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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Comment
Shadi Khan Saif

Many Afghan Australians felt grateful to the Liberal party. That faith is shaken

Families visit the Ramadan night market at Dandenong
Families visit the Ramadan night market at Dandenong: ‘This is not a community withdrawing into itself but one building outwards.’ Photograph: James Ross/AAP

In my tough early days in Melbourne, when everything still felt slightly unreal, I was introduced to Suzy through a cricket magazine editor based in London. Suzy greeted me with the warmth of someone who had known me for years. She didn’t just offer advice; she guided and helped me understand how to build a career and a life in a country that can feel overwhelming even to those born into it.

This summer Suzy finally managed to visit for lunch in Dandenong, at the food street in the Afghan bazaar. It felt symbolic that our long-awaited reunion would take place there, in a suburb that mirrors so many migrant journeys: once overlooked, now pulsing with life, colour and ambition.

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