Shajir Bran and his wife Srinita moved to Australia in 2021, with their two children, Ryan and Rihana. The young family originally comes from India, but recently lived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for eight years. Ryan was born in Austria and Rihana was born in the UAE.
The family's Australian dream was kept on hold for nearly two years due to Covid 19 border closures and restrictions. As soon as the Australian government announced that the borders would be opening for all visa holders, the family booked their flights and prepared to move. They finally arrived in Australia on Christmas Day, a warm and welcome introduction to their new home.
Upon their arrival, the family quarantined at Peppers Waymouth Hotel in the Adelaide CBD for two weeks. The staff members there took excellent care of them and regularly dropped off paper-based activities, such as crosswords and Sudoku at their door. Their first Christmas was made extra special by hotel staff, as the children were dropped off a small present each from Santa. The children were delighted and said "see Santa still loves us and came to Australia to give us presents, so we will definitely be good kids throughout the year!''
Burnside's library, swimming pool, tree lined streets, walking trails, beautiful nature and houses are just some of the family's favourite features of the area. Since their arrival, they have found the community to be welcoming, friendly and hospitable. They find Burnside to be very different to the UAE and they enjoy the slower pace and family atmosphere that they've discovered here.
"Life here is the opposite to what we had in the UAE," said Shajir.
"Our main intention to move to Australia was to have a well-balanced life with work and family. We are a family of four and we find so much pleasure in growing together."
"When we moved here, we barely knew Australia and didn't have any friends or relatives here," he said. "We stayed in a hotel for a month while we were waiting to find a house. The first property that was offered to us was in Burnside and we didn't give a second thought choosing it as our home. From the very first day we moved in we felt so comfortable. Green surroundings, amidst nature and beautiful people around made us very comfortable. Most importantly we even got our kids into a school which is in the next lane. Slowly we learnt about Burnside council and the facilities provided to its residents." The family has already made some great memories in Burnside.
In 2022, exactly a year after their arrival, the family celebrated Christmas in their new home for the first time. As a part of this, Ryan entered his artwork into the City of Burnside Christmas Card Design Competition. Much to his delight, he placed as a runner up in the competition. The theme was "what makes an Australian Christmas?". Ryan's entry featured a sunny beach scene with Santa barbecuing, a fireman saving a koala, Santa and his sleigh, and even some of Burnside's iconic Jacaranda flowers. It is evident that Ryan has truly embraced his new home and has quickly learnt what an Australian Christmas is all about! Ryan's parents are so proud of his first major achievement since arriving in Australia.
Ryan, age 8 and Rihana, age 6 are loving their Burnside school and have quickly made some close friends. They are both actively involved in their school community and are doing very well in school.
"Their teachers tell us they are very resilient and that they perform well in class," Srinita says.
The family hopes to apply for Australian Citizenship as soon as they can.
"We have no plans to go back. We have certainly made our mind to make Australia our home," said Shajir. "We are looking forward to applying for Permanent Residency in December 2023."
We wish this wonderful family all the best for their future in Burnside. If you see them around, please wish them a warm welcome!
The Bran Family (Srinita, Rihana, Shajir and Ryan)
Ryan with his winning artwork and City of Burnside Mayor Anne Monceaux
