Town mourns as investigators seek answers

The 18-year-old Somali man who lost his life after an explosion in his family’s rented home last Friday has been remembered as an enthusiastic, happy young man who was making the most of his new life in Albany, after arriving in Australia just four months ago.

Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of an explosion at the family’s rented Middleton Road home on Friday, July 20.

that killed Barkad Ahmed Muse was killed and and left his aunt, Halimo Farah, 58, is? in intensive care at Royal Perth Hospital with burns to 40 per cent of her body, at the family’s rented Middleton Road home on Friday, July 20. TIM CHECK DETAILS – HAVE THEY FOUND CAUSE?

In a tragic twist of fate, Mr Ahmed Muse had only recently arrived in Australia in March with his older brother Mowlid, 19, and sisters Hawa, 16, and Bisharo, 14, after being orphaned about four years ago.

The three teenagers buried their brother last Tuesday.

Their family’s migration to live with their aunt came after a following a lengthy application process, with the family assisted by with assistance from %Albany Migrant Resource Centre.

The four teenagers made the move despite it separating them from an their adopted sister in Kuala Lumpur, who is hoping still waiting for to be granted a visa to rejoin the family in Australia.

The AMRC is overseen by Rainbow Coast Neighbourhood Centre manager Deb Dearnley, who travelled to Perth to support the three teenagers as they buried their brother last Tuesday.

said those who knew Mr Ahmed Muse Barkad were struck by the enthusiasm he had shown engaging with the city’s Albany communityas soon as he arrived in Australia, enrolling in English classes at the Great Southern Institute of Technology, and taking on a newspaper delivery round and participating in a 10-week swimming classoffered by the AMRC.

“Just last week I saw (Mowlid and Barkad) and they were asking me about driving lessons and opening a savings account,” Ms Dearnley said. “They just loved Albany and they were so happy to be here and so grateful to the Australian Government for giving them the opportunity to come here.

“They never stopped saying thank you.

“I really want people to know that, because sometimes people think %refugees come to Australia without good reason, but they were enormously grateful and they wanted to make the most of this %opportunity.”

Incredibly, the family’s Qur’an was one of only a few items to survive the explosion and was salvaged from the wreckage last week. JOSH PLEASE READ THAT SENTENCE, OK TO PUBLISH?

A remembrance ceremony was held on Tuesday at Albany Community Garden, with Bewitched Cleaning Services taking donations of clothing and household items for the family for details.

Ms Dearnley encouraged people who know the Ahmed Muse family to attend a remembrance ceremony and tree planting to be led by Albany Senior High School chaplain Leon Durrant at Albany Community Garden at 14 Sanford Rd, today at 3.30pm.

Ms Farah’s employer , Bewitched Cleaning Services owner Tabatha Cowcill is collecting donated clothing and household items for the family. To donate contact Tabatha on 0457 993 633 or to donate money to an account set up for the family, contact the Rainbow Coast Neighbourhood Centre on 9841 8254.