Five years ago, in the dead of night, Oday Rashed packed up his family's meagre possessions and fled the only place he had ever called home.
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As ISIS waged a genocidal war against the Yazidi people in and around Mosul, Northern Iraq, Mr Rashed made the heart-wrenching decision to move his wife and four children to a refugee camp in Turkey.
Three years on and Mr Rashed has found a new home in Wagga, but not without some challenges along the way.
Mr Rashed said when he left Iraq, his youngest was barely two months old.
"It was hard in Turkey, and you could not get a job," he said. "It was a different language, but when I came to Australia, I started a new life.
Mr Rashed did not dawdle when it came to finding a way to support his family. Less than a month after arriving in Wagga he went to TAFE NSW for English courses.
He is now enrolled in a Certificate III in Engineering - Fabrication Trade and is using it as a springboard to becoming a qualified metal fabricator.
Soon after, Mr Rashed was offered a welding apprenticeship at Wagga company Flip Screen, and he hasn't looked back.
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"When I first came to Australia I could only speak a few words of English, and so I went to TAFE NSW straight away," he said.
"The teachers helped so much and taught us about the language and the Australian culture. I really wanted to work to support my family, but I knew in Australia, you need a qualification.
"I'm so happy now - I have qualifications, and I have a job with a good company that makes important things for Australia and the world."
Mr Rashed thanked his teachers and bosses for giving him a chance.
"I love this work because when you know how to weld, you can make something great," he said.
Flip Screen managing director Sam Turnbull said conversations with Mr Rashed had opened his eyes to what happens in other countries.
"He has been great since he came on as an apprentice," he said.
"He was talking about how ISIS came into town and was taking their machinery, and that's pretty scary."
Mr Turnbull said while Australians are sipping lattes, while people like Mr Rashed are being attacked.
"Once people are here, they are one of us," he said.
Mr Turnbull said the company had three TAFE NSW apprentices and nine different nationalities among its staff.
The Adult Migrant English Program provides up to 510 hours of English language tuition to eligible migrants
Annie Lewis
Have a tip? Email me at a.lewis@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Have a tip? Email me at a.lewis@austcommunitymedia.com.au
