Home

Atherton Garden residents tune in

By Frank Lin*

 Melbourne - A new satellite TV installation at the Atherton Gardens Public Housing Estate in Melbourne means many migrant residents now enjoy television in their mother tongue.

 
The estate is home to more than 2000 people from more than 20 countries. “Nearly one-third of residents in these four high rise buildings are aged immigrants who, owing to language difficulties, don’t understand local television,” said resident Susan Zhou.
 
 
The residents’ application for Victorian Government funding to install four satellite TV dishes on the four high rise buildings of the estate was approved. 
 
Their dream of being entertained and learning in their own languages from their country’s TV channels became a reality last year when the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games was shown to Atherton Garden residents directly via China Central Television.
 
The residents are very happy with the project. “I have been settled in Melbourne for 12 years. Today I can select 12 TV channels which broadcast my own mother tongue. Marvellous! ” said Helen Ho, originally from China.
 
“This project for us is just like a spiritual comfort or ‘spiritual food’ to our cultural life,” said another resident.
 
*Frank is a participant of yarraReporter, a project run by Infoxchange Australia to equip public housing estate residents in City of Yarra with civic journalism skills.