Moving to a new country can be daunting for anyone, especially when it’s on the other side of the world. But for Esiteli Nyirarukundo, a Congolese migrant, moving to Albury in regional New South Wales was the start of a new chapter in her life. In 2016, Esiteli arrived in Australia through a humanitarian program with aspirations for a better life for her and her son. While her family and friends wanted her to join them in Sydney, Esitelli decided to move to a regional city, and she has never looked back.
“I came here with my son with no family. So I wanted that feeling of having people around me… And I got a family here (when I moved) to the region,” she says. When Esitelli arrived in Australia, one of the first things she wanted was to feel at home and comfortable in her new surroundings. While Sydney may have provided more significant job opportunities and a larger African community, Albury had something else – a sense of belonging.
The quieter pace of life and the friendly people made her feel welcome right away. The community spirit andthe support she received from the locals were instrumental in helping her settle in. The locals actively sought to help her and her son, offering everything from meals to connection to information about services and resources in Albury. The sense of community she felt in the regional city was one of the things that she loved most about living here. “For example, my son plays soccer. He loves soccer very much. But I can’t always take him to games. But my Australian friends here ask, ‘Do you want us to take your son to soccer?’ I say ‘yes’. They take him everywhere to Canberra for competition. They’re now my family. What can I ask more?” adds Esiteli.
She has also been able to afford the great Australian dream thanks to the cost of living and real estate being far more affordable in Albury. “I’ve been able to build a four-bedroom house with two baths brand new in the region while I’m working. Just, just one job. I thought I was dreaming because I couldn’t imagine that it was happening. And it’s a great feeling. I’m proud that I, no matter the challenges that I’ve been through, I’ve been able to accomplish something in six years of being here in Australia.” “I have four children and I don’t think I wouldn’t been able to achieve what I’ve been able to achieve if I was in big cities,” she adds.
The other reason she fell in love with Albury was the quality of life and career opportunities. Currently working with the Australian Red Cross, she has seen firsthand how the city has invested in its infrastructure and services to ensure residents and new migrants live comfortably. The city offers excellent healthcare, education, and recreational facilities, making it an excellent place for families to live. And she found herself thriving thanks to the opportunities that Albury has provided her. “There’s a lot of acceptance. It’s very diverse. We now have more than 1,500 Congolese. We also have people from Bhutan, Nepal, India and Syria.”
Furthermore, being a part of a close-knit community in Albury has helped her connect with other cultures and experiences and celebrate various migrant cultures and traditions. As a bilingual support worker, she is passionate about supporting new arrivals to the region. This is extended through her work as the NSW GROW Murray Backbone Coordinator, an initiative that provides a range of resettlement services to help migrants and refugees integrate into the community successfully. Its programs focus on education, employment, health, housing, and social engagement, all of which are essential to settling into a new community.
“One thing that when I went to Sydney, people were like, what if I come there and the communities are not welcoming? Do they have mosques? Do they have churches? Knowing if there are available places of worship in the region (is important).
“So my job has been definitely to connect with the communities, employers, talk to them about newcomers to the region, and make sure that we do all the work on the ground on of preparing the communities, employers, so that when these people come here, they are, they find that they’re part of the community and make their region forever home.”
For Esiteli, her experience of transitioning from Congo to Albury has been a positive and transformative journey. Living in a regional city like Albury has given her a sense of belonging, a stronger community connection, and a better quality of life. She has been able to establish and build friendships and contribute to the local community. And she has one last final piece of advice for newcomers thinking of a Country Change.
“I just want to encourage people who feel like leaving their communities in Sydney if they still have that fear. I just want to assure them that the region is ready and open to receive them…Feel welcome to come to Murray region, and you’ll be looked after very well.”
