Lulu’s story: from Burma to Australia
Meet Lulu, 2024 Settlement Work Champion, a proud father of six and a refugee from Burma.
Image: Previous CCV Chairman, John Sheldon presenting the Norma Parker award to Lulu Johnny in 2016
As today marks World Refugee Day, we honour the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.
Meet Lulu, 2024 Settlement Work Champion, a proud father of six and a refugee from Burma. Lulu currently works as the Settlement Case Manager and Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Practitioner at CCV, and his story is one of perseverance, hope and genuine care for his community.
Lulu arrived in Australia in 2005 on a refugee visa with his wife and then four children – the youngest just seven months old at the time.
As Lulu’s grandfather was conscripted into the British army in World War II when the British were in Burma, and his mother’s family were freedom fighters, trouble often found their family. Rising conflict with the military in Burma meant it was too risky for his family to remain in their homeland.
From the moment Lulu arrived at the airport, Lulu realised life in Australia would be different. He was warmly greeted by his cousin and their daughter with a big hug. While a comforting gesture, Lulu froze as it’s something he had never experienced – a hug from a young woman.
“In my culture, we don’t hug women, we don’t even shake their hands. That was a shock and the first time I got a hug. But I learned about the Australian culture and I’m still learning,” Lulu said.
Lulu and his family had to quickly adapt to the unfamiliar new culture and navigate practical differences – including having to buy a heater to keep warm for the first time and figuring out where to get drinking water.
“Back home, we drank fresh water from the river,” Lulu recalls.
Another life-changing moment came during his interview with the Australian embassy – where Lulu was given a family name for the first time.
“In my village, everyone only has one name. We have about 150 houses and we know everyone by their first name. During my interview she said, “oh your father’s name is Johnny, that’s perfect, we’ll use that.” And from then on, Lulu would be known as Lulu Johnny.
Although Lulu completed high school, a rare opportunity in his community, he knew he had to strengthen his language skills.
“Most of our Karen community, I would say 80% didn’t have the opportunity to have an education due to displacement. My English was terrible when I arrived, so I used to read my children’s primary school reports and schoolwork to learn more English.”
“Back home, the men are always right”
Arriving to Australia, where women have equal rights and greater freedom, Lulu felt a sense of relief.
“The military can be really scary. Especially for my three daughters, I was so scared for them because (women) really have no rights. Back home, women always lose but when I came here, I thought wow, my daughters can be secure and safe. It’s amazing.” Lulu said.
“I tell my children to work hard and to get any experience they can. Every day you must grow and grow healthy. I told them, I want to see them reach goals higher than me.”
As a proud father, Lulu shares that now 20 years later, his oldest daughter is a lawyer working at Parliament House in Canberra, his second daughter a flight attendant and third daughter is working in a hotel after attaining her Bachelor’s Degree in Business.
“They worked hard, and they deserve it.”
Disconnection and isolation
A month after moving into his new home in Australia, Lulu had yet to even see his neighbour.
“In my village, in a month, I’d know everyone. This is a challenge we face, the disconnection with community and neighbours, it’s sad,” Lulu said.
“It’s common for a four-year-old to look after a two-year-old, you can leave them at home and it’s fine. In our village, we help look after one another and protect one another.” The sense of isolation was immediate and a contrast to the close-knit community he was used to.
A growing gap between parents and children
With children adapting to their new environment quickly through school, Lulu says parents get left behind as they are disconnected from the wider community, causing a rift between family members and their perspectives.
“When a lot of these community members arrive, the parents can’t even write their names because they grew up in refugee camps in Thailand. They can only say yes and no. But their children learn very fast so by the time they are in high school, they are so good with their English, and they have a different way of thinking.”
In his work with families, Lulu says the biggest challenge is navigating generational differences. Parents feel they don’t have the skills or tools to support their children and develop a sense of fear around their parenting abilities, deepening the divide.
“We see a lot of young people turning to alcohol and drugs because of this, it’s a big problem within the Burmese community. I tell the parents to not be afraid and communicate with their children more.”
In some cases, this has led to family separations or involvement with child protection services, despite parents’ intention to guide their children.
Barriers to health care
Due to unfamiliarity with Western medicine, many from the Burmese community have long-standing health issues that remain undiagnosed or untreated.
Mental health is particularly neglected, as the lack of awareness leaves issues unaddressed. As a result, Lulu says young people in particular turn to alcohol to escape family conflict and cope with their emotional distress.
“Alcohol is very expensive to buy in Burma, you have to save for a month to buy something, but it’s a lot more accessible here.
They don’t really understand the medical system and maybe they can’t find the support they need from the system. So, they turn to what they know and are comfortable with, their own traditional and cultural medicine, or alcohol.” Lulu says.
Bridging the gap
Lulu was able to find employment, thanks to support from his cousin, and worked as a Community Guide to the Burmese families who were newly-arrived in Australia.
“I started work with CCV in the refugee settlement program in 2007 and I wanted to help the Burmese and Karen communities. I would take them to Centrelink, connect them with Medicare and employment services. I would take them to appointments at the hospital or at school and even with helped with finances. I would help them learn the transport system.
All these things, my cousin’s husband helped me with. I learned the way things work here and wrote everything down and now I can help others.”
Today, as Settlement Case Manager, Lulu offers holistic support to his clients – whether its issues related to domestic violence, alcohol and other drugs, psychosocial and emotional support or practical tools for settlement.
“(Clients) say to me, “Lulu, we are looking for jobs but we can’t speak English very well” so we’ll help them to get an ABN, Working with Children’s Check or driving license, whatever they need.”
Lulu also connects them with employment opportunities where strong English skills aren’t essential – food or warehouse deliveries, cleaning or various admin roles.
It is because of these wrap around services that Lulu says he sees many Burmese families succeed.
From all of us at CCV, we thank Lulu for sharing his inspirational story. A true reminder of the importance connection and of looking after one another.
Find out more about how we help refugees and asylum seekers here.
