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Most women take for granted simple
things, like catching up with friends for cof-
fee, visiting family and chatting to their neigh-
bours. But what if you didn’t know anyone in
your town, couldn’t speak the local language
and had no support network within your com-
munity.
This is the reality for some families mov-
ing to Australia from overseas. Settling into
a new country, community and culture has
the potential to cause social isolation, but in
Muswellbrook the Global Care Multi-Cultural
Ladies Group is helping bring people together.
It started about six years ago when Heather
Boyton extended the hand of friendship to a
new family who had moved into her street.
“The family was from India,” Heather says.
“The husband had come here for work, and
he and the two children could speak English,
but the lady couldn’t. One day they were walk-
ing past our house and we got talking and so
a
WARM
welcome
I started going to visit and help the lady with
her English.”
“She was so lonely and getting very de-
pressed on her own,” Heather remembers.
“When the family moved to another street, I
kept going to visit twice a week and we be-
came good friends. She started encouraging
other people to come along and the group just
started from there.”
Now there are about 50 ladies who join in
on the group’s activities, which include fort-
nightly get-togethers and evening functions
every second month. Usually the ladies just
gather, but there are plenty of family functions
as well. It is open to ladies from anywhere, in-
cluding Australia. Heather welcomes women
to contact her and she is happy to visit them
at home.
Chandry Ganjan and her family moved to
Australia from Sri Lanka three years ago. She
says she has met some wonderful friends in the
Multi-Cultural Ladies Group. “We share our
cooking, our culture and we share our family
problems, they are good friends,” Chandry
says. “My kids always say to me ‘you have so
many friends, you’re always talking to some-
one’.”
Marta Martinez has a daughter in Newcas-
tle, but the rest of her family is in Argentina.
She has been in Australia for 30 years, living in
Muswellbrook for the past four. “Sometimes
you get too lonely,” Marta says. “It is nice to
have someone to just have a cup of coffee and
a chat with. You have someone to talk to and
get ideas from and information about what is
happening in the town.”
Heather says the best thing about the Mul-
ti-Cultural Ladies Group is meeting the wom-
en. “They’re all beautiful people and I love
learning about their cultures,” she says. “We
teach the ladies craft and cooking, and they
share their food with us and share their culture
as well, it goes both ways, it’s lovely.”
Heather says any ladies in the community
who are interested in the group are welcome
to phone her for more information on 0438
405 925 or follow the group’s Facebook page.
Fabiana Fox with daughter Alice, 2, Joy Hobbs with
daughter Angelina, 2, Chandry Gajan, Heather Boyton
and Marta Martinez say wonderful friendships are
made at the Global Care Multi-Cultural Ladies Group.
Friendships formed and
diversity celebrated at
multi-cultural ladies group
14
- W I N T E R
