Bhutan to Blacktown: Losing everything and finding Australia

by Om Dhungel, James Button

I lost my possessions, my salary, my status, my career, my country. And in that fall, I gained everything.

Bhutan is known as the land of Gross National Happiness, a Buddhist Shangri-La hidden in the Himalayas. But in the late 1980s, Bhutan waged a brutal ethnic-cleansing campaign against its citizens of Nepali ancestry. Forced to flee Bhutan, Om Dhungel spent six years as a refugee in Nepal before he arrived in Australia. Today Om is a respected community leader in western Sydney, consulted frequently by government and settlement organizations on refugee policy. Written with Walkley Award–winning journalist James Button, Bhutan to Blacktown tells of Om Dhungel’s remarkable journey from a village on the Himalayan ridges and life as a refugee in Kathmandu, to, eventually, Blacktown, Australia. It is a story of grit and determination, humour and irrepressible optimism.

Genres: Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2023

Reviews

[Jess Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - informative and lovely, and also my first time reading a Western Sydney story!!! Proud!

[Sarah Ruthven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bhutan to Blacktown, losing everything and finding Australia was recommended to me by a good friend whose Uncle is Om Dhungel. Right from the beginning it’s clear that Om is an amazing human. The struggles and hardships his family, himself and others went through, from his village in Bhutan to Nepal and then to Australia is really an extraordinary story. It opens your eyes to what others go through and the amazing compassion and selflessness of people like Om.

[Michael Refalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An inspiring story that details a man’s turn of despair and sadness into grit & tenacity…& how fostering he’s community has provided such positive impact to similar families from displaced homes in Bhutan. Really r joyed this one!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moving and informative.

[Helene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Om's inspiring story of resilience and grit will stay with me for a long time.
I learned a lot about Buthan, Nepal through your insights, you are truly unstoppable, thank you Om !

[Binaya Dahal · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely read this is. I had an honour to meet Om Dhungel during literary lunch in Australia. His sacrifice and hard-work to help unfairly evicted Southern-Bhutanese restart their life in Australia after enduring decade of misery in the Refugee Camps across Nepal is very inspiring.