good to have different knowledge and skills. For example, speaking different languages. The Illawarra has a very diverse community and, in an emergency, if someone doesn’t speak English well, someone in the Multicultural Liaison Unit can help.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I’m happy to be part of NSW SES. I’m so proud of it. It’s great to be part of a team and working with experienced members to serve the amazing community. I can’t wait until we get back to unit meetings and training after COVID-19.