About Nahak Lorico

I am a librarian, web designer, an ordinary naturalised Australian, and indigenous Fehan Tetun. I was born and grew up in Kamanasa. I attended elementary and junior high school in Suai in 1979. In 1982, I went to Dili to attend senior high school. I completed senior high school in 1985.

In 1985, together with other Timorese students, I went to study law at Udayana University in Bali, Indonesia. It took me six years to finish the course. I completed the course and graduated in 1991. However, I never worked in my field.

While a student at UNUD in Bali, I was involved with an underground East Timorese students organisation known as RENETIL (National Resistance of East Timorese Students). In 1991, Indonesian intelligence arrested one of the members. As a result, seven members of Renetil fled to Jakarta to seek political asylum. I was one of them. Unfortunately, I got lost in Jakarta and ended up at Chico Lopes's house while six entered the Vatican and Japan's embassy.

A few months later, on 28 October 1991, I escaped to Sydney, Australia. In Sydney, I stayed with my Uncle Alamerio Lopes and Aunt Farima Lopes in Cabramatta. Then I moved to Melbourne. In Melbourne, I lived with another uncle and aunt, Lucio Klau and Aquilina Klau. Two years later, I moved out to live alone in a shared house with other Timorese people. To cover my rent, I received money from Melbourne City Mission.

The Australian government took nearly four years to process my refugee application. Finally, they approved my application and issued me a permanent residency in 1994. As soon as I got my residency, I started to look for work. I found my first job as a process worker at St Regis Bates in Keon Park, Melbourne. I worked here from June 1995- December 1998. I left my position because I did not want to work in the factory for the rest of my life.

In January 1999, I enrolled at Swinburne University to study for a two-year diploma in information management. I completed the course and graduated in 2001. A few months later, I found my first job as a librarian at Caulfield Grammar School in East St Kilda, Melbourne. I worked for this school from July 2001 - December 2005. In addition, I worked one day a week at Williamstown High School. I resigned from my positions at both schools and moved to Western Australia for personal reasons. I met my soulmate in Western Australia.

In December 2005, I moved to Perth, Western Australia. We got married at the register office in 2010. I sponsored my mother to attend the wedding.

In Perth, I worked for a few schools, including Ballajura Community College, Kent Street High School, and Morley Senior High School. I also worked at the State Library of Western Australia. When our first daughter, Seu Berek, was born in July 2008, I had to quit my librarian job at Morley Senior High School to care for her while my wife worked full-time. The reason for me to look after the kids was that I did not make enough money to pay the mortgage.

Since 2008, I have been taking care of the kids. While staying home with the kids, I worked part-time as a web designer. I opened my own home-based web design business. For health reasons, I closed the business in 2016. I no longer work and spend my free time with my kids in Perth, Western Australia, writing articles for this website.