From West Papuan advocate to Melbourne accountant

Lewis arrived in Melbourne from West Papua in 2010 and it took six months to get a permanent visa. It was another three years before his wife and kids could join him. Becoming a member of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre helped Lewis achieve things he didn’t think possible when he first arrived.

When Lewis lived in West Papua he was a translator. He would travel around and tell people their rights.

“They didn’t know that Indonesia was signatory to conventions that they’re supposed to uphold and they’re not doing it. So rights to West Papuan people are not being given to them, such as free speech and organising gatherings. You become a second-class citizen in your own land.”

Lewis also spoke to foreign media and tourist groups to help them understand what was happening.

“…they’d come to us, and our leaders back home would speak in Bahasa and I would help to translate that into English. That’s basically what I did. Advocacy, and go to different parts of West Papua and tell them about their legal rights, their human rights.”

It became unsafe for Lewis in West Papua, as many people had been oppressed, imprisoned and worse for speaking out against the Indonesian Government. His uncle, a West Papuan independence leader, had already been given asylum in Sweden in the 1980s.

When Lewis arrived in Melbourne, he had no idea how long it would take to get a permanent visa. In the end it took six months – a long time to survive with no help. To see him through those tough times he became a member of the ASRC.

The centre provided him with food supplies and employment training. Staff helped him find a part-time job with the City of Yarra picking up autumn leaves for four months meaning he could afford to pay for his legal fees.

The centre also referred him to their partner organisation AMES who helped Lewis find accommodation. What he found most helpful was learning how to write English at the ASRC so that he could study at university.

“Normally I came to the centre 3 times a week. Once I got basic English then I had to enrol at RMIT to do my VCE. They helped me to get an entry into RMIT too…..And now I’m doing my second year undergraduate in accounting.”

It’s taken a long time and perseverance for Lewis to journey from being in danger in West Papua to safety in Australia. He never imagined he’d settle in Melbourne and study accountancy. Or that he’d be able to apply to become an Australian citizen.

The ASRC was able to help Lewis to live independently because of the centre’s material aid, health, legal, employment, casework and Foodbank services. These services are made possible by our generous community of donators, fundraisers and volunteers.

You can help people like Lewis too, by supporting the work of the ASRC here.