The winner of the 2024 Regional Unity Medal is Aye Min Nain Kawkuhtoo.

This award recognises the contribution of an individual who has significantly benefited the economic, social and cultural wellbeing and unity of a regional community. For the purpose of this award ‘regional’, is defined as being outside the greater metropolitan area of Sydney.

At the age of 18 in 2011, Ayemin came to Australia from a Karenni refugee camp, settling in Coffs Harbour with his family.

Growing up in a refugee camp, Ayemin dreamt about resettling in a country where he and his siblings would have the opportunity to become educated and serve the community as his father had done as a teacher inside the camp.

Since arriving in Australia, Ayemin has graduated from high school, studied English at the tertiary level, and provided interpreting services for the regional Humanitarian Settlement Service (HSS) provider, TAFE and Centrelink to assist newly arrived Karenni refugees.

When new Karenni families arrive in Coffs Harbour, Ayemin has always availed himself to help do whatever is necessary to aid their settlement journeys, acting as a bridge between mainstream services and his community to help ease their transition into Australian life.

Since his own resettlement journey, Ayemin has worked in the agricultural sector on mushroom and blueberry farms and more recently in the service sector as a housekeeper. He is currently the sole interpreter to the local community.

“As an interpreter it is my mission to connect our communities” Ayemin explains.

His love of Coffs Harbour is only surpassed by his love of the Karenni people and their culture and seeing them settling in well into the community in Coffs Harbour.

“I enjoy sharing our culture through music, dance and food with everyone in Coffs Harbour”, he says.

Ayemin is recognised in the community for dedicating countless hours of voluntary work to prominent projects of benefit to his community and also initiatives that promote Coffs Harbour as a city that welcomes refugees.

In 2019, he was engaged to assist Coffs Refugee Support (CRS) with a research project about the Karenni Community. As one of two Interpreters in the community at the time, Ayemin ensured information was passed accurately back and forth from the Karenni community until its completion.

The research project culminated in a celebration of traditional Karenni culture which provided members of the wider community the opportunity to experience Karenni culture through music, dance and food.

This special occasion instilled a deep sense of pride within the Karenni community.

Ayemin always knew that moving to a new country and embracing a new culture would never erase the Karenni culture and identity from his heart.

During his early days in Coffs Harbour when the Karenni community was small and after completing his final three years of high school, Ayemin moved to Brisbane to complete a Cert. II in English through TAFE.

Yet, Ayemin’s love for the regional city that first took him in was so strong, combined with the settlement needs of new arrivals which prompted him to move back to Coffs Harbour where he would go on to complete his Cert III in Written and Spoken English through TAFE.

Ensuring that his community thrive in Coffs Harbour is something that Ayemin has always relished since returning to the town.

Home ownership has served as an important way for Ayemin to ensure his family would have a home in Australia and show new arrivals that home ownership in Australia is possible.

The advancement of the Karenni community will always be at the heart of Ayemin’s being.

In the future, Ayemin is committed to ensuring that the Karenni people are understood and that their culture is not lost.