Sharad is boisterous, curious and questioning during the daily talks he enjoys with his grandparents in India. He is five and confident with the technology that brings the love, language and laughter of Arvind and Sunita into his Taree home.

“When are you coming here?! When are you coming here?! I will show you the beach and I will show you my school!” declares Sharad.

Listening to their conversations with joy and pride are Vishal Bhardwaj and Neelam Lawaniya. They hope the next chapter in their family story will be the arrival of Arvind and Sunita in the Manning Valley. They know their family dream will become reality with time and support from the Mid Coast Community Connector Program. It underpins the family, and Vishal attributes his growing confidence and capacity to navigate Australian culture, government and services to the support delivered to his family through the program.

As the crow flies, Taree is more than 10,000 kilometres from the city of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, India and remarkably, the distance and dramatic cultural change did not deter Vishal in late 2022 from embracing the opportunity to work for Jamestrong in Taree as part of its team of highly skilled engineers and mechanics.

The state-of-the-art plant produces more than 120 million aluminum aerosol and beverage cans, operates 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week and sources staff globally to meet the needs of its growing business. In February 2023 Vishal was one of three employees who travelled from India to Taree to join its workforce.

Jamestrong signed on to the Mid Coast Community Connector Program to assist its employees to successfully navigate the challenges that come with international recruitment and relocation and Vishal says, “the program is very, very good at supporting people”.

Kate Dunn is the Community Connector who delivers the program and Vishal says, “in so many cases she has helped us.”

Jamestrong signed up to access the program six months after Vishal and his peers had arrived, so Vishal is able to speak to the experience of learning to live in Australia ‘before Kate’ and ‘after Kate’.

“When you come to a new environment you need some time to understand how the system works, how the people work, the culture, and seriously, in those first six months we really needed someone to support us. Seriously, it is very hard,” Vishal said.

“From February through to July Kate was not available to help us and then after Kate came everything was smooth for us.

“Anytime we contacted her to ask for help with something she would say, ‘OK not a problem – if you want me there, I will be there with you, otherwise I can guide you’.”

Kate meets the needs of the individual and/or family, and the type of support varies depending on the investment; for Vishal it included education about the region, help to find housing, identifying childcare, schooling and extra-curricular options, linking to community groups as well as social and professional networks, invitations to Community Connector events, and support to identify personal and health care services. Kate also assisted Neelam to find employment and access education opportunities.

Vishal shares that access to Kate also delivers support to solve problems in times of crisis – something they learned through a challenging experience.

“My friend’s daughter was playing outside in the garden with her brother, and they were pushing each other, and her hand was hurt. My friend talked with Kate, and then Kate talked directly to a doctor, and we went to the hospital. We had a very quick response, and they fixed her hand,” he explained.

“Even now, if I want to talk with Kate she will immediately reply. It is such a good thing, and we very much appreciate that. She will also call us sometimes and say, ‘How are you doing? Do you need any support?’” he added.

Two years on Vishal says that he and his family now regard the Manning Valley as a place to settle.

“We now feel more settled. We are better here. We now feel that we will have a good life here and can spend a long time here. We are hoping to get citizenship and have a long plan to purchase a house.”

The growing community of Indian families is also a welcome source of support and social opportunities.

“When we moved here in 2023 there were not many Indian people, maybe 20 families, but now, there are more than 150 families,” Vishal explained.

“Many times, Kate would call to tell us about things we could do to connect with other people here.”

Vishal and Neelam are hopeful and excited about the opportunities for their future.

“I want to bring my mother and father here because they are getting very old, and like a child, you have to care for them. There is a deep connection with my son because they love him very much, and they always miss him.”

Vishal says he talks positively with friends in India about the experiences and challenges of relocating to the Manning Valley.

“One of my friends is a chartered accountant and his wife is a government nurse, and I tell them that you will have a good life here, especially if you move to this regional area because it is amazing. There is no pollution, it is beautiful outside.

“The safety, the environment, this area is beautiful. The beaches are easy access, the hospital is very close to us, there are good schools, there are so many good things, that’s why we like this area and will make it our home.”

Words and Image by Ainslee Dennis