My name is Octavia and I am from a refugee background. Sharing my experiences and story through these images is very important to me and to my family.
My mum told me about her brother who came by boat
He went to Malaysia and then Indonesia and he got arrested with a group of people who were also trying to come to Australia. On the way to Australia, they died.
I came with my family by plane.
This picture of a boat sailing on the water represents the risks that people take to come to a new country and the days and months that it took my close family and some of my friends to travel to the land of peace.
They’ve been told that if they come to Australia, it’s safe and it’s better for their children. Even though they know the risks they also knew the opportunities and the freedom that were going to come of it. Their bravery and determination to face uncertainty has truly inspired and motivated me to do volunteering programs that aim to help people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds.
When we came to Australia there were fifteen of us. We stayed in a house with the people who brought us. But that house got really bad.
Mum packed all our stuff. We went to an office that she thought could help us with housing. She thought we were going to get a house straight away, but the people there said, ‘Sorry, no, these things take time. You have to go on the waiting list and wait.’
On that day my mum’s Centrelink [card and] all her cards got stolen. She had my baby sister who was five months old. We stayed outside the housing commission till nine o’clock. We were all sitting with our suitcases. I remember so vividly. It was raining and we were sitting on a bench. Then they finally called a hotel for us.
We lived in so many places that I can’t even remember, in churches and other people’s houses, for three months. We’ve been moved from home to home and finally getting a place to live, that was a good feeling.
These photos show there are more doors open to us now.
When you’re not in Australia, it’s really okay for your husband to hit you because he is your husband. When you come here, [although] you know it’s a safe country, people still say, ‘Don’t say anything! You don’t want your name to be ruined. You don’t want to ruin your children’s future!’
This image represents the abuse that I have seen. There was abuse in the first house that we settled in in Australia.
My mum didn’t want me and the children being around that, or to experience that, so she wanted to leave.
We had already seen enough violence in my home country. She wanted us to feel safe.
A lot of people from refugee backgrounds are trying to support their families here and overseas. This can be conflicting and can harm their mental health. For example, if my mum sends money to people in the refugee camp in one country, and to family in the refugee camp in another country, then it’s like leading a double life.
There’s just so much pressure when so many people are relying on you.
You can’t get a job when you don’t have the qualifications or the skills [to work here], and you don’t even speak the language.
When my mum’s trying to support her other families, I feel the need to support her.
And when I can’t get a job because I don’t have the right qualifications or skills that creates pressure.
That’s what this picture represents: being trapped and not having ability [to gain] the freedom of financial relief. That creates a lot of psychological issues, and a lot of conflict between the family. That’s when relationships start to drift apart.
She is hiding away from reality, feeling hopeless. Her hands are reaching out for help. She needs help so she can work and earn money to support her family. She is frustrated with her life because she can’t speak English, and there’re so many stresses and she doesn’t know how to ask for help.
My mum gets so stressed. We’re not the kind of people who would go ask for help like a therapist, for example. We keep things to ourselves because we don’t want to feel ashamed.
In my culture you have to be strong and to show your emotions is to be weak. You try to put a brave smile on. But when you’re by yourself you feel so exhausted with everything.
Some people might be depressed because they don’t know how to seek help. I wish there was more reaching out to them for their mental health support and education, telling them it’s okay to ask for help, to talk about it, and to become open with your emotions. Because I know what it feels to be depressed and to battle with your own identity.
It’s a new day, and a new beginning.
Even though people face extreme tragedies and struggles in life, their ability to keep going during hardship teaches us the beauty of life and our ability to overcome the terrible things that life throws at us. It’s a new day, and they keep going.
This photo is a sign of hope that the day is not over.
