Helen Munro, principal of Ray White Townsville received a community award from the Townsville Intercultural Centre for her work relocating refugees.
Helen received the Gratitude Award during Harmony Week which celebrates and encourages cultural respect for all Australians. She was nominated by a Sudanese family who were having trouble finding a home.
“They were a beautiful couple with six children but no-one was prepared to give them a go in a rental property,” says Helen. “My son, Errol, owned an investment property and he decided to give this family a chance.
“At the first inspection, we discovered that the family had absolutely no furniture - they just had a few bed-rolls on the floor.
“We had some spare furniture so Errol and my husband packed it all up and drove it over to them,” Helen explains.
Helen regularly assists families in similar situations find a home in Townsville.
“When I meet these families, We’ll find a rental that suits them and their budget,and they apply for the property like any other tenant.
“I then appeal to the landlord and educate them about each family’s situation. If the landlord agrees, we start them off on a three month lease, with the view to extend to a longer term lease.
“Because these families aren’t used to urban living, we also spend these early months encouraging them to maintain the home and garden. These are people who have come from very diverse backgrounds - they aren’t disrespectful to properties, they simply don’t know what to do, so we teach them how to water a garden and general upkeep of the home,” says Helen.
Harmony Week ran through the Townsville Intercultural Centre between 17 and 20 March 2014.
“It was a humbling experience receiving this award. During the award ceremony I was told that I’ve taught these families a lot, but the reality is, we can learn so much more from them than they can learn from us,” Helen concludes
