By Bridget Brady
Services of
Victoria
president James Henry, Kathy Jonassen, Nga Hosking and Pastor David Jonassen. 45547
Stewart
Chambers
COOK Islanders living in Casey are looking to improve the life of their people by building a church where they can host education programs and have a place to call home.
Leaders of the Cook Island community in Casey said they wanted to educate their people to help bridge the gap between other cultures and establish a base in the municipality.
Pastor David Jonassen said they wanted to build a church in Casey to cater for the many Cook Islanders who were moving to the area.
The House of Refuge church is already established in Keysborough, but Pastor Jonassen said more than 3000 Cook Islanders lived in the Cranbourne, Hampton Park and Narre Warren South areas.
“We want to try and find ways to better the lifestyle,” Pastor Jonassen said.
“We have to get ourselves into the Australian lifestyle, but not forget who we are. That’s the challenge.”
Pastor Jonassen said many Cook Islands people struggled with the faster-paced life in Casey when they moved here. Some, he said, had qualifications in the Cook Islands, but did not make the most of these when they moved to Australia.
“The mentality is, I need to get a job, so whatever is easy… they go straight to the factories. Fear is one of the main factors.” Nga Hosking said some of the programs that ran in Keysborough that she would like to see operating in Casey included those for women, parents, youth and the elderly.
Many Cook Islanders didn’t have the confidence to find out about services or further education in Casey, Ms Hosking said.
“It can be totally overwhelming,” she said.
President of the Cook Island Community Services of Victoria, James Henry, said Cook Islanders needed to “adapt to be able to survive”.
“This is a new area, so we want to make sure we are set,” he said.
“If we fail this generation that’s coming, there’s going to be longer consequences later.”
Casey council has started discussions with the community, and councillor Geoff Ablett said the Cook Islanders were passionate about continuing to develop a harmonious world.
“I think it’s tremendous that the Cook Islands community wishes to make a positive difference in the City of Casey,” Cr Ablett said.
Pastor Jonassen said his people had a rich culture to share, and looked forward to working with the council and the community.
“I believe we can learn from each other.”
