Ethiopian residing in Australia tells the story of his life

(Blacktown Sun) ASSEFA Bekele is an extraordinary man. The 59-year-old grandfather-of-two came to Australia 20 years ago with his wife and two daughters, then 6 and 16, with no English but big dreams of a better life.

Assefa Bekele
Assefa Bekele

“It was very, very difficult,” he said. “I cried on the plane because I had these three lives in my hands. I thought, `Where am I taking my family? Have I made the right decision?”’

Mr Bekele left Ethiopia after receiving a scholarship to study metalogical engineering at the Technical University of Athens.

He described his family’s arrival in Australia as “dark times”.

“When I first arrived I immediately looked for Ethiopian-speaking services to help us but I was told none existed,” he said.

“Lucky for us, I could speak Greek also, so I asked for Greek services and was pointed in the direction of many helpful facilities.”

After finding temporary accommodation, Mr Bekele looked for employment in the engineering profession but was unsuccessful.

He set up home in St Clair in Sydney’s west and took up work as a security guard.

He combined that with volunteer work as a first aid officer with St John’s Ambulance service and NSW police in 1996. But it was his work as a volunteer language specialist, security and customer service officer at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 that he considers “one of my best life experiences”.

“It was absolutely amazing to see all people come together regardless of colour, religion or country,” he said.

With his two daughters now grown up, one married with two children and the other studying a Masters degree in health science, Mr Bekele feels it is vital to tell his story to help others achieve success.

“You need to be very determined but it’s important for migrants to know there are many people who have succeeded,” he said.

As part of the Sydney Writers’ Festival, Mr Bekele will be taking part in a writing workshop on May 24 at Blacktown Arts Centre, titled Voices from the Australia-African Communities of Western Sydney.

His monologue, “Please explain?,” tells the story of his life.

On Saturday, May 24, at 3.30pm, Blacktown Arts Centre will also hold a workshop by critically acclaimed theatre writer Pascal Daantos Berry titled New Philippine Australian Writing.