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Prospect Road could become another cosmopolitan
street in Adelaide, with areas such as Kilburn and
surrounding suburbs now a magnet for a new
wave of migrants.
They come from Middle Eastern countries that include
Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, and Africa ranging from
Sudan to South Africa – and you can see their impact
though the cafes, food stores and businesses that
provide anything from a haircut at the hands of an Iraqi
barber to Uyghur dishes cooked by Islamic Chinese
migrants from north-west China.
It’s hard not to be impressed by the industry and
determination of these new arrivals, often young,
relatively inexperienced and capital poor – but
passionate and determined.
Typical are the three young Afghani refugees – Hamid
Rezafe, Husin Qasimi and John Jaffrey, all in their
30s – who established the Vatan Supermarket, which
stocks foods imported from about 15 countries to meet
demand from customers from countries ranging from
Iran to Bosnia, northern China and Russia. There’s also
a tandoor oven where the baker produces crisp, utterly
delicious sheets of naan bread.
Barely 100m away, the Afghan Supermarket was started
by Ali Mashoof and Akbar Hazara – both of them young
boat people refugees from Afghanistan who arrived here
in 2000 and spent time in detention. They opened the
supermarket in 2005 with virtually no money and all
the shelves and equipment bought secondhand. Now
the packed shelves reach to the ceiling.
For all of them this part of Adelaide has provided a safe,
affordable and increasingly cosmopolitan environment
in which to life and do business.
Recognising this, Port Adelaide Enfield Council
has made the area even more attractive with a
major upgrade of Prospect Road that included
undergrounded power lines, new footpaths,
improved on-street car parking, new street trees,
new street furniture and public art as part of the first
stage of improvements.
Helping to create safe, attractive streets is a
high priority for Port Adelaide Enfield Council,
with the redevelopment of Semaphore Road
another prominent example.
Street upgrades help keep business & residents on the right track
A Great
Place To
Live, Work
And Play
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