When Tamworth said "no" to a group of African refugees the fall-out touched a nerve in the Australian psyche. In this story Compass explores what happens when a community says 'yes'.

The town of Dorrigo's (pop. 969) extraordinary journey began 3 years ago when tensions were running high over Australia's refugee intake.

For local B&B owner, Helen Proud, the debate was a call to arms. She and a handful of locals approached the Sanctuary Foundation, a charity that helps refugees come to Australia.

Nine months later a family of eight stepped off the plane into their lives.

Martha Malou, Martin Majak and their 6 children ranging in age from a 9 year old to a baby not yet one, had come from a refugee camp. When they arrived they couldn't speak English and the children had never sat in a classroom.

The family moved into a 3-bedroom house supplied and fitted out by the Dorrigo community. The children enrolled in the local school as did their father, and the local community was soon consumed helping them adjust to the Australian way of life.

"They needed us to help them in everything. How to use the washing machine. How to pack sandwiches for school lunches and how to cook meals. They'd never had money before and we had to explain everything to them," says Helen Proud.

As time passes we see the family settle in: going to the local debutante ball, befriending their 2nd generation dairy farming neighbours where Martin (from the cattle herding Dinka tribe) feels most at home, and going to church.

But when Martha finds paid work picking blueberries her new-found independence poses unexpected challenges for this small well-meaning community.

Friday, 21 March 2008 at 07:30PM on ABC