Three days after arriving in Australia with his family Iraqi refugee Osama Butti went for a walk around the neighbourhood where he was staying with his sister in Melbourne’s north.

“Three neighbours – Australians – came out and welcomed me,” Mr Butti says. “They understood I was a refugee and where I was from, I’m not sure how. But they said ‘do not hesitate’ if I needed something to go and ask them. That made me feel very welcome,” he said.

Mr Butti says the incident is emblematic of the welcome he, his wife and two children have received as part of the advance guard of the 12,000 refugees from the Syria/Iraq conflict that the Federal Government has promised to settle in Australia.

He says he immediately felt at ease in Australia and was overcome with a sense of relief.

“The thing that first struck me when I arrived in Australia was the order. In the airport when we arrived I could see everything was organised well, there were signs telling you where to go. There are rules and regulations in Australia and people respect them,” Mr Butti said.

“When we arrived the people from AMES (settlement agency AMES Australia) were there to meet us, they helped us and it was a good experience. For me everything in the first few hours was perfect,” he said.

The Buttis were met at the airport by the AMES Australia case manager Sahar Ageed, herself a former refugee from Iraq.

“Sahar was the first person I saw and I spoke to in Australia. She welcomed me in Arabic and said she was there to help us and that everything would be OK,” Mr Butti said.

“She understood what we’d been through and she said she would help us with anything we needed.

“Also our sponsor, my wife’s sister, was there at the airport. She did a lot for us and took care of us for a month,” he said.

Those initial first hours in Australia obviously had an impact on the family.

Mina, Hanan, Osama and Saif Butti feeling lucky to have found a new home in Australia.

“I knew that Australia would be the new home of my family and a place where they can build their futures and where their dreams can come true,” Mr Butti said.

“The way of life in Australia reminds me of how we lived in Iraq in the late 1970s and early 80s, everything was calm and safe and the future was clear,” he said.

Mr Butti said that life became intolerable for he and his family. As Christians, they were the target of threats by extremists.

“After the dramatic circumstances when ISIS entered my country, a lot of things came to the surface. There was a fear among a lot of people in my country, especially the Christians, of what would happen,” he said.

“Even though ISIS did not attack us personally, a lot of things did happen, especially at school with my children. Their friends and classmates started to tell them ISIS would come and kill all the Christians, things like that.

“And also, because of my work with international companies, I was very afraid. If I remained in my country, I would have been a target,” Mr Butti said.

He said, at the time, he felt very depressed and pessimistic about the future.

“I was not afraid for my life, I was afraid for my wife and children. When you are forced to stay in an area that is not stable, not safe and in very difficult circumstances, you don’t know when you are going to die,” Mr Butti said.

“Frankly speaking, when I went out in the morning in my country, I never knew whether I was going to come back or not, from bombs, from militia attacks,” he said.

Mr Butti said it was an emotional wrench to leave his homeland but he had no option. The family sought temporary refuge in Jordan before being granted a humanitarian visa late last year.

“It is very difficult when you are 50 years old to leave a country where you were born and where you were educated and everything; to leave behind memories, good memories, happy and sad memories. It is hard to leave a place that has been your home,” he said.

“It’s very difficult for me to change at this age but according to my experience and the things I have seen here, the feeling and the services here, I can say I will have a good life here.

“The golden period of Iraq was the 1970s. After that we had the Iran-Iraq War, then the Gulf War. All of my youth years, 35 years, were spent in my country with war and unstable circumstances,” Mr Butti said.

He says he and his family have “won the lottery in being resettled in Australia”.

“I already told the Minister of Immigration (Peter Dutton) in Amman that I’m feeling that we are very lucky in being one of the first four families to come to Australia,” Mr Butti said.

“I don’t have dreams or nightmares because when I came here, for the first two or three days, I really slept well because in my homeland sleeping was something difficult for me.

“It’s very important to me to know my family is safe. It means a lot because when you feel your family is safe and the future is secure; that is the most important thing a father needs from life,” he said.

Mr Butti said that now the family had escaped the violence and uncertainty in the Middle East, his children, Saif, 14, and Mina, 12, were his priority.

“Our dream is to see our children graduate from university. My son Saif has said that he wants to be a doctor. Our daughter Mina hasn’t decided yet but they are both very clever and very happy in their school,” he said.

“They are doing well. They are still settling in but they are very happy to be here and to be studying,” Mr Butti said.

His wife Hanan is hoping to continue her career in biology and Mr Butti is studying to improve his English before seeking a job in the corporate sector. He previously worked as a hotel manager and as a manager of Corporate Social Responsibility for a Kuwait-based telecommunications company operating across the Middle East.

Mr Butti said that he would like to encourage other refugees settled in Australia to make the most of their good fortune and try to contribute.

“My message is that they are really lucky if they come to Australia because life here is bright and the opportunities to work are great,” he said.

“Let them not depend on the money the government gives them, let them depend on themselves and contribute to Australian society. Let them get a job and this is the way they can thank Australia for giving them safety and security.

“And let them not forget that the money they get from the government came from Australians’ taxes.

“I would say to them: ‘in order to let the government have the ability to bring more refugees from your country, you need to work and pay taxes – you need to contribute. Otherwise, maybe other families will not get to come here and have the chance to live here in safety’,” Mr Butti said.

And he thanked Australia for giving his family a chance at a new life.

“On behalf of my family I would like to thank the people of Australia and the government for giving me this opportunity to live in this beautiful country,” Mr Butti said.

“It means a lot for me and my family to consider Australia as a new home for us.

“We promise we will work hard and we will become part of your beautiful community and pay our taxes to give the opportunity for others who are suffering in the world also to get the opportunity for a new life in Australia,” he said.

But he tempered his joy and gratitude with a message about the dire circumstances of millions of other displaced people in the Middle East and elsewhere.

“Let people ask themselves… ‘if you wake up in the morning and someone forces you to leave you house or you will be killed or someone takes all your savings that you have collected for your family’s future how would you feel?’

“So for one moment let them be on the other side; for one moment let them think about it…

“Then they will realise they should give hope to those deported from their homeland.

“And I’m sure that there are some people who are against refugees coming to this country but let them for one moment close their eyes and imagine they are the people suffering and then let them decide,” Mr Butti.

Laurie Nowell
AMES Australia Senior Journalist