With half of its population born overseas, this suburb is a living snapshot of the highs and lows of chasing the Australian dream.
By Samuel Yang
阅读中文版本 | Dalam Bahasa Indonesia
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“Am I going to be OK there in Australia? Am I going to be able to learn the language and make friends and fit into the community?”
These are some of the questions Iraqi refugee Zinah al-Haidari was asking herself as her family prepared to move 13,000 kilometres around the world to New South Wales back in 2013.
“Because I’m from a minority religious background [Mandaean] in Iraq, me and my family were subjected to discrimination and racism,” the 23-year-old university student said.
After two years of waiting in neighbouring Jordan after seeking United Nations assistance to relocate to a Western country, on April 1, 2013, her family received a call from the Australian embassy.
“I thought it was a prank call, I couldn’t believe it,” she said.
When most people think of Liverpool, the English city responsible for producing The Beatles would most likely come to mind for non-Sydneysiders.
But Liverpool is also a suburb of New South Wales situated some 27 kilometres south-west of the Sydney CBD.
With more than 120 ethnicities and 140 languages spoken, Liverpool is one of the most multicultural places in Australia — more than half of its residents were born overseas, hailing from places as diverse as Iraq, Vietnam, Fiji, India and Lebanon.
It’s also one of the oldest urban settlements in Australia and once upon a time used to host many famed events, such as the Australian Speedcar Grand Prix in the 1970s and 1980s.
It has one of the highest concentrations of new Australians in the country, with increased numbers of Iraqis and Syrian refugees arriving in recent years following the 2003 war in Iraq and the Arab Spring and subsequent Syrian war.
‘Land of opportunities’
Ms al-Haidari said her family eventually settled in Liverpool to be near other extended family members.
Soon after, the then-17-year-old completed high school and later attended university to study social work.
“In Liverpool you get the chance to meet people who are from different backgrounds, which is very interesting for refugees and migrants, so we don’t feel that we’re alone or isolated … [it] allowed me to easily transition to this beautiful country, as it gave me a real sense of belonging to my community.
Seak Ay Lam is another who found peace in Liverpool.
She has been living in Australia for nearly three decades after her family fled Cambodia’s brutal Khmer Rouge regime in the early 1980s as refugees when she was 17 years old.
The family of 14 — which included nine children and three grandparents — lived in a government-issued migrant hostel in Western Sydney when they arrived.
“In those days, not many Cambodians were around … luckily my dad’s cousin was here. And every time he’d visit us he’d bring food and talk to us about Australia.”
Ms Lam went to TAFE to study English while supporting herself by working in a plastics factory – she noted how Western Sydney had lots of manufacturing work.
Ms Lam worked seven days a week for many years across Liverpool, Fairfield, Cabramatta and Sydney’s CBD – a typist for the local government, a farm worker earning $50 per day, among many other things.
“Delivering newspapers was hard though, I was scared of the dogs chasing us, some people swore at us, but my brother said ‘don’t worry, just say: thank you, thank you’.”
Ms Lam’s years of hard work eventually paid off, and 22 years ago she and her husband bought a small shop in Liverpool to sell leather goods.
“We looked everywhere, and saw that Liverpool had so many [different] people,” she said.
‘We’ve come a long way’
Liverpool City is one of the fastest-growing areas in Australia, embodied by significant property and infrastructure developments, such as the upcoming multi-billion-dollar Western Sydney Airport.
Its population of roughly 225,000 people is expected to almost double over the next 20 years.
Local historian Glen op den Brouw, who serves as president of the City of Liverpool and District Historical Society, was born and raised in Liverpool after his family emigrated from the Netherlands in the 1950s.
The 57-year-old reflected on how Liverpool didn’t always have the diversity you see today.
“Until the 50s we were still a very typical Anglo community like most country towns in Australia,” he said.
Local historians maintain that the Cabrogal Clan of the Darug Nation are the traditional custodians of the land in Liverpool.
But despite still being present in the area, many were married into, or assimilated into, the growing community, or displaced over many generations.
The Liverpool City Council also acknowledges that the land was accessed by peoples of the Dharawal and Dharuk Nations.
Mr op den Brouw said modern population growth in Liverpool has been driven by a diverse array of migrants and refugees escaping a variety of issues.
“Every decade we’ve had different waves of immigration from different parts of the world. They brought cultural diversity to Liverpool, grocery shops, Manoush [pizza] restaurants.”
But there are worries that the fast-growing pace is taking a toll on the city’s history and character, captured in a Facebook debate where a 1920s heritage-listed bungalow was demolished in 2017 with only a few sections of its walls remaining.
“I see a lot of room for improvement, we could do a lot better … we’ve got to strike a balance between protecting our past and progressing,” Mr op den Brouw said.
“We’re always sceptical that we’re not going to maintain our Australian traditions.”
For Chika Isaac, a Nigerian immigrant who runs a hair and beauty salon, the rapid growth in population and urbanisation in Liverpool paves the way for new business opportunities.
Already owning a business in Newtown, he said he saw the potential in Liverpool and extended his business to open a second salon there in late 2019.
“Liverpool is a busy area and very multicultural … I have customers from all different backgrounds, whether it’s African, Caucasian or Asian,” he told the ABC.
“Liverpool is a growing city and will become the third CBD after Sydney city and Parramatta, with the new airport and the plan to transform the Moorebank industrial area.
“The more a place is developed, the more people will get to like it and so, the more potential business there will be.”
‘Always feels like home to me’
Like any other place in Australia, Liverpool has its challenges: high crime rates, traffic congestion, and youth unemployment to name a few.
And some are unsure whether the area’s historically migrant-friendly appeal might be starting to wane.
“But these days even with a degree, young people are still struggling to find jobs.”
She said although her business isn’t doing as well as before — citing the impact of the pandemic and the emergence of online shopping — she regards herself as lucky.
“The government brought us here and provided everything – we appreciate everything they’ve done for us.”
For Ms al-Haidari, it’s a place to start a new chapter in her life.
She recently completed her social work degree and found a part-time job as a youth worker in town.
“Liverpool always feels like a home to me.”
Read in Chinese: 阅读中文版本 or Bahasa Indonesia: Baca dalam Bahasa Indonesia
Credits
- Words & photography: Samuel Yang
- Historical/additional photography: Glen op den Brouw, Ed Jonker, Bruce Harris, Ian Kerr Collection, & others
- Additional newsgathering: Shamsiya Hussainpoor
- Digital production & editing: Steven Viney