Tin Hta Nu calls Australia "the place that saved my life".
Before migrating from Myanmar as a political refugee in 1991, she saw friends and colleagues detained and even killed for their work in the pro-democracy movement.
To show her appreciation for her new country, she has made it her mission to help others who are disadvantaged.
"My motto for life is to share," Ms Hta Nu said.
"[Through] food preparation and giving food to people and seeing them enjoy it gives me so much reward, emotional reward."
Now in her 70s and living in the small town of Kendall, on the NSW Mid North Coast, she is heavily involved with the local refugee community.
Ms Hta Nu founded The Mid North Coast Refugee Support Group (MNCRSG) with her friends in an effort to help those adapting to a new country, a challenge she understands all too well.
She started a community garden and cafe, volunteers at the Kendall op-shop and for the Country Women's Association, and prepares a huge free meal each week for the Laurieton United Services Club.
Her passion has been using fresh produce from her garden to make meals for the homeless and disadvantaged, and she won the senior citizen Living Treasure award on Australia Day this year.
But despite her many accomplishments and love for her community, Ms Hta Nu says she and other refugees like her still face stigma in Australian society.
Challenging stereotypes
She believes refugees are too often seen as a burden on the country, and wants to highlight how much non-Australians can contribute.
"I've been trying to prove not every refugee is coming here as a dole bludger," she said.
Ms Hta Nu met her husband, Ian Oxenford, at the University of New England (UNE) in Armidale, where she was a lecturer in economics and agriculture from 1991-98.
Throughout their relationship, she has encountered troubling stereotypes.
"When Ian and I go out somewhere, they don't ask me [questions] directly, as if I don't understand English," she said.
"It's a stereotypical belief that if a white man marries an Asian or African lady, that lady is a mail-order bride."
Ms Hta Nu says some people wrongly assume her husband composes the articles she writes for the local newspaper about her various projects.
She continues to destroy stigma by leading by example with her initiatives and volunteering.
"I would like to give back my knowledge and services in appreciation [for my community] in as many ways as possible," Ms Hta Nu said.
Building a life around service
The pro-democracy movement in Myanmar started in 1988 at the university in Rangoon (now Yangon), where Ms Hta Nu was a lecturer and elected secretary of the lecturer's union at the Institute of Economics.
"Aung San Suu Kyi started the [political party] National League for Democracy and we were all invited to work together," Ms Hta Nu said.
She gave a lot of public speeches and wrote statements for people to "rise up".
"So then of course I was wanted," Ms Hta Nu said.
"Students started to get shot and detained, some of my friends and colleagues were detained so I thought it's time to leave.
"My life [was] in danger. So I had to apply for Australian residency saying that I need some protection."
Ms Hta Nu said had already completed her Master's degree at UNE in 1982, so when a job came up at the same university, she applied.
Ms Hta Nu and her husband have raised money to send back to Myanmar for the Kendall-Kadaw Friendship School Project, which educates disadvantaged girls from farming communities and offers scholarships to universities.
Using donations from the Kendall community, the Myanmar school has been able to build new facilities and provide food and stationery for a season.
Her focus has recently shifted to the unrest in Myanmar after the military's February 2021 seizure of power from the elected government.
Ms Hta Nu wants to continue helping refugees both locally and in her home country and believes having more multicultural concerts and food fairs in communities could be a starting point.
"I want to form an international group in this region [in NSW] and to have it regarded as a refugee welcome zone," she said.
