Overview

About the Book When the Tasmanian Hmong ""gifted"" the author with the task of placing their story on record, she set about interviewing this small refugee community in Tasmania, Australia's island state. In addition, she traced the story of the Hmong people from the first references in Chinese literature through their beleaguered history in China until some of them moved into northern Laos where they established themselves as opium farmers. The book describes, to some extent in their own words, their forced exodus from their hill-tribe homes, as a result of the Secret War and the conflict in Vietnam. The author follows them to refugee camps on the Thai border and eventually to Australia where they build a new life.Their story is set in the context of migration, both primary and secondary, globalization and diaspora. The book offers a comprehensive look at resettlement of the Hmong, initially in Tasmanian and tells a fascinating story of a resilient people. About the Author Margaret Eldridge moved to Tasmania from the United Kingdom as a young woman with her first child and established a home in Hobart with her four children. She had qualified as an early childhood educator but after gaining a BA in history and sociology was asked to join the Adult Migrant English program. She taught successive waves of migrants and refugees as well as university students and school children. In addition, she was a cultural consultant for the Immigration Department and offered cultural awareness workshops for a variety of government departments and others. She also trained community groups in the settlement of refugees as well as coordinating a refugee settlement group in her church. She has a history of community involvement and has spent some months living in Indonesia and Singapore. She worked as a volunteer for over a year in Laos assisting employees of Electricite̷̷ du Laos build up their English language skills. She was able to experience the culture of the country where many Hmong had settled and has travelled widely in the country. When the Tasmanian Hmong pleaded with her to write their story. she felt she could not refuse. She had taught almost all of the adult Hmong and they had enriched her teaching experience. Margaret now enjoys retirement in Tasmania.

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