My Journey - Irianni

Main BodyMy Journey

I was born in Canberra, Australia, to parents who worked with the Indonesian Embassy.
After a few years we were transferred to Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia.
Due to my parents political beliefs we left and island hopped for many years around West Irian, or Dutch New Guinea which is now a province of Indonesia called West Papua, the western half of Papua New Guinea.

In 1972 after a few years of political unrest my family left one evening by canoe to a small town called Vanimo and asked the Australian administration for refugee status, which was granted.We were moved to a refugee camp on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea, and then to Goroka in the Eastern Highlands Province where my father was employed to work in a coffee plantation.
My brother and I then were enrolled at an American mission school, this was my first time to speak and read English.
My parents taught us that the only way to get ahead was to be able to speak English and we have not looked back since.

After a year we moved to Madang, a beautiful town on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea where I grew up. I was granted citizenship of Papua New Guinea in 1989.I married a New Zealander in 1988 and moved around the country with his job until he decided to come back to New Zealand in 1995. We have two beautiful children, who I hope will one day return to Papua New Guinea and West Papua to experience their other heritage.

Being involved in the Tauranga Ethnic Council has been a great opportunity to share experiences with people of various nationalities and to see the group grow is exciting.
I hope that more kiwis will open up to experience the cultures that have come to Tauranga by coming to our monthly

Usage

AcknowledgementTe Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries

Relates To

EventsTauranga Memories (2011-2021) - Events

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AuthorTauranga Regional Multicultural CouncilType of ContributionCommunity storyTaxonomyStories | Events

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My Journey - Irianni