In my tough early days in Melbourne, when everything still felt slightly unreal, I was introduced to Suzy through a cricket magazine editor based in London. Suzy greeted me with the warmth of someone who had known me for years. She didn’t just offer advice; she guided and helped me understand how to build a career and a life in a country that can feel overwhelming even to those born into it.

This summer Suzy finally managed to visit for lunch in Dandenong, at the food street in the Afghan bazaar. It felt symbolic that our long-awaited reunion would take place there, in a suburb that mirrors so many migrant journeys: once overlooked, now pulsing with life, colour and ambition.

We settled on the Day Light restaurant, run by an Afghan owner from the central highlands. The food arrived fragrant and generous – mantu (Afghan dumplings), shorwa (slow-cooked lamb stew with herbs and chickpeas), tender kebabs and warm naan. We laughed at the owner’s cheerful admission that he wasn’t quite sure whether the place was called Day Light or Delight. English synonyms had confused him. But it looked good, smelled good and tasted even better – and that, we all agreed, was what mattered.

As we walked along the strip, weaving between Afghan groceries and Indian sweet shops, Suzy kept stopping in surprise. The last time she had visited Dandenong, nearly a decade ago, it had felt flat and tired – a place people passed through rather than arrived at.

Now it’s alive. The streets hum with languages, families, commerce and possibility. No longer a forgotten town, it’s a living map of Australia’s........

© The Guardian