Me, Mark and a Migrant
Me, Mark and a Migrant is a podcast that shares the untold stories of migrants living in regional communities.
Our rural towns are becoming more culturally diverse by the day. Our streets are changing with new faces, cultural traditions, religions, celebrations, new identities, and diverse languages. This podcast will introduce you to some of our regions newest residents - they might be your neighbour, they might serve you coffee at your local cafe, might be parents of kids at your children's school, or perhaps they are your doctor or accountant.
Your host is Carly Jordan who is no stranger to diverse cultures having lived overseas for many years and is now a driving force behind regional migration in south west Victoria. Carly chats with her father-in-law, Mark, a retired farmer from south-west Victoria who has not met many people from diverse backgrounds. Carly has decided to create a podcast with Mark and introduce him to some of our region's newest members of our multicultural communities.
Carly and Mark plan on having a few laughs along the way, and we expect that Mark will learn a thing or two as well!
Meet the Hosts
Carly Jordan is the Co-Founder and Project Manager of the Great South Coast Economic Migration Project (GSCEMP) and is a proven leader in regional migration. Her innovative project assists migrants and refugees to relocate from the city to south west Victoria to build resilient, diversified and sustainable intercultural communities. The project is currently moving into its third local government area, and has been a successful example of regional migration specifically designed to meet the population and economic needs of rural communities.
Carly’s vast life experiences bring a global perspective to her local region, have affirmed her innate respect for people of all cultures, and shaped a leader who is passionate and driven to assist migrants and refugees create meaningful lives in regional communities.
With a background in international aid and development, Carly has extensive and diverse work and volunteer experiences. This includes working for a grassroots organisation in a remote village in Cambodia as part of the Australian Government’s aid program, assisting senior writers at the United Nations Volunteers in Germany, and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity while living in South Africa as a Rotary International Exchange Student.
Carly holds a Masters Degree in International and Community Development, Bachelor of International Studies and a Diploma of Languages.
Carly was recognised for her achievements as a State Finalist in the Victorian Agrifutures Rural Women’s Award in 2019 for her contribution to regional migration.
Mark Jordan is a retired farmer from the western districts of south west Victoria. Mark spent his early years in the shearing sheds all over Australia, including a year in New Zealand, during the peak of the wool industry in the 70s and 80s. Mark then purchased his own dairy farm in Wallacedale, near Hamilton, and ran the dairy alongside his ex-wife for 30 years and raised five children.
Forced into retirement from farming due to endless years of back pain, Mark headed to Dubbo, NSW, to rest his body. After travelling Australia a number of times, he moved to Wyandra in outback Queensland to assist a friend with a new business.
When Covid-19 hit Australia in early 2020, Mark came back to Victoria to be closer with family and moved in with his son Clancy, his wife Carly and their two young daughters.