Back Roads: June 27

This week on Back Roads Heather Ewart travels to the Central Queensland town of Biloela in Gangulu Country.

Biloela recently hit the headlines in its bid to stop a Sri Lankan Tamil family from being deported. The campaign to “Bring them back to Bilo” reignited a nation-wide conversation about asylum seekers and immigration detention.

Biloela, known by locals as ‘Bilo’, is a place where people look out for one another and a hard work ethic trumps ethnicity, nationality or religion.

Doctor Richard Tan is a great example. Still a practising GP at 79 years young, Dr Tan has delivered more than 2000 Biloela babies. Heather also meets Doctor GB Singh, the medical director of the Biloela Hospital. GB moved to ‘Bilo’ from remote Western Australia, after migrating from India back in 2000.

Of the ten GPs in ‘Bilo’, the majority were born overseas.

Other industries also have international workers, including the Biloela meatworks that has a long history of employing workers on skilled migrant visas.

Refugees and workers recruited from Asia, South America and the Pacific make up the bulk of the 420 staff. Jane comes from rural China and works at the meatworks – when she’s not singing in the church choir or learning ‘Aussie’ English from her friend, Marie.

Shire Councillor Pat Brennan is also a blow-in – he’s only been in town for 40 years. “I love Biloela. Everyone who wants to come here gets an opportunity, if they want to take that opportunity in both hands good on ’em – they’ll succeed.”

In short, if you’re willing, you’re very welcome in ‘Bilo’.

8pm tonight on ABC.