When Albert Chan boarded a plane from Tonga to Australia in April 2021, he never imagined six months of seasonal work would turn into nearly two years abroad.
After arriving in Adelaide he boarded a bus to Renmark in South Australia’s Riverland, where he quarantined in Paringa for two weeks before commencing work as a citrus fruit packer at the Costa Group AgriExchange in Murtho.
But while this was not Mr Chan’s first stint away from home — having participated in the seasonal work program since 2017 — it was certainly his longest.
“We were expecting to just come over for six to seven months and then we would go home, but at the end of the season we didn’t make it,” he said.
“It was pretty sad and some of the boys were disappointed.”
Mr Chan was able to extend his stay and keep working in the agriculture sector for an additional 12 months thanks to temporary changes made by the federal government to the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme in April 2020.
After citrus season ended, Mr Chan’s employer, Costa Group found additional work for him and other PALM participants.
“We had to go to [Devonport] Tasmania, where we were picking blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and raspberries for a couple of months,” Mr Chan said.
“Then we had to come back here [to the Riverland].”
Dealing with disaster
Mr Chan said while he has had plenty of support from his workplace, being away from his family for so long was tough.
“When we were in Tasmania, that was the first time we got COVID,” he said.
“Then when were quarantined, that was when we heard about the volcano and the tsunami back home.”
It was a long month of worrying for Mr Chan and more than 4,100 workers from Tonga as the Polynesian country worked to restore its internet and phone cable — destroyed by the magnitude 5.8 earthquake on January 15.
“The boys were worried about their families,” Mr Chan said.
“They couldn’t get any network back home to check on their family to see how they were.”
Mr Chan said he felt an incredible sense of relief when he finally got back in touch with his family.
“As soon as they messaged me, I thought, ‘Thank God they are still alive’,” he said.
“Once we got connected with them, we sent them money.”
To help ease the stress of the situation, Mr Chan said the Pacific Island Council of South Australia sent staff to regional areas, organised a relief fund and held church services.
“They were singing songs and prayers for the families back home,” he said.
Mr Chan said Costa Group also sent a container of food to the workers’ relatives in Tonga.
“We do appreciate the help,” he said.
Helping connect families
A Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) spokesperson said it worked with the Pacific Labour Facility, agencies and approved employers to provide information and support about COVID-19 and the Tongan disaster.
“During this period, the government connected Tongan workers with consular officials at the Tongan High Commission to help them contact their families,” the spokesperson said.
“The Salvation Army, contracted through the PALM Scheme Community Connections Program, worked with DEWR and the Pacific Labour Facility to provide information to help connect workers to local community support.
“DEWR encouraged approved employers to support Tongan workers who wanted to fundraise in their communities to send money home.
“Some employers chose to match their efforts.”
No place like home
Mr Chan, who will fly home in December, said he cannot wait to eat seafood and swim every day at his favourite beaches.
“We are pretty excited to go home and see our families,” he said.
“Normally when we go back home the families will prepare a feast of seafood — octopus, oyster, lobster, fish.”
Despite the unexpected length of his stay, Mr Chan said he still wanted return to Australia for more work to support his mother and grandparents.
“Back home it is hard to get money and a good job but we do get good money when we work in Australia,” he said.
“Most of the boys have their own goals about what they’re going to use their money for.
“I’ve been able to buy a new car, and a new piece of land, as well as support the family.”
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