For six long years, Al Daoud family have been searching for a country that would take them in as refugees.
The conflict in Syria forced the family of four to flee to Erbil in northern Iraq, where there are several refugee camps.
On Friday evening, their dream to make that home in Australia was finally realised, when the family became the first to be welcomed to the country under a new pilot program that allows members of the community to sponsor refugees.
"We hope this will be a great beginning," father Shadi Al Daoud told SBS News after arriving at Sydney airport on Friday.
"We are very happy, we are overjoyed. The situation is completely different here to the Middle East."
The last leg of the family's journey unfolded over 20 days amid logistical wrangling.
"We were waiting for the moment where we would arrive to the dream ... and now we are here."
His wife, Ramia Al Romhain said she felt elated but also nervous about the unfamiliar - settling into a place she only ever dreamed about.
"I am feeling nervous, wonder and happiness. It's a complete mix of emotions," she said.
Refugee families who will be resettled under the new pilot program and the Australian community members who will be helping and supporting them to feel at home. Source: SBS News / Francesca De Nuccio
Her particular concern is the war's impact on her two children - 10-year-old George and 7-year-old Elinor - who were both born during the war.
"I don't like to talk a lot about it in front of the kids, about the bombings and the war but the situation was really hard."
One instance stands out in her mind, illustrating the long-term impact of the conflict on the children.
"Even after we went to Iraq when it was New Years and we heard fireworks. The kids were really scared - and they thought they were bombs."
Elinor Al Daoud, whose family is among the first to be welcomed to Australia under a new community sponsorship program, receives a plush kangaroo by refugee supporters at Sydney airport on 26 August 2022. Source: SBS News
"We can help them start afresh," Ms Davy told SBS News.
"It is allowing them to have a sense of belonging. We are there to support them from day one. And allowing them to start in a new place."
The community group will help the Al Daoud family to get settled with accommodation, bank accounts, English-language learning and finding work.
"We will provide things like a phone. We will help the family set up with the local bank. We'll be helping to enrol them in the English classes at TAFE, also [to enrol] the children at the local school," Ms Davy said.
She said the community had pulled together to welcome the family.
"We've got a holiday home, which is available for three weeks, rent-free, because it has touched people's hearts.
"We've already made contact with a lot of local real estate agents to find long-term accommodation. And from there, later on [we will help with] employment opportunities."
More than a decade of war in Syria
The family is among millions who've been forced to flee due to the conflict in Syria, which began as peaceful street protests in 2011 against the backdrop of the Arab Spring and evolved into an ongoing civil war that has now left half a million people dead.
At least 5.6 million Syrians have been forced to flee to neighbouring Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, while 6.9 million remain displaced within Syria.
The model for the new community sponsorship program is Canada's scheme, which has allowed 325,000 refugees to resettle over four decades.
The Australian version, called the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), enables community supporter groups to assist refugees in accessing accommodation, local orientation, education and government services.
From now until 2025, the Australian pilot program will accept 1,500 refugees at this stage. The federal government wants to see the number increase over time to 5,000 annually.
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles said refugees supported by the program were currently counted under Australia's existing humanitarian intake for now.
Refugee Council anticipating a strong response
The Refugee Council of Australia said it has been calling for this pilot program for more than 12 years.
The council's senior policy officer Asher Hirsch said he is expecting an enthusiastic response from community groups wanting to participate.
"It is very exciting to see this program be established; and it couldn't come at a better time in terms of the need around the world.
"We're expecting to see hundreds of local community groups stepping up to support refugees around the country."
Afghan refugee Khorsand Yousofzai was a part of a different resettlement program last year that helped him to stay connected to his passion: football.
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He says the community support has meant so much to him.
"They [community members] invited me for dinner for lunch, and they are over every day. They are talking to me. they're asking me any any kind of problem you have any kind of help assist. And everything.
"I'm not feeling alone. I feel like I have a family here. So I'm so happy for the refugees who are arriving."
The former head coach and manager of Royal Kabul Ladies Afghan Premier League team is now coaching the under-15 team at Jesmond FC Newcastle.
He said he feels a strong connection with the newly arrived refugees who are being welcomed into Australian communities.
"It's a very big feeling that I feel because I was one of them. I came here from danger to a secure place. It's a very big deal. I'm so happy for them."
