Most people passing through Adelaide Airport probably didn’t notice it, but for one family, it meant the world—a father who left Iran to provide a better life for his wife and daughter was reunited with them after a 15-year break.
Michael’s difficult journey started when he left his wife Farahnaz and his 18-month-old daughter Tiana behind in 2009 to escape the Middle Eastern country in pursuit of a better future.
When he tried to board a boat to Australia for the second time, the boat sank and 200 other passengers perished, ending his first attempt in Indonesian jail.
Michael amazingly made it through, but on his third attempt to enter Australia, the Australian Coast Patrol stopped him and took him into immigration jail.
Michael did not waver in the face of obstacles and misfortune.
“Sometimes you have no choice, you do by force,” he said. “And then in the future, what’s happening, you have to leave it in the hand of the God.”
Michael eventually received a humanitarian visa, which was a reward for his faith.
Retraining to become a tradesman, he settled in Adelaide and waited patiently for his lawyers to obtain permanent residency for his wife and daughter.
Finally, the much-awaited time arrived when Tiana, a teenage student currently pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor, and Farahnaz arrived at Adelaide Airport.
“I can’t say with words … it’s in my heart,” Tiana remarked.
Although Michael acknowledged that there were moments when he questioned whether his efforts had been in vain, he claimed that the happiness of being with his family again made everything worthwhile.
“There’s many times in my life I’m thinking it’s not worth it… but now, it’s worth it,” he added.
