Why this story
“A nice family from Biloela”
It’s how this family is always referred to - Nades worked at the meatworks, Priya volunteered and cooked meals for people, and their daughters are born in Australia - surely they deserve to stay. But what even got them into this predicament in the first place? How were they treated so poorly under our government’s care? And what sort of people do they need to be to stay? These are the questions rarely discussed, but these forces have had a huge impact on this family, and many others like them.
Why us
A Podcast Producer and a Lawyer/Writer join forces
Thinesh first approached Jay back in 2020 about doing a podcast story on a rural Queensland town rallying behind this one Eelam Tamil asylum seeker family. You don’t usually see ‘rural Queensland’, and ‘advocating for asylum seekers’ in the same sentence. There had to be a story worth telling here. But being Eelam Tamil himself, Thinesh knew there was even more here than this initial juxtaposition.
With Jay’s prior podcast production experience exploring Asian Australian identity, and backed by the Jesse Cox Audio Fellowship, this was a story the pair couldn’t say no to. Years later, we’re excited to bring you the definitive podcast on the Nadesalingam family, and everything that’s impacted their journey.
Jay Ooi
Writer, Producer, Editor
Jay is the Creator and Producer of Shoes Off, a podcast about Asian Australian identity. His work has won him the Gold Award for Smartest Podcast and the Sliver Award for Best Interview at the Australian Podcast Awards 2021 and 2020 respectively. Jay is also the recipient of 2021 Jess Cox Audio Fellowship. Jay also has over 6 years of broadcast television experience, working on studio shows like At The Movies with Margaret and David and The Set, as well as documentaries for National Geographic, Foxtel and Discovery Channel. Jay also has years of freelance video production work, and currently helps tell small business stories in marketing.
Thinesh Thillainadarajah
Creator, Producer
Thinesh is an Eelam Tamil Queer lawyer and creative hailing from Toronto, Canada. In 2019, Thinesh was published in Growing Up Queer in Australia, compiled by Benjamin Law, and was republished in 2021 in Growing Up in Australia amongst other notable writers including Tim Winton, Tara June Winch, and Carly Findlay. Thinesh is the creative producer of Hot Sauce, a roving dance party as well as art oriented gatherings that aim to create an intentional space to celebrate the lives of queer people of colour. Thinesh has also been involved as a Community Engagement Strategist by the Darlinghurst Theatre Company for the Malthouse Theatre Company’s production of Stay Woke, the Belvoir Theatre’s production of The Jungle and the Sea, and recently consulted on the Griffin Theatre Company’s production of Sex Magick.