Tadros on finding harmony in Australia
In 2015, Housing Choices resident Tadros and his two teenage children Carla and Youssef arrived in Australia from Egypt.
“People who come to Australia, they are looking for three things. They are looking to live in a safe place, live in a lawful country, and to belong.” Tadros explained.
One of his early memories is walking through our city streets and noticing the different languages on street signs. “What a beauty…I said, ‘wow.’ Maybe I can, one day, express myself through my own language here [Arabic].”
Tadros visited places of worship across different religions in Melbourne soon after arriving, meeting people from diverse backgrounds and learning about the things that bring us together as humans. Some simple, like the different ways we eat and talk, and other complex, like different personal belief systems.
“It made me respect humanity more. It made me feel very proud of Australia, we are a multicultural base.”
In 2017, Tadros and his children were granted permanent residency in Australia. In 2019, Tadros received a call from Housing Choices Australia, offering them a home in North Melbourne. He smiles when describing moving from his previous property in St Albans to a vibrant inner-city community.
“I am an artist. So when we moved to North Melbourne, we felt more alive and connected to the city. There are so many activities and opportunities for my children, and for me, galleries and art.”
Since he was a child himself, Tadros expressed himself through art. After spending more than 20 years in Egypt working as an architect, he’s continued to find comfort and connect with communities as an artist in Australia.
“When you want to make a home, you want to know – who are your neighbours? So, I started to connect with people here. From there, I started connecting with the broader community around me. I was a Harmony Ambassador for Brimbank City Council, which gave me more opportunities. Harmony is when everything and everyone feels… together. Everyone has their own flavour, and we are all part of the mix. Art and food connect us as humans – there is an Arabic expression in Egypt, which directly translates to bread and salt. It indirectly says let’s break bread together, let’s eat together as family.”
In addition to his council work, Tadros volunteered across local art classes, food banks, and galleries. It was this work that opened the door to exhibiting his work ‘Home’ at the Melbourne Immigration Museum, as part of ‘Attache Case’, a collective piece co-ordinated by Peter Burke.
‘Home’ is a painting of a face within a mass of pink, blue, yellow, and green. It depicts Tadros’ view of how everyone is looking to settle and find a home.
Painting ‘Home’ by Tadros Hanna
“I am so grateful for the spaces [in Melbourne] that are available for people to display their art. Housing Choices already support this with their yearly art competition… it’s an amazing project.”
Tadros describes his living experience with Housing Choices as a happy marriage.
“I think the success of Housing Choices is that they try to follow up on your needs. I am so grateful for all the help I get from them. I am keen to keep this relationship going because it gives me security and the feeling that I belong.”
