By Lisa Dillon
What a rocky start the Kankoun family has had to their new life in Australia – first the drama of getting out of Iraq, then one of the children in Lismore Base Hospital for 24 hours, and lastly the cyclone.
But things have settled down now and we at Ballina Refugee Resettlement and Welcome Network (BRRAWN) are getting all the paperwork done (oh what a mountain of it there is!), taking the family shopping (four boys eat a lot), to doctor and dentist, and on outings (rain or no rain). There have been a few ups and downs, but we think the family is starting to feel a bit more settled.
Basel and Hanaa are the parents of Khalil (9), Mohamad (8), Eshaaq and Yaaqub (3-year-old twins). We hope that Khalil and Mohamad will be able to start school soon, and the twins will begin a process of gradual assimilation into daycare so that their parents can attend English lessons at TAFE.
It’s been a delight for us to see the boys enjoying the outings, the greatest successes being the flying fox at Pop Denison Park and playing at the Ballina pool and water park. Even though the boys can’t swim, they have no fear – so swimming lessons will be on the agenda soon.
Basel now has a bike and Khalil and Mohamad have bikes and scooters – all donated by our kind community.
Recently, thanks to the generosity of Reverend Cathy Ridd and Ballina’s Anglican parish, we took them to the Anglican op shop, where they were invited to choose anything they needed, free of charge. Having found it very difficult to find summer clothes during an Iraqi winter, Hanaa was overjoyed, and found something for everyone. The children were restrained, choosing only one toy or game each.
Basel and Hanaa are looking forward to meeting the other Syrian families in our area at a family picnic on April 6, which will also be a late celebration of Eid (the end of Ramadan).
