More than 1.5 million South Sudanese have fled their war-torn country seeking refuge since conflict erupted there almost four years ago, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
Until the Australian Bureau of Statistics crunches the latest Census data, Victoria’s current South Sudanese population remains unknown. But walk around Sunshine or Footscray and it’s clear many have decided to call Melbourne’s west home.
Sunshine resident Fred Pase thinks stories about the so-called Apex gang have led to misconceptions about the South Sudanese community in Victoria.
So he’s helped organise an information session at Albion’s St Theresa’s Primary School on Saturday, July 15, so he and others can learn about this community’s rich culture and history.
“This is an important opportunity to learn about the South Sudanese community in Sunshine and to meet them and hear first-hand of their experiences of being refugees in Australia,” Mr Pase said.
“There’s a lot of Sudanese here in Sunshine … I know very little [about their culture] and it’s going to help me enormously to understand where they come from and how they got here.”
The retired plasterer has co-organised the event for Pax Christi, a global Christian peace movement.
Reverend Daniel Gai Aleu, from Holy Apostles church in Sunshine, and Biong Deng Biong, from Edmund Rice Community and Refugee Services, will speak on behalf of Brimbank’s South Sudanese community at the event.
Details: 9311 8515
