Back Roads: Pyramid Hill & Nhill (ABC TV Monday 6 February 2023)

The communities of Pyramid Hill in northern Victoria and Nhill in the state’s far west are the destinations for this week’s Back Roads.

Despite being separated by a distance of 260 kilometres, the settlements remain surprisingly interconnected.

When both communities needed to fill positions in the agricultural sector, presenter Heather Ewart found they turned beyond their own borders for help. In order to staff their piggery, the locals in Pyramid Hill turned to Filipinos with the necessary expertise. The community rallied quickly to aid the newcomers, promising them a clean slate and a level playing field.

One family couldn’t afford to transport their three oldest children to Australia, so the community chipped in to help them reconnect.

Amazingly, Filipinos now account for one-fourth of Pyramid Hill’s population and have breathed new life into the once-dying hamlet.

To find work at the local duck processing industry, Karen refugees from Myanmar began arriving in Nhill in 2010. They were able to find safety and refuge in the city. “We feel like human beings again,” one formerly displaced person said.

One’s success can be modest at first, but it can blossom into greatness. The good results for Nhill were a surprise, just like those in Pyramid Hill. Heather wants to know what lessons other cities can take away from these two rural areas.

Airdate: Monday 6 February 2023 at 8.00pm Monday on ABC TV and iView.