A life of travel and study

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Settling into Cootamundra after travelling from Somalia to Kenya and New Zealand is Ali Ismail. CIVIL war and a desire to study have seen Ali Ismail travel across continents from Somalia on the east coast of Africa, on a journey that has now led to Ali and his family settling in Cootamundra where he is working with a local biotechnology company. Ali is the quality control and laboratory manager with the Australian Cartilage Company, located in the Cootamundra Industrial Park. One of the company's major products is used in the manufacture of a liquid cartilage capsule that is taken orally for the treatment of osteoarthritis. The capsules' main component is collagen type 2, which the company extracts from animal by-products. When digested and absorbed into the bloodstream, the capsules aid in the repair of damaged cartilage.

The company, which has been operating for more than 10 years, is selling its products in the United States and is opening up new markets in Europe.

Ali moved to Cootamundra in October last year in response to a job advertisement.

Ali first moved to Australia in 2007 where he gained work as a senior chemist with a Brisbane-based pharmaceutical company. He worked there for three years, before the company got caught in the financial crisis and he had to start looking for a new job.

However, Ali's journey began long before that.

He left high school in 1985 and undertook two years national service before starting a veterinary science degree at the Somali National University in 1987.

Before undertaking this degree Ali spent a year learning Italian as preparation for his tertiary studies as the faculty he was studying at used Italian in the course work.

He had 18 months to go in his degree when civil war broke out in his country in 1991. Somalia has been without an effective central government since then.

He said that in a civil war everything is destroyed and he left Somalia to go to Kenya, where he stayed until 1995 before migrating to New Zealand.

His wife, Maryan Muse, who had migrated to New Zealand not long after they were married, sponsored him to New Zealand in 1995 as part of a family reunification scheme.

Ali said the move to New Zealand was hard at first as it meant having to learn a new language, having to get to know a new country and a new way of life.

In 1996 I realised that the only way to go forward from where I was, was to continue to study to get a degree, Ali said.
The major obstacle was language because I wasn't taught English back home.

After undertaking an English language course, he went to the Waikato University in 1997 to complete his science degree, majoring in biotechnology.

After completing this degree, which took him another two years, he started a Masters Degree in Science and graduated with first class honours in 2000.

He then won a scholarship to undertake a PhD in science and completed his thesis in 2006.
While completing this latest degree he worked as a research associate with one of the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in New Zealand before migrating to Australia in 2007.

His family had stayed in Brisbane when he first came to Cootamundra and moved to Cootamundra to be with him about a month ago.
Ali said he and his wife Maryan and their nine children were now settling into the community, although his older children missed their friends and their former school in Brisbane.

Three of their children are in high school, four are in primary school and two are still at home.
Their youngest child was born in Australia, with the others being born in New Zealand.
Ali said the challenges and experiences he had had in his life had helped him succeed in his education and helped him move forward in a new country.
Source: http://www.cootamundraherald.com.au