Lithgow resident Salwa Bashar, who arrived in Australia 12 years ago, has now been joined by about 45 Yazidi families living in Wagga Wagga who have sought refuge in Australia over the past six months.  

Ms Bashar and her husband, Nawaaf Mirza, travel frequently from Lithgow to Wagga to be with their countrymen.

Ms Bashar has been acting as a voluntary interpreter for the community in Wagga for the past eight months. 

“We want to do our best to help the Yazidi people,” she said. 

Last Wednesday, April 19, the Lithgow family pulled off a huge New Year’s celebration for the Wagga Yazidi community and even invited Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to join in. 

“Yazidi celebrate their New Year’s in April,” Ms Bashar said. 

“It is first the New Year’s celebration we have had in Australia.”

The Yazidi people are an indigenous ethno-religious minority of north Iraq who are currently facing genocide by ISIS forces.

Wagga was the first city to accept Yazidi refugees brought to Australia as part of then prime minister Tony Abbott’s promise to settle an extra 12,000 refugees fleeing Syria and Iraq.

The Yazidi New Year’s party, held at Mount Austin, was the first time many of the families settled in Wagga had an opportunity to safely recognise their traditional new year since fleeing their homeland. 

“It was beautiful. It has been my dream to see my people in Australia,” Ms Bashar said. 

Peter Dutton told the community he would bring more Yazidi refugees to Australia.

“We are trying to connect with more people from the Yazidi community.

“The government is committed not just to the 12,000 but under the Refugee and Humanitarian program to offer more places," he said.

Two of Wagga’s key Labor figures held signs that said “let them stay” with photos of the soon-to-be-deported local Angela Aseka and her seven-year-old daughter Esperanca, but Mr Dutton said the family’s case would have to go before the courts first.

“I can’t comment on that process, it’s an issue for the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to look at. 

“If there is to be ministerial intervention it can’t come before that, (but) I am sensitive to community sentiment around this case,” the Immigration Minister said. 

Ms Bashar said she hoped more Yazidi refugees would be welcomed to Australia. 

“We are very happy to be with our people.”

“Australia will find they are very beautiful people.”