After spending four-and-a-half years in Echuca, it’s a bittersweet feeling for Nicole Dilubenzi to say goodbye to the community that took her and her family in.
On November 29, they will embark on a new journey to Canada.
But their story will forever be imprinted on the minds of this community.
It is a story of strength, courage, tragedy, loss and re-connection.
It all started after Nicole and her husband Chicco had settled in Namibia after struggling to earn a decent living in Congo and Lesotho.
Chicco had retained a position as a local doctor and their lives seemed to be looking up.
Until the day Nicole returned home to find her home ransacked, her husband missing and their dog murdered.
Fearing for the lives of her children, Nicole knew they had to escape.
She made the decision to seek protection in Australia.
The family arrived in Melbourne in 2018 and was introduced to the Brigidine Sisters, a congregation of nuns who offered her family a place to stay in Echuca.
They quickly became interwoven into the community.
It was in Echuca that Nicole built her own African-inspired fashion label, Molato.
But nine months after arriving in Echuca, her world turned upside down.
She was contacted by her husband. And in that moment, just about every emotion washed over her.
Since then, the family members have tried to reunite and move Chicco over to Australia but the visa process has proven difficult and Chicco’s doctor’s accreditations have not been recognised in Australia.
After numerous heartbreaking attempts, they have made the decision to start the next chapter of their life together in Canada.
Nicole said she had mixed feelings about the move.
“I’m excited to be with my husband but I’m also sad to leave the community,” she said.
“My kids are feeling the same way as well.”
The family has already found a place to live and will consider schooling options once they arrive in Canada.
Nicole said there was one valuable lesson she would take with her to Canada.
“There is one thing I have learnt in Echuca and will never forget and that is having community spirit,” she said.
“I have seen our people caring for each other during the pandemic and now I have seen it with the flooding. Everybody was helping each other to fight against the floods and that really touches my heart.
“That’s when I worry and think ‘oh my God, why am I leaving? I should stay here and be involved with the community’.”
Nicole said she couldn’t bear leaving without saying thank you to the community that embraced her family with open arms.
“Thank you for the love, the great and the sad moments that we have shared,” she said.
“To the St Mary’s Parish community, thanks for teaching me if you are going to really be Christian then you must be kind to others.
“To St Mary’s Primary School, St Joseph’s College and Shine Bright kindergarten thank you for providing high quality education and compassion toward my children. This will remain forever engraved in their minds.”
As for Molato, the move overseas will not mean the end of the brand.
Nicole will continue to create eye-catching designs in Canada and hoped she might be able to open up an online portal for her customers in Echuca.