SOMEWHERE TO CALL HOME

Sunshine Coast Daily
12:00a.m. 19 September 2007
Australia

After more than two decades helping refugees start new lives and
find new homes in some of the world’s worst troublespots, Vivianne
Dawalibi has now found somewhere to call home herself.

Born in Sudan to Syrian parents, Ms Dawalibi was part of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) team awarded the Nobel
Peace Prize in 1981 for their efforts in the massive humanitarian
effort trying to cope with 2.5 million Ethiopian refugees who fled
that country’s civil war into neighbouring Sudan.

Later, she worked for UNHCR in places like Bangladesh, Belarus,
Armenia and Bosnia.

In Bosnia, she designed social, housing, income-generation and
education programs for the hundreds of thousands of citizens whose
lives were torn apart by the civil war that ended in 1995.

But after migrating to Australia and settling in Sydney with her
husband and son in 1999, she struggled to find a job, constantly
being told she was "overqualified".

Now she has found what she hopes might become her new "home" in
Caloundra, buying the Caloundra Bulk Billing Surgery in Bulcock
Street, which she hopes to turn into a bulk-billing "mini hospital"
using a model that could be duplicated in other centres.

"I came to Australia as a refugee myself … I thought with my
experience I would get a job, but I found it very different,"
Vivianne said.

"Since I’ve come to Caloundra, I really feel like I belong.

"I’ve found my purpose again. For a while I lost my identity, but
now I’m really happy."

Not only did she lose her identity, she also lost her husband in
October 2002.

"After I was unable to get a job in Sydney, we opened an international
trading company," Vivianne said.

"We were exporting cars from various countries into Sudan … but we
had to close the business in 2001.

"I did some projects for the Melkite Catholic Church, then after my
husband died, my son and I moved to the Gold Coast in 2004.

"I was looking for something to invest in and the opportunity came
up to buy the Caloundra Bulk Billing Surgery."

At that time the centre had just two doctors and operated behind the
Caloundra Beach Pharmacy at 68 Bulcock Street.

But after the pharmacy relocated last year, Vivianne decided she
would take over the entire premises and expand the facility to include
an additional doctor, pathology, an exercise physiology room and an
x-ray diagnostic and imaging facility.

The completely-renovated centre will officially "re-open" on September
21, Vivianne saying she was determined to operate the centre as a
bulk billing practice.

"It’s very challenging to remain profitable by bulk billing, but for
me, nothing is impossible," she said.

"I’m committed to developing the business and helping the people."