Dr Berhan Ahmed – 2009 Victorian of the Year
Dr Berhan Ahmed
Senior Research Fellow, Department Forest Ecosystem Science
Melbourne School of Land and Environment
The University of Melbourne
Dr Berhan Ahmed, from the University of Melbourne’s School of Land and Environment was recently named the 2009 Victorian recipient of the Australian of the Year award.
Dr Ahmed was born in Eritrea, in north-east Africa. At the age of 15 he fled to Sudan as a teenage refugee, after experiencing poverty and discrimination. He was fortunate to be awarded a scholarship to study in Egypt, and in 1987 he came to Australia as a refugee with little English.
Dr Ahmed worked as a tram conductor when he first arrived in Australia, which gave him the opportunity to make friends and improve his English. Following this, he drove taxis while studying Animal Science at University. He was one of the first African taxi drivers in Melbourne.
After completing his postgraduate study, Dr Ahmed got a job as a researcher at the CSIRO, where he worked for 10 years while completing his PhD at the University of Melbourne.
"Refugees come with ambition. They come with a big need, not a small need, and they will meet every challenge," Dr Ahmed said.
In 2004, Dr Ahmed was the first Senate candidate from an African background to run for election. His five core principles are social justice, ecological sustainable development, Aboriginal reconciliation, building stronger and dynamic communities, and applying democracy in action.
Dr Ahmed is now a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Forest Ecosystem Science at The University of Melbourne. He also works extensively to help African communities in Australia grow strong and to engage with each other and mainstream society.
For information on other recipients of the Victorian Australian’s of the Year, please refer to: http://www.australianoftheyear.org.au/pages/page496.asp