Airdate: First Day

Next week SBS will screen a special, First Day, featuring a series of stories about refugees and migrants from Australian communities.

The half-hour special is introduced by Ange Postecoglou, a Greek migrant and coach of the Socceroos, who shares his own migrant story.

SBS will feature stories of their first day in Australia and their first impressions of the country on SBS World News television, radio and digital platforms throughout January.

Their recollections paint a picture of multicultural Australia at various stages in our history.

Mandi Wicks, SBS Director, Audio Language & Content said: “With nearly 50% of Australians either born overseas, or with at least one parent born overseas, there are inspirational first day stories in every neighbourhood across the country.”

First Day contributors include:

Dr Munjed Al Muderis – The pioneering surgeon who came to Australia on a leaky boat. Confronted by a horrific order to cut the ears off a group of army defectors, Dr Munjed Al Muderis fled Iraq in 1999 and has never been back. Now a leading surgeon based in Sydney, he is helping amputees to walk again.

Ngaiire – The PNG singer who came to Australia as a teen and is now playing festivals. She felt like an outsider when she started school in Australia after migrating at 16, but Papua New Guinea-born singer Ngaiire has made a career out of individuality and her growing fan base can’t get enough.

Tetsuya Wakuda – The celebrity chef who’s life changed after a chance meeting. Tetsuya Wakuda might seem like he’s been cooking all his life but the Japanese-born chef says it was actually a chance meeting on his first day in Sydney that got him into the kitchen.

Jane Lu – The woman who started a multimillion dollar fashion company. Jane Lu came to Australia from Beijing when she was eight and settled in Sydney with her parents. Last year, her online business Show Po turned over $10 million.

Sam Dastyari – The Iranian migrant who became a Labor politician
Sam Dastyari came to Australia from Iran in January 1988 at the age of five. Today, the 32-year-old is a Labor senator and father based in Sydney.

Mathias Cormann – The Belgium migrant who became a Liberal politician. It was a West Australian holiday in the mid-nineties that opened the eyes of a Belgian boy to the possibilities that could be found in a relatively young country.

Rohini Kappadath – The trailblazing businesswoman who followed her heart from India to Australia. She left behind friends and family to move to Australia at 20. Rohini Kappadath is now an award-winning businesswoman on a mission to help other women rise in the ranks.

Sarah Yahya – The women who left her own refugee background behind to help newly arrived Australians. Sarah Yahya fled Iraq with her family in 2001, spending six years in a Jordanian refugee camp before arriving in Australia in 2007. Since arriving in Australia in 2007, she has dedicated her time to helping Sydney’s refugee and asylum seeker communities.

Gurpal Singh – The Indian lawyer who left his practice for good coffee. Gurpal Singh, an Indian High Court Law specialist, visited Melbourne in 2006, and struck by the countries natural beauty and lifestyle, left his practice and life behind, just a month and a half later.

Tuesday 26 January at 10.25pm on SBS.