Ali Akbari and Atefeh Qasemi’s new Alstonville unit looks out on to a quiet street and soft autumn sunshine, but just a few weeks ago, their lives hung in the balance as they raced against time to get out of Iran.
Australia had issued their visas in early January and the Afghan refugees counted down the clock in Tehran, waiting for Iran to issue exit visas.
Their visas and passports were about to expire and they faced life-threatening deportation back to Afghanistan. On top of that, American forces were massing and war seemed imminent.
When finally the exit visas arrived, a last-minute flight was booked from Australia and they were on their way.
“We feel safe now,” says quietly spoken Ali.
Atefeh beams: “It was teamwork from many people. We are so proud of everyone who has helped.” Ali nods, yes it was teamwork that gave them a new life.
The young couple are the first arrivals in the Northern Rivers under a settlement scheme that matches skilled refugees with Australian employers. The scheme is operated by a global charity, Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB).
Ali is an accountant and has been employed by Tim Limbert of Beacon Accounting in Alstonville.
The driving force has been Alstonville woman Sue Milne, who first heard about Ali and Atefeh’s plight two years ago through a young Afghan man who stayed with her as part of a home stay program run by Northern Rivers for Refugees (NRFR).
“Over time I found Ali to be an intelligent man with high integrity and I knew he’d be a fantastic employee,” says Sue.
After many attempts, Sue made a fateful tap on the shoulder at a Chamber of Commerce meeting. Her target was Tim Limbert, who runs Beacon Accounting in Alstonville. By a stroke of fortune, Tim had been searching without luck for another accountant and was on the verge of selling up his business and retiring.
“Ali met the criteria for the job – accounting has global skills,” says Tim. “But I was impressed by Ali’s continual search for improvement. He kept up his studies and even while waiting to get out, he was defending his university thesis.”
Tim pauses, and the veteran businessman starts to tear up. “And when I heard about Atefeh’s terrifying experiences – that did it.”
Atefeh doesn’t like to talk about what happened. That chapter of her life is closed. A political science graduate and highly skilled media worker, she is looking forward to helping others.
Atefeh converses easily in English, but just a year ago, she couldn’t speak the language. That changed thanks to online teaching from local women Sue Harper and Carol McCormack.
“I have seen so much,” says Atefeh. “I want to be someone who is useful to society; to help those in need, like young people with drug problems.”
Atefeh returns to her theme of teamwork: Tim’s staff at Beacon, the immigration lawyer Alison Saunders, the Alstonville community – all helped her stay positive through the ordeal.
The TBB process is expensive, so Sue Milne put together the Alstonville Community Supporter Group (CSG), an extraordinary collection of women.
The group worked hard all year, right up to the night before Ali and Atefeh’s arrival, when their concert, Share the Love, at Alstonville Anglican Church, raised $1,505.
The bulk of the financial support for the entire TBB process has come from Northern Rivers for Refugees (NRFR).
NRFR is currently working on two other projects to bring refugees to the Northern Rivers under TBB’s skills-match scheme.
For further information, visit What we do
Caption: Ali Akbari and Atefeh Qasemi with Tim Limbert and Sue Milne.
