HALL OF FAME

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

I come from Myanmar/Burma. My family is from a minority ethnic group and I speak English, Karenni, Karen, Burmese and Momu.

Due to the conflict in my home country, my parents had to flee to a refugee camp in Thailand. Both my brothers and I were born in a refugee camp. We came to Australia in 2008 and settled in Wollongong.

I was 12 years old when I came to Australia and when I arrived here, I couldn’t speak English, so it was very challenging for myself and my family. To me, it became very important that I focus on education. I learned as much as I could. I developed my skills in different ways and supported my family to start a new life here. Here it is peaceful and there are so many opportunities to live the life you choose, which is what I really like about Australia.

After finishing high school, I studied nursing and graduated in 2018. I like the art of nursing and after finishing Uni, I wanted to have the flexibility to do different types of work and to get involved in community activities. Many community members from Myanmar faced a lot of challenges with the language and with navigating the systems in Australia. I am a key person that community members come to for help. I encourage community members to be brave, to build their confidence, to put themselves out there, and try different things. All of us are afraid of failing when we try something new. It’s extra hard when the culture, language and all aspects of life are completely different. It takes a lot of courage to do things independently in a country where everything is unfamiliar to you. The pathways to independence are very different in Australia, compared to Myanmar.

Currently, I work as a carer providing in-home care for elderly people. I have many interests – I enjoy soccer, photography, listening to music and learning to sing.

When did you join NSW SES and what initially sparked your interest and how did you come to join the NSW SES?

I signed up in 2018. When I first heard about the Multicultural Community Liaison Unit, I was really happy to know that this specialist resource was being established. I wanted to get involved so I signed up to be an NSW SES Volunteer.

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?

Where I was born – It is not my own country – It was a rural area in Thailand and the geography is entirely different from here. Tropical weather and monsoonal rain can get very heavy, rivers rise very high and can overflow quickly. When I was little, we lived near a river, and there were a few occasions when the river rose up overnight and came dangerously close to our home. We had to run up the hills and stay there until the water subsided. It was very scary. There was nothing much we could do to prevent it. We could try to build our house on higher ground but sometimes if the water rushes too much, it can create a landslide or mudslide and push the house down. Keep in mind that the houses were built with bamboo, so they are not very stable. We just had to deal with it when it happened.

My experience of floods here in Wollongong is more flash flooding on the road that drains away very quickly. Sometimes you get small lakes in the park where the water rises or flows fast across the road, but as long as we are cautious and don’t try to drive or walk through it and warn children not to play in it, then we are generally safe. In terms of big storms, it can get very loud and scary with trees falling over on the road and near houses. We must be very careful in floods and storms and need to take steps to prevent any potential threat as much as possible. Our community needs education about this so they know what to do.

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

Generally, we use social media or the internet to search for information or watch videos. Now we know about NSW SES, we can access information from the website. Also, the City Council has good information. Many of us prefer to watch a visual message so we can understand the message right away, rather than reading lots of text.

For older community members, their children talk to them about an emergency and what they need to do. Community members from Myanmar generally know each other and have strong connections across the community in NSW and across Australia. We help each other out when we can, and we pass a lot of information via word of mouth.

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

Before I joined NSW SES, I thought it was part of the 000 Emergency Service – I didn’t know it was separate and focused on floods, storms and tsunamis. I only came to know this after becoming a member.

So, as a result of the Multicultural Community Liaison Unit, our communities have become more aware of the SES, and what to do in a flood or storm. For example, many families from Myanmar enjoy fishing. Now we have advised them how to check the local weather forecast/updates so they can be safe.

If I was not part of NSW SES, I don’t think my community would know what to do in a flood or storm. I’m not sure that NSW SES previously reached out to people of Karenni, Karen or Burmese backgrounds to interact in a culturally sensitive way. Through the Multicultural Community Liaison Unit, people from the community feel more empowered – they feel they have a voice and can bring their experiences to the attention of NSW SES.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I think we are very lucky to live in a place where systems exist to help people prepare for potential incidents and minimise damage from natural disasters such as flood, storm and tsunami.