Auburn all-stars: Nesan
Devotion to Auburn community leads to citizen award
Almost 20 years ago, Nesan Kistan’s life, and future, changed dramatically after the death of his father at the hands of gunman Martin Bryant during the Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania.
Nesan’s father, Tony, was one of the first people gunned down at the Broad Arrow Cafe on 28 April 1996. It was a crime that shocked the nation, with ripple effects felt around the world. Bryant’s killing spree left 35 people dead and 23 others wounded.
For Nesan, who was just 24 at the time, it was a crushing lesson about the fragility of life.
“Dad was one of the first to be killed and, to his credit and courage, he was able to push Mum out of the way and save her life and, again courageously, he tried to disarm the gunman,” Nesan says.
“After that I decided I needed a reason to get up in the morning and I wanted to live a life of purpose.”
Nesan had studied political science and psychology and was planning a career as a psychologist before the events at Port Arthur challenged his intentions.
“It made me realise that life is so fragile, so limited; there has to be something more significant that you can do,” he says.
Nesan became a Salvation Army officer, dedicating his life to serving God and others. For the past 10 years, Nesan and his wife, Cheryl, now Salvation Army captains, have been serving as The Salvation Army leaders at Auburn in Sydney’s west.
Nesan was also the Auburn Police chaplain, a member of the Community Pride Taskforce, sat on several boards within Auburn City Council and worked with community leaders and those from various ethnic groups represented in Auburn. He was dedicated to seeing his community transformed.
When Nesan attended an Australia Day awards ceremony at Sydney Olympic Park this year, he thought he was representing his Corps for a nomination it had received for Community Event of the Year, 2014.
He was unaware of his own nomination.
“It was a surprise when my name was called up as a nominee for Auburn Citizen of the Year,” he says. “There were a number of very good candidates and I was surprised that I was included in that group.”
Nesan was honoured by Auburn Council as its Citizen of the Year for devoting the last decade to “giving hope to people from all walks of life and transforming the Auburn community for the better”.
The Auburn Corps also received the Community Event of the Year award for “Walk For Hope”, a suicide awareness event held last September.
“My primary role with The Salvation Army has been community engagement,” Nesan explains. “This included welfare support for people in a financial crisis, helping newly arrived migrants to transition, and facilitating community leaders representing many different groups.
“The job can bring you to your knees in tears and then you can look back and marvel at what’s happened and how people’s lives have been transformed.”
Personal experience
Nesan’s own experience of trauma, as well as the challenges and hardships facing new migrants, has been integral to his role in the community.
“In 1981, we were migrants from South Africa,” he shares. “Apartheid was at its height, the country was on its knees and sanctions were crippling us.
“My parents said, ‘We have to leave if you and your brother are going to have a chance’.
“We were living at Broadway [Sydney] and we were down to our last dollar. We heard that The Salvation Army helped people and we walked [6km] to St Peters.
“It made me wonder why people who didn’t know us would want to help us. Refugees come here and they have been through so much – the loss of life, the trauma of war, so much pain and suffering. We can give them hope.
“I always understood that the role of a Christian leader is to fall in love with their community and its people, and not just love those within the walls of your church.”
At the start of 2015, the Kistans took up a new appointment at Sydney’s Ryde Corps. Nesan says, though, that his prayer is the same, no matter where he may be serving.
“My prayer has always been community transformation. I pray, ‘God, transform this community into a place which knows your grace, your love and your mercy’.”