A TORQUAY local helped inspire a refugee on Manus Island make it all the way to Canada, and she says his successful resettlement should be an example to others.<\/p>\n
Chelsea Taylor met Amir Taghinia \u2013 who fled Iran as a teenager \u2013 while she was co-ordinating the immunisation service on Manus in 2014.<\/p>\n
About two years ago, a friend of Ms Taylor\u2019s passed on Mr Taghinia\u2019s contact details.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was obviously desperate to find other options,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I approached my dad, who is a bit of an activist, and said \u2018can we help this guy?\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her parents, Wayne and Linda Taylor, who live just outside Vancouver, helped organise a group of their friends to raise about $18,000 and privately sponsor Mr Taghinia.<\/p>\n
Despite the approval of the Australian and Canadian governments, it still took many months of paperwork before Mr Taghinia left Manus and flew to Canada, where he arrived earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Ms Taylor said it was \u201cagonising\u201d not to be at the airport to greet Mr Taghinia in person, but spoke to him over the phone soon after he arrived.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was very emotional for everyone\u2026 I\u2019m thrilled that he\u2019s there and that he\u2019s safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said Mr Taghinia was very concerned about his friends that were still on Manus, given the conditions on the island, and she believed the Australian government should be using private sponsorship for refugees much more widely.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s absolutely the potential for this happening for a lot of other people.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sets a precedent \u2013 the only outcome is for them not to be in the situation they\u2019re in.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some point, we\u2019ve got to step back and say \u2018we\u2019ve gone too far\u2019.<\/p>\n
Ms Taylor has set up a GoFundMe page to support Mr Taghinia at gofundme.com\/help-amir-start-his-new-life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A TORQUAY local helped inspire a refugee on Manus Island make it all the way to Canada, and she says his successful resettlement should be an example to others. Chelsea Taylor met Amir Taghinia \u2013 who fled Iran as a teenager \u2013 while she was co-ordinating the immunisation service on Manus in 2014. About two […]<\/p>\n