The town is home to more than 600 Ezidi from northern Iraq, survivors of the 2014 Sinjar massacre - the 74th massacre of these people in 300 years. Isis militants killed and kidnapped thousands of Ezidi men, women and children from the ancient ethnic minority and forced them into exile from their religious homeland.

As the people of Sinjar regroup in a hospitable but utterly strange land, it is apparent that younger Ezidi have a driving ambition to rise above their refugee circumstances. The University of New England (UNE) is stepping up to provide a gateway into a new life.

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"At the moment we have four Ezidi students studying a range of subjects, from Arts to Physics," said Harrison Munday, co-coordinator (with Jane Weier) of UNE's Ezidi program.

"Next year we're expecting about 20, and within 4-5 years, there's likely there will be 40 or more."

Virtually all of the hopeful students want a career in the health services sector, Mr Munday says - a legacy of understanding the human cost of not having access to a medical service.

UNE is holding open the portals to a university education for Armidale's Ezidi, but to enter the university system, aspirant students first have to learn to communicate in English - a challenge for anyone in adulthood, but particularly so for the Ezidi.

Ezidi speak Kurmanji, an unwritten dialect of Kurdish. Some of Armidale's Ezidi attended university in Darak before the 2014 massacre, but most of the university aspirants are confronted not just with learning to read and write a famously illogical language, but learning to write from scratch in adulthood.

In a comment on his motivation for engaging with the community, Mr Munday wrote: "We have provided scholarship to a number of emerging leaders and academics to attend the English Language Centre, and at Armidale Secondary College, over 35 students now receive after-hours Maths and English support that is delivered by fellow Ezidi UNE students".

UNE also provides English language support through in-school support, to help teachers with strategies and pedagogies to help them more effectively reach Ezidi students.

Students that are closing in on university entrance are supported with English intensive classes.

"There's a pre-loading aspect to this, so that when students start their degrees it isn't such a shock," Mr Muday said.

But even as UNE works with the formal learning tools at its disposal to help the Ezidi undertake higher education, Mr Munday believes that some of the most practical support can come from members of the community simply extending a hand of belonging to a displaced people.

"Just meeting an Ezidi family and spending time with them can make a huge difference to their understanding of practical English, and to their sense of being at home here."

Armidale Sanctuary, established to foster strong bonds between the Ezidi and community, coordinates a range of supportive interactions.

Native English speakers can spend time with families to support the fluency of informal English, or work with primary or high-school students to help them with reading and homework.

Drop-in centres provide a more centralised support process.

It can be challenging, exacting work, especially as most Ezidi carry a legacy of trauma and the flow of news from those they have left behind is seldom cheering.

"As a community we are managing to give these intelligent and hardworking people a greater chance at realising their dreams," Mr Muday said.

If you live in Armidale and want to volunteer in helping our Ezidi community please visit here.

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