From All the Lands on Earth We Come

This month, Harmony Week will be celebrated around the country, recognising the diversity of culture that makes Australia what it is. In Esperance, a quarter of residents were born overseas and an increasing number of people from foreign shores are choosing to call Esperance home. We caught up with four international residents to find out where they’re from and how they came to be here.

Maya Assad

Maya Assad came to Australia to escape the discrimination and corruption of Lebanon. Arriving in Esperance in January last year with her husband Mohamad and son Naim (3), Maya was looking for a better life for her family - a life where one’s success didn’t depend on religion, gender, or status. “In Lebanon, favouritism plays an important role in everything,” Maya says. “Such as getting a job, enrolling in school or university, or even getting to the hospital.”

Despite being born and raised in Lebanon, Maya is not a Lebanese citizen; she is a Palestinian refugee and to the world, is considered stateless. This made leaving Lebanon challenging. A civil engineer, Maya unsuccessfully applied to skilled immigration programs in numerous countries. “It was an impossible mission as I am a refugee,” she says. “Luckily, I found an organisation which helps skilled refugees to travel, and I got a job with Bluemar Engineers.”

Having always resided in cities, Maya says living in Esperance is different, but special. Upon their arrival, Maya and her family visited the Rotary Lookout. “We stood there amazed, saying, ‘This is paradise,’” she recalls. The beauty of Esperance continues to astound Maya, but she says it’s the people who make the town an amazing place to live. “I didn’t know how the people would treat us,” Maya says. “But they are lovely and friendly. What I’ve found is beyond my expectations.”

Looking ahead, Maya can’t wait to further her career, become an Australian citizen, and continue to be accepted for who she is. “The thing I like most about Australia is that people here treat us as individuals and not based on our religion, gender, or nationality,” Maya says.

Jimena Ramon Montemayor

Jimena Ramon Montemayor is proud of her Mexican heritage. Every year, no matter where she is in the world, Jimena celebrates her favourite Mexican festivity, Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead). Held annually between October 31 and November 2, the unique and colourful celebration honours the deceased with an abundance of candles, food, music, and flowers.

Born in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, Jimena lived in Spain until the age of seven, before moving back to Mexico, to the seaside region of Yucatán. Jimena was living in Bali with her partner, Esperance local Scott Timmins, prior to relocating to Esperance in March 2020. The move wasn’t entirely intentional - two days after arriving in Esperance for what was meant to be a short holiday, the international borders closed, and she’s been here ever since.

Esperance’s outdoorsy, easy-going lifestyle suits Jimena. She works as the Enviro-Experiences Project Officer with South Coast Natural Resource Management, and enjoys camping, and discovering Australia’s flora and fauna. “I love it here,” Jimena says. “Its proximity to the ocean allows you to be connected with nature on a daily basis, and I like that nobody seems to be in a rush like in the cities.”

While she has adopted the Aussie way of life, Jimena is enthusiastic about sharing her culture. Last year, she encouraged locals to observe Día de Muertos, creating an altar at Esperance Community Arts to celebrate loved ones who have passed. Highlighting Esperance’s multiculturalism is something she’s keen to see more of. “I hope that the multicultural community in Esperance keeps growing and we keep learning from and enriching each other,” Jimena says.

Oanh Ngo

Born and raised in Vietnam, Oanh Ngo’s childhood was spent alongside her parents in the rice field, and tending to pigs and chickens. Oanh says Vietnam is a beautiful country, with friendly people and delicious food. However, corruption, environmental degradation, and government control of religion cast a dark shadow over the socialist republic. In 2011, Oanh arrived in Australia seeking asylum, with the hope of settling in a country where she could practise her Catholicism freely and speak up for human rights without fear.

Oanh moved to Esperance with her husband Phi and children Peggy (9) and Nelson (5) in 2018. Her first impression of the town was one of peace and tranquillity - the perfect place to raise children. “I want my kids to grow up here because it is a safe and nice place,” Oanh says. “The people here are very kind and friendly.”

Staying connected to both her Vietnamese culture and her Christianity is important to Oanh. She continues to celebrate the Lunar New Year, and attends the local Catholic church every Sunday. At home, her family eats Vietnamese food, especially spring rolls and pho (noodle soup), most days. But they love dining out, too, with lamb shanks, steak, and fish and chips topping the list of their Aussie favourites.

Oanh and Phi work hard to build a comfortable life for their family and, as the owners of Esperance Nails Salon, pride themselves on creating employment opportunities for locals. “I am proud to say that we are striving to be the best citizens and not be a burden to Australian society,” Oanh says. “We hope our children and future generations will do even better than we do.”

Augusto Galeazi

The pace of Esperance is vastly different to that of Brazil’s biggest city São Paulo, which is home to 11 million people. But that’s what drew Brazilian Augusto Galeazi here. Holidaying in Esperance three years ago, Augusto thought the town looked like a pretty nice place to live. So, in April last year, he secured a job as a maintenance technician and relocated. “It has the perfect, calm lifestyle that I was seeking for this moment in my life,” Augusto says.

Augusto had an idyllic childhood, playing with his friends on the streets surrounding their homes while their mothers sat outside watching on. But as an adult, he knew he needed to escape his comfort zone. Moving to Australia provided Augusto with that challenge. “Coming to Australia was hard and it still is, being so far from family and friends,” he says. “In the end, my reward is the beauty and peace that this place can provide to a simple soul like mine.”

Augusto loves the spectacular Australian nature, living near the world’s most beautiful beaches, and the food. While he’s still ascertaining what ‘traditional’ Australian cuisine is, some of his local favourites include chicken parmigiana and meat pies. He remains connected to his culture through food, too, opting for rice, beans, meat and salad whenever he’s craving a taste of Brazil. “There’s nothing better than a good meal that reminds me of home!” Augusto says.

For now, Esperance is home, but Augusto remains enthusiastic about Brazil and encourages people to visit. “It’s an amazing country with many colours and faces,” he says. “It has the most vibrant people, and different food in every state, and beautiful nature anywhere you look outside of the big cities.”