The efforts of the Mingoola community to bring refugee families to the district to provide a haven for them while rejuvenating the district have been documented in an Australian Story episode, scheduled to air on the ABC on Monday night at 8pm.
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Australian Story producer Kristine Taylor said it was a lovely story of determination and community spirit to bring to the screen, even though the elements made it a challenging shoot.
“Usually we make two visits to a location, the first to do the bulk of the shooting and a second for pick-ups. After a deluge of rain on our second-last night of filming we couldn’t get in to interview some of the people and had to make a third trip.
“We were told we might make it in with our Land Cruiser, but we mightn’t get out again.”
Ms Taylor said the community project makes for a very interesting story, with viewers loving to see small, regional communities and how they live, and especially this one doing something different and innovative.
The episode came about from relatives visiting the home of Julia Harpham, who’s driving the refugee project. The visit happened to coincide with the loss of one of the refugee houses to a chimney fire.
As the relatives were returning to Brisbane one suggested the saga would be a good idea for Australian Story, much to the amusement of the fellow travellers. Nevertheless the idea was presented to the show’s producers and the outcome will become a part of television history.
“I think it will strike a chord with people,” Ms Taylor said.
“It’s a gutsy, inspiring story.”
While the project is operating under the auspices of the Mingoola Progress Association, Ms Taylor credits Mrs Harpham’s contributions to making it happen.
“She’s opened her house and given so much of herself, of her home and of her life.”
Ms Taylor said it’s very early days yet in the project, with some residents expressing concerns regarding employment and sustainability with four refugee families being proposed as the limit, but she senses there’s a lot of good will.
“At the moment they’re in the honeymoon phase. It will be interesting to go back and see how it all plays out. They love these kids, and the kids have added such a sparkle to their little community.”
Here are some of the stunning photographs taken by the Australian Story production crew…
