Here at Hobart Airport I'm waiting to welcome two new families to Hobart. The Habibs and
the Mahmoods have travelled thousands of miles to reach Australia, all the way from Syria
and Lebanon in the Middle East. The story of how and why they came to Australia is very
interesting. You see, seven years ago Ibrahim Habib decided to come to Sydney with his wife
and earn enough money to bring his whole family to Australia. He received a lot of help from
his cousin Ali who had already settled in Tasmania. Well now Ibrahim has earned enough
money to set himself up in business and bring the rest of his family over to Tasmania. He
will of course still rely on Ali's help as Ali will tell you himself. Seven years ago
my cousin Ibrahim arrived in Australia with his wife. I had my cousin come to Australia
and when they come in they can't speak English, he and his wife. And we start encouraging
him for the life in Australia and we find a job for him, he and his wife and we are
very happy. They start saving money because they got their kids left behind. And after
they have four kids, three boys and one girl. When they have enough money they return to
his father to Lebanon and they make the pass for the kids and they approve from the government
and they bring all kids to Australia. After that my cousin he rang me up to the hobba
and he asked me if he would like to come to Tasmania and I said, welcome. And he came
to Tasmania. I found a job for him in Sandy Bay. Learning to run a business certainly
takes time and Ibrahim is fortunate that cousin Ali is also a shopkeeper and able to show
him the ropes. But the Habibs and the Mahmoods will have many new experiences in the next
few months. Ibrahim, his new job, his wife a new home and the children a whole new way
of life with different customs. For example an Australian meal and the way we prepare
it is very different from a Lebanese meal. Good day. Good morning. Sarsaparilla, a little
bit. Ibrahim is now with me in the shop. I'm teaching him how to run the business because
the business is not so easy. You need some experience, how to serve the customer, how
to know about the business. When he's there at the end of the month he goes to his shop
at Sandy Bay and he will start his own business. When I came to Australia no one of my family
was here but now Ibrahim got someone to show him how they run the business. My family they
find a lot of things in Australia different. In the food, kifta is one of our national
dishes. Kifta you get meat steak, parsley, chopped onion, you mix them together. If
you like you can grill it or you fry it. You can eat it with the salad, Lebanese salad.
Lebanese food will become very popular in the big city. Especially in Sydney we have
about four or five Lebanese restaurants. They really do well. The Habibs and the Mahmoods
will not always eat together. For the time being Ibrahim's family and that of his brother
in law will stay together. Soon however they will move into their own homes but first Ibrahim
must help his brother in law who must learn to speak English and find a job. You see the
whole family must work together. Ali must help Ibrahim, Ibrahim must help his brother
and family.
Ita's being southerly.
My wife is Australian.
And I show her how to make Lebanese salad.
The first one she try, she will really like it.
And she teach her sister.
And her sister now she start to make Lebanese salad.
This is the last day of the holidays for the children.
Tomorrow they will go to school for the first time.
For a while they will be in a special class learning to speak English.
And will only mix with Australian children in the playground.
But as they learn they will gradually move into classes with the other children.
Bit by bit they will spend less time in their special classes.
Until finally they will leave them all together.
But that day is quite a way off yet.
We've got some new people today.
They've only been here for a very short time, seven days.
So you have to be very helpful.
You help them very much.
I will tell you what their names are.
This boy and his name is Eunice.
Can you say his name?
Eunice.
That's right.
Margaret you say it for me.
Eunice.
That's right.
Can you say hello Eunice?
Hello Eunice.
Can you say hello to the class?
Can you say hello?
Hello.
That's right.
Can you say hello to Eunice?
Hello Eunice.
Say it again.
Hello Eunice.
That's right.
Okay.
And how old are you Eunice?
Are you seven years old?
Seven years old.
Who else is seven years old?
Bogdan.
Bogdan's seven years old.
That's right.
How old are you Bogdan?
I'm seven years old.
That's right.
And today is your birthday isn't it?
Yes.
Okay.
And this is Selman.
Selman.
Say his name again.
Selman.
Say hello to Selman.
Hello Selman.
Say it again Stan.
Hello Selman.
That's better.
Right.
How old are you Selman?
Seven.
You're seven years old too.
Eunice and Selman are seven years old and Bogdan.
Three boys.
Seven years old.
And over here we have a little girl.
Genwa.
Can you say her name?
Genwa.
That's right.
Genwa.
Say hello Genwa.
Hello Genwa.
Can you say hello to them?
Hello everybody.
That's right.
Genwa's not seven years old.
She's only six years old.
Hi Tilly.
Do you know why we have all the balloons and the hats and the whistles?
Why do we have them Petra's?
What is today?
Birthday.
Whose birthday is it?
Hers.
Whose birthday is it?
Selman's.
Huh?
It's Selman's birthday today.
And on someone's birthday we sing a song to them.
What song do we sing?
Happy birthday.
Alright can we sing happy birthday then to Selman?
Yes.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to Selman.
Happy birthday to you.
And how old is Selman today?
Seven.
No he's eight.
Is that so many candles?
Eight.
So we clap for him eight times.
Alright you ready?
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
Alright blow them out.
Big breath.
And that's the first party for Selman.
It's his birthday and he really was very glad when he saw this party because it hasn't been
a party like that before.
Twelve.
Let's see let's count start with Margaret and count them with me.
Alright one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.
Nine children.
Nine.
Only nine children today.
Now this time we're at the table.
Let's not get any crumbs on the floor.
Can we?
Be careful with that.
Alright go ahead.
Who can make the loudest whistle?
No the whistle Pedro's not the blue.
There's nothing to do.
The kids now they are in special class in the school to learn and speak English.
And they like the school here in Australia.
Especially when the first day they come in they will join with the kids and they're very
happy and they play with him and really same if they know him for two years.
I'm sure Ibrahim and his family they were really happy in Australia and they will join
with him and I wish that in English good luck to him.
Good luck.