“We can’t sit down and relax – no, we have to go out in the community, I don’t ever want to take things for granted, I want to do something, a way to say thank you,” Raymond Uda, a refugee who left Papua New Guinea for cultural and safety reasons said.

“When I first arrived here, I felt relief, I felt peace and stability. I wish I was able to do even more.”

Mr Uda is part of the pilot project ‘many cultures, one community’ of the Red Cross and NSW Emergency Services. Capitalising on Griffith’s cultural diversity the program seeks to encourage refugees and other members of culturally diverse communities to volunteer within their communities.

Mr Uda, with fellow refugee Mohammad Karim Haqjo from Afghanistan, volunteer as members of the Hanwood Rural Fire Service

“I also want to help the Australians, I want to say thank you for the safety,” Mr Haqjo said.

For Mr Haqjo his story echoes those of the many Italian men who left the dangers of Italy following WWII to make the even more dangerous journey to Griffith to find a better life for their families. 

However, his story is yet to reach its hoped for happy ending, his family remain in Pakistan. He hasn’t seen them for six years. Stuck in limbo, Mr Haqjo is recognised as a refugee by the Australian government but is barred from sending for his family for who he made the perilous journey. Should he return to his home he would lose his refugee status and his family’s chance to one day live in safety. 

Both Mr Uda and Mr Haqjo travelled with project coordinator Sue Delves to Albury in May to represent their project at the Australian community engagement and fire awareness conference, their project was one of only two selected to give a presentation.

“At first it was difficult to understand one another but we have the same goal and the same respect to the community,” Mr Uda said of the bond the pair had formed through their service.

“Wearing the RFS uniform was just a great feeling, I felt really proud to have been part of it.”