Grief-stricken refugee finds solace in garden

Sunny finds solace in the community garden he tends at Tenison Woods college (Tasha Impey - ABC)

By Tasha Impey

Hsa Nay Mya 'Sunny', received news that his brothers, cousins, nephews, nieces, father-in-law and an unborn baby perished when a fire burned through the camp he had called home for 25 years.

"The refugee camp is burned.

"My family, a lot of people died in the fire," he said.

Sunny, his wife and their children came to Australia in 2009 as humanitarian refugees.

They had been living in the refugee camp on the northern Thai border for 25 years having fled their native Burma where human rights violations, including genocide, were common place.

"I don't want to ever go back to Burma.

"I worry that it is not safe for me and not safe for my children," he said.

The Karenni man is among several Mount Gambier families who previously lived in the camp who have lost friends and relatives in the fire which killed 39 people and left 100 injured.

The fire also destroyed hundreds of makeshift bamboo huts at the camp, as well as the camp's medical clinic, school, hospital, and two food warehouses.

An investigation into the cause of the fire continues after suggestions of foul play.

In light of his unspeakable grief, Sunny still finds reason to smile as he counts his blessings for a safe and happy life in Australia.

"I'm very happy I came to Australia.

"My children are very happy here, everyday they play soccer and go to school," he said.

To help him through his dark days, Sunny finds solace in his job managing the community garden at Tenison Woods college, cultivating seeds and growing plenty of vegetables.

He brings his children there after school, four of whom were born in the camp in Thailand, his youngest in Mount Gambier, where they tend to the garden together.

Spring onions sprout from the ground, beetroots hide beneath their leafy tops and lettuces line the aisles of fresh produce.

The garden, he says, is his happy place.