Young Dwight Farley’s life has been plagued by hunger and fear. But at last he and his siblings have been reunited with their father to start a new life in Australia. The family spoke to JODIE DUFFY.
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It was their ticket out of hell and hunger, but for three young immigrants a flight out of Africa to a new world became another traumatic chink in their armour.
Escaping Liberia had not been easy for the three siblings aged 25, 19 and 11. It was six years since their father, Lindgren Farley, had fled neighbouring Guinea as a refugee, coming to Australia in 2008. His promise to send for them seemed a lifetime ago.
The first attempt in 2011 had ended in disappointment. The bloody and brutal civil war had come to an end and people had slowly begun to return to their homeland. Australia would now not recognise Grant, Delley and Dwight Farley as refugees.
''I want them to make their own choices and decisions. To have a good future. Most of all I never want them to go hungry again."
So they too returned to their village in Liberia where they were cared for by an aunt. But there was a darkness in the country. The scars of war evident around them. Food was scarce, fear still reigned and orphans wandered the streets.
The Farleys were thankful for their one meal of rice and soup a day - bought for them by their father, who continued to send money from Australia for their upkeep and education. Eating sparingly in the middle of the day, they would save the leftovers till evening in an effort to stave off hunger until sleep came.
"From the time I was born we have only eaten rice," says Grant, 25. "Only a few times have we had bread. Living in Liberia is like living in hell. It is that bad. People are very, very poor."
Only the very rich can afford vegetables, as most land in Liberia is cultivated with rubber plantations.
"I was hungry all the time," says Dwight, 11. "There was not enough food to eat."
When the Mercury interviewed Lindgren in 2010 he spoke of his guilt at having been the lucky one to come to Australia, while his children remained impoverished in Africa.
"Father, please there's no food today," Dwight, then 8, would plead with him over the telephone. Lindgren said if he had wings he'd fly to Africa to save them from their suffering.
Having become separated from his family once before during the war, the conditions in the refuge camp had meant that it was difficult for them to be reunited.
Despite his painful past there's still a spark of lightness in Dwight, a gentle, playful softness. He knows that in coming to Australia he has been saved from a life of crippling poverty. He has a chance now of a career and when he grows up he wants to become an engineer so he can "fix things".
But for now he's doing what every other Australian child takes for granted - relaxing on the couch watching cartoons. It's a pleasure to watch his little face, absorbed in the fanciful world of children's television, knowing that he has come from a life with no electricity or running water, where cartoons only exist on those rare days when there's enough money left to buy petrol for the generator.
"I've been waiting a long time to come here," says Dwight. "I like this place, it's clean, very, very clean."
Recently life in Liberia became so much worse when the country was ravaged by the killing disease Ebola. International aid was slow to respond to the first reported outbreak in March and by August, with no controls in place, the virus was rampant and the country declared a state of emergency.
Grant, having graduated from university with a Bachelor of Science in Biology in June, returned home after school ended, as did Delley, who had been studying for a degree in Finance.
Their village, of about 300 residents, was one of the lucky ones in that it has yet to be touched by Ebola. This is partly due because of its physical isolation and because of a vigilante group that takes security seriously.
No strangers are allowed into the village and those leaving to buy food at a nearby market must have their temperature taken before leaving and returning home. Families mostly stick to themselves, rarely venturing outdoors to play or socialise.
In a neighbouring village, six of Grant's friends have died from Ebola, all of them under the age of 30. At a local hospital 24 healthcare workers, including doctors, have also been killed.
"The pastor of a church in another community died after 10 days of contracting Ebola, then after seven days his wife died and eight days after that his son died," says Delley. "Since Ebola, food, even rice, is difficult to find and is very expensive. It's not easy. If you don't have enough money you don't eat."
When Ebola hits a household the well are forced to leave their loved ones to die alone. With no help they can't bathe or eat and many lie on mattresses on the floor until death comes to claim them. There is no medicine. To stay and care for the sick is a death sentence. To date Ebola is responsible for 3290 deaths in Liberia alone, with 7797 reported cases.
Having been granted sponsorship immigration in October by the Australian Government, Lindgren took out an $8000 loan for the airfares for his children to fly to Australia.
After being cleared for travel by a panel of doctors in Liberia they said goodbye to their friends and family for a new life full of hopes and dreams - for Grant that is to be a doctor and for Delley it's to study geology.
But at a stopover in Abu Dhabi they were ordered off the plane and detained in transit. The Australian government had closed its doors to them because they were coming from an Ebola-affected country.
They would need to be quarantined for 21 days and were demanding that they return to Liberia. With no money and not wanting to go back to their homeland they became distressed.
"We were shocked and crying a lot," says Grant. "It was very serious. They took our passports and told us they were going to send us back in 12 hours. I tried to comfort the others but it was very hard. I told the officials they could do anything they wanted with us but we were not going back."
Grant rang his father and Lindgren contacted the office of the Member for Cunningham Sharon Bird, where a staff member worked through the night to have the decision reversed.
"She contacted the Minister for Immigration's department and at the end of the 12 hours they were given clearance to come," says Lindgren. "I really have to thank them, they did so much to help us."
In Abu Dhabi an Australian Embassy official shared the good news, but they were told that once they reached Australia they would have to remain in quarantine, at their new home.
"We were dancing and singing in jubilation, we felt such joy," says Grant. "Everyone was looking at us because it was strange to see people dancing like that but that's how we do it in Africa."
Lindgren, who works as a disability support worker, met them at Sydney Airport and drove through the night to his rental property at Cordeaux Heights. A house he has recently moved into to make room for their arrival.
There they remained for three weeks, in a new land, not having seen the escarpment or the ocean, a koala or kangaroo. Instead they watched television, read books and downloaded application forms of potential 2015 university courses.
By the end of the three weeks, at the end of November, they were completely cleared of any chance of having Ebola. They have semi-mapped out the next few years study plan and, even though it's at the end of the school year, Dwight began school at Unanderra Primary School.
"There are lots of new friends at school," he says smiling. "Lots of children want to play with me."
They have driven past the ocean and have once been to Westfield Figtree to shop for groceries.
"It's very big," says Grant of the shopping centre. "We don't have supermarkets like that in Liberia. We have local dry rice markets, which are just tables under a palm tree. I feel lucky and thankful to be in Australia. This is a very good opportunity for me. There are many things I don't know and I'm going to learn them here. For a start I was born to be a doctor. That's what I have always believed and that's what I'm going to do.''
Reunited with his children, Lindgren - who was tortured during the war by child soldiers carrying guns and machetes - can now sleep well at night.
"I get to be a father now," he says. "I want them to know me and to have good conduct. I want them to make their own choices and decisions. To have a good future. Most of all I never want them to go hungry again."