S&A Barber Shop owner Sam Huseyin giving a haircut to customer and Year 9 Kooringal High student Mohammed Abbasi. Picture: Marguerite McKinnon.
Walk into S&A Barber Shop at 40 Baylis Street in Wagga and you’ll see a gifted barber with a gentle smile.
Behind that smile is a survivor of one of the world’s worst atrocities in recent times; the 2003 – 2011 Iraqi War. Labelled by the United Nations as genocide, nearly four million civilians died, and a million civilians were displaced.
To survive, Sam Huseyin was 15 when he and his family fled their home in Sinjar in northern Iraq. As the eldest of six children, Sam helped carry his baby sister on the long walk from Iraq to Syria, and then on to Turkey.
“We were out of food, we were out of drink for ten days,” he said.
“Walking was our only option, and I saw so many kids who died from the conditions. So many dead in front of me. It was very hard.
“We were sleeping behind trees, and we had one bottle of water for 100 people.”
Wagga retail legend Don Tuckwell says it’s “wonderful” to have such gifted barbers as retail neighbours, in Sam Huseyin (left) and Salar Hasan (right). Photo: Marguerite McKinnon.
Sam’s baby sister was in hospital for six weeks following the ordeal. Incredibly, after escaping war, then five years in a Turkish refugee camp, every family member survived. On 2 July 2019, they arrived in Australia to start a new life.
Lucky for us, Sam and his family moved to Wagga Wagga, and now excels as a joint business owner of S&A Barber shop, where customers say good cuts at a good price match the good service.
Happily, Wagga is home to a number of quality barbers, but for customer Shokrollah Abbasi, S&A Barber Shop is his pick.
“He used to work at a different shop and I now only go to him as his haircuts are very neat,” Mr Abbasi said.
Customer Shokrollah Abbasi with S&A barber Sam Huseyin. Picture: Marguerite McKinnon
On this day, he brought his younger brother Mohammad, who wanted a teenage-approved haircut for high school.
“It’s absolutely amazing and the price is good as well,” Mohammad said.
S&A Barber Shop has been open for just a month, and in a gesture of goodwill, neighbouring businesses were invited in for food and free haircuts. Local retail legend Don Tuckwell is one of the South Town Walk arcade businesses, and is now a fan of the new barbers.
“It’s wonderful, especially having people as talented as they are,” Don Tuckwell said.
The final test: A father brought in his two primary school-aged children for haircuts, claiming they were not fans of haircuts. However, by the end, the youngest was so happy with his haircut that he began dancing, then turned to Sam and gave him a thank-you hug.
Any parent of young boys will tell you that is impressive.
S&A Barber Shop is located at 40 Baylis Street, Wagga Wagga.
