By Teju Chouhan
Melbourene (Australia), June 21: Twenty-one refugees including the Bhutanese citizen who have made remarkable contributions to Victoria were added to the Victorian Refugee Recognition Record (VRRR) at a ceremony on June 17 during refugee week.
- Parsuram (right) with Rob Hulls, deputy Premier and Attorney Genaral of Victoria (middle) and wife, Tanka Maya Sharma Luital
Among the recipients of VRRR award included Parsuram Sharma Luitel.
“What Bhutan did not recognize in generations is done by Australia in few years,” Parsuram told Bhutan News Service.
Deputy Premier Rob Hulls commended the achievements of the recipients and congratulated each of them for their contribution to improving the Victorian community.
“The VRRR is an official thank you from the people of Victoria for the hard, and often unrecognised, work done by many refugees that helps better the lives of other people,” Mr Hulls said in a media release.
“Our society is enriched by the presence of a significant refugee population and, by recognising the contribution made by so many people; we hope to encourage greater awareness of our rich diversity.”
This year’s recipients were being acknowledged for their ongoing contribution to Victoria and for helping others through their involvement in various voluntary programs and community support services.
The release stated that nominees have been involved in a range of initiatives including research into the psychological issues associated with resettlement, establishing memorials for Vietnam War veterans and Vietnamese refugees, encouraging Afghan teenagers to learn about Afghan art and culture and the creation of a multilingual Crimestoppers initiative among the orhers.
“I am contributing through an enhancing program called Innovative Driving Program for Refugees,” said Sharma.
At the moment Sharma coordinates 10 driving projects with eight in Melbourne and two in regional Victoria.
The program has four donated cars to projects on rotation to teach refugees driving in Victoria with the help of community volunteers.
However, he was awarded for his work with Burmese Karen Refugees to set up shiitake mushroom social enterprise in a community park and teaching them for Certificate II in Horticulture.
This year the Brumby Labour Government invited photography students from the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE to create a photographic record of the recipients. According to a government authority the photographs would be published in the next edition of the Victorian Multicultural Commission’s magazine, Multicultural Victoria.
Each year the Refugee Council of Australia coordinates refugee week from June 14 to June 20. The theme for the refugee week 2009 in Australia was ‘Freedom from Fear’.
June 22nd, 2009 at 12:01 pm
Good work guys! congrats.
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:46 am
When I worked in Bhutan five years back, I had heard about this [................] who was an district agriculture officer. His employer had sent him to study in Austrialia at Master’slevel. However, he defected. As a result, many southrn Bhhutanese were denied the opportunity of higher studies abroad fearing that they will follow Parsuram’s footstep.His peers regard his as highly [..............]. They told me how he had lied his sisters, his relatives and his wife’s families in [....] away his family to Australia. His ailing mother-in-law died later out of grief of missing her daughter.
So, it is good to know that this [.....] is finally paying back for his [...] in Bhutan and hopefully is of genuine assistance to the refugee communities down there. I hope that he is not hoodwinking the poor Australians.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Congratulation to Mr.Parsuram and Tanka Luintel fot the award and let this award encourage them to do much more in future for serving the refugees and the needy ones.
July 1st, 2009 at 6:09 am
Allan,
Perhaps the news above is a bitter pill to swallow for you. Anyway your intentions are very clear that you are after personal attack. I wonder if you would seek farewell from authorities in RGOB if it was you. Interesting to know that RGOB is so powerful to change the policy because of one person. I hope this will not be the case in future under the new govt.
Thank you