Back to Bilo is a story built with community. This page is about sharing the people, stories, and voices at the heart of the Back to Bilo journey. It’s a space to meet the real-life individuals who inspired the play and to hear their words in their own voices.

“It’s a tribe, you know. It’s really like you belong once you’re here. And there’s a bit of a protectiveness — when we get people, it’s, how are we going to keep them here? Because we want our tribe to grow.” — Angela Fredericks

Image: Angela hosting a birthday party in Biloela

“I knew Nades from when I was teaching English as a Second Language at the Biloela TAFE. I had moved to Melbourne and begun studying refugee law when Border Force took the family. I applied to visit them at MITA as soon as I heard.” — Simone Cameron
Image: Simone visiting MITA with Isabelle

“I’ve lived in a lot of rural towns in Queensland, but Biloela is Biloela — and you don’t muck with Biloela people. And Nades and Priya, they’re Biloela people.” — Margot Plant
Image: Grandma Margot visiting the family in Perth

“Border Force removed our friends, Priya and Nades, and their two Australian-born daughters from their home… Our town loved this little family and we want them — we want them to come home.” — Marie Austin
Image: Marie and Priya

“This family, this town, and this amazing ragtag group of people who have come together to just, you know, to bring their friends home… show us the type of Australia that we could be if we only just … let ourselves.” — Nicholas Dorward

Image: Nicholas Dorward & Priya

“It takes a village. No effort for change is ever really one person.” — Iain Murray

Image: Iain Murray (far left)

Would you like to contribute?

If you have a photo, a quote, or a story you’d like to share, please email Belloo. We’ll add your contribution to the Back to Bilo – With Community wall, so your voice can be part of this collective story.

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WITH GRATITUDE

To the Nadesalingam family: Priya, Nades, Kopika and Tharnicaa

For giving us access to interviews they’d conducted, hugest thanks to Matt Scholten, Thinesh Thillai and Jay Ooi.

To the interviewees who generously shared their stories with us: Priya and Nades; Simone Cameron; Angela and Alan Fredericks; Bronwyn, Harry and Molly Dendle; Vashini Jayakumar; Iain Murray; Nicholas Dorward; Margot Plant; Marie Austin; Brenda Lipsys; John and Anne Smith; Laraine Webster; Marion Meisner; Jayne and Pablo Centurion; Lacey Jae O’Halloran; Jenny Ralaca; Carina Ford; Rebekah Holt; Aran Mylvaganam; Ben Hillier; Brad Coath; Sudhesh Somu, and Mayor Nev Ferrier.

MEET THE COMMUNITY BEHIND THE HOME TO BILO CAMPAIGN

Would you like to contribute?

WITH GRATITUDE