Australia is about to welcome the millionth refugee to arrive on these shores since World War II. The occasion will be a celebration of an individual family, who have fled conflict or persecution, finding safety and security in a new homeland.

It will also provide pause for thought on the contributions refugees have made to Australia’s society and economy over decades.

We all know of the lives and work of some of our most illustrious refugees such as medical scientist Sir Gustav Nossal, comedian Anh Do or Broadcaster Les Murray.

But thousands of other refugees have quietly made contributions that are just as important and that have had a profound effect on the high levels of social cohesion we enjoy in this country.

Over more than 70 years our organisation, AMES Australia, has been supporting many of these individuals and families find their feet after arriving in Australia.

Through this work we have learned that overwhelmingly refugees are keen to fit in and contribute. We have also heard so many remarkable stories of resilience and persistence; the inspirational accounts of people who have overcome enormous hurdles to build new lives in this country.

One of these people is Dr Asseel Yako, who fled his home in Iraq after his city was occupied by ISIS.

After spending time in Lebanon, he and his family came to Australia. Asseel worked hard to have his medical qualifications recognised and is now one of just two internal medicine specialists servicing the people Gippsland.

Another quiet achiever is Karen-Burmese refugee Kaw Doh Htoo, who was forced to flee his home three times. Chased out by the Burmese army which burned down his village, he spent almost a decade in a refugee camp on the Thai border.

Now, after rebuilding his life in Australia he has become a leader and inspiration to his community and has opened his own business, while also finding a slice of heaven in rural Victoria.  

Syrian refugee Norma Medawar has formed a support group based in Melbourne’s north that is helping newly arrived migrant and refugee women navigate their new lives in Australia. The not-for-profit organisation is supporting women, particularly from Arabic-speaking backgrounds establish new lives in a new society.

Mustafa Ayobi arrived as a refugee from Afghanistan as an 18-year-old with no English, little formal education and knowing no one outside his immediate family.

After 12 long and difficult years of work and study, Mustafa fulfilled a life-long ambition when he started his first job as an electrical engineer.

He is working for Melbourne’s Metro Trains designing and building electrical substations in what he says is his “dream job”.

Vedran Drakulic spent most of the Bosnian war helping others. When the time came and he was the one needing help, he gratefully accepted Australia’s offer of a safe haven. Since then, he has been giving back to the country that gave him a chance to start a new life. 

Vedran has worked in philanthropy, as a refugee advocate and as a champion of social cohesion.

As well as serving as an AMES board member, he has supported organisations such as the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, RISE, In Touch Multicultural Centre Against Family Violence, Youth Activating Youth, Multicultural Arts Victoria, Centre for Multicultural Youth, Social Studio, Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services, Courage to Care, Refugee Legal, New Hope Foundation, Refugee Migrant Children Centre and many more.     

When Cilean Kidega fled South Sudan at just 17, he was setting off with classmates on a long and hazardous journey through jungle, war zones and across national borders.

It was the start of an even longer journey that has seen him find a new home in Australia, raise a family and work to help others displaced by conflict and persecution.

Dr Batool Albatat fled the first Gulf War and Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime with her family as an 11-year-old girl. Put by people smugglers aboard a leaky boat piloted by a 14-year-old boy, the family and their fellow travellers became lost in the Indian Ocean and expected to die.

Rescued from their floundering craft, the Albatats were eventually accepted by Australia as refugees. These days Dr Albatat, now 35, is saving lives herself as a surgical resident at Melbourne’s Northern Hospital.

Former Cambodian refugee Chan Uoy has helped to revitalise the Victorian regional town of Dimboola.

Chan and his partner have opened the Dimboola Imaginarium, an eclectic and exotic gift shop and Air BnB recently featured in the high-end magazine Conde Nast Traveller.

Chan has also recently become the deputy mayor of the local Hindmarsh Shire and has also launched the Wimmera Steampunk Festival.

Steampunk is a global phenomenon that celebrates the subgenre of science fiction inspired by the age of steam but with a retro-futuristic twist. This year’s festival, the third in five years, attracted about 5000 visitors to the town.

Yaya Dukuly is the embodiment of refugee aspiration and success.

The 22-year-old Adelaide United soccer star was born into a refugee family in Guinea. His father is a Liberian and his mother is from Guinea.

Yaya arrived in Australia with his family as a child and grew up in Adelaide. Now a professional footballer and Australian under-23 representative, he is also an emerging community leader and role model.

Balendran Thavarajah arrived in Australia in 2000 penniless and unable to speak English. Twenty-two years on, he is a successful tech entrepreneur who has founded multiple companies employing dozens of many people.

A refugee from the Sri Lankan civil war, he lost his mother when he was just two years old and was robbed of any meaningful education and the chance of a bright future.

Balendran’s latest enterprise, the brainchild of his own struggles, is the remarkable GetMee mobile app that helps people learn English and core communication skills while also improving their employability.

These are just a few inspiring stories from among the one million people who have found safety, security and new lives in Australia.

They are a testament to Australia’s commitment to multiculturalism and sophisticated settlement services – two underrated national icons that we need to value and protect.

Melinda Collinson, CEO AMES Australia