Returning: Back Roads

Back Roads returns for its eighth season on Monday as Australian Story takes a mid year break.

Heather Ewart travels to the New South Wales Riverina town of Leeton, to find people from 30 different nationalities have been welcomed in recent years with open arms.

Leeton is the food bowl of NSW, its irrigated land produces rice, meat, cotton, citrus and grapes in enormous volumes. And it’s always needed a workforce, with the first migrants arriving from post-World War Two Italy in the 1950’s.

The town’s multicultural officer Ken Dachi welcomes presenter Heather Ewart to town. He and his wife Sekai experienced the warm Leeton welcome themselves, when they first arrived three years ago.

Born in Kenya, Ken and Sekai both met whilst living in London, and looking for an adventure, decided to move to Australia.

Sekai found work as a nurse in Leeton, but Ken had no idea how well his work skills, as an international aid relief worker, would transfer. Before long the local council had the perfect job for him, welcoming new migrants, and refugees.

Refugees from Afghanistan are the newest arrivals in town, often having risked everything to find a new life for their families in Australia.

Heather also meets Roshan Yosufi who arrived in this country as a refugee in 2013 and is now a citizen. He has waited nine years for his wife and three children to be allowed to join him in their new home in Leeton.

Executive Producer, Brigid Donovan

8pm Monday on ABC.