It was clear to Pari Khadem that danger was lurking. She was a Baha'i, a member of Iran's largest non-Muslim religion whose adherents had been persecuted since the Faith's inception in 1844.

Under the rule of the Ayatollah, the situation would inevitably worsen for all Iran's Baha'is. The Faith’s modern, peaceful teachings challenged the conservative, reactionary clergy, who would mount a program of vicious persecution.

Already, Baha'i homes were being robbed and set on fire and with two young children and a newborn, Pari was frightened for her family's well-being. 

"We were afraid and we wanted to leave, but my mother said she would not go and if anybody wanted to come to our house they would first have to kill her and then burn the house," Pari recalled.

"We couldn't leave her alone, so we stayed."

It wasn't long before the attacks on the Baha'is intensified, and soon the Khadems had no choice but to leave their native land.

It was Pari's husband, Ghodrat, who organised the family's departure. With the repeated arson attacks, he immediately sent his family to Spain before selling all their belongings at greatly reduced prices, and leaving to join them himself a couple of months later. 

"We were out for dinner one night when our friends who were visiting from Spain told my husband they would take us back with them so we would be protected from harm," Pari said.

"My husband, who wanted us to leave Iran, accepted her offer and within one week we bought our plane tickets, packed two suitcases, left and never returned.

"We left everything behind us. Everything. All our possessions and our close friends. It was hard."

The Khadems lived in Spain for three years before they could secure visas and move to Australia in 1981. Pari said having to move to Spain and then to Australia was harder than having to leave Iran.

"We didn't know the language or the culture," she said.

"When we came to Australia, again we had to learn a new language, get used to a new country and a new culture and we had no work. It was very difficult to adjust."

Pari Khadem is my grandmother and her refugee story was one of the Ballarat stories which inspired the recent contemporary dance project Breathe, Woman!

After two sellout performances in Ballarat, Breathe, Woman! was selected from 35 regional arts projects across Victoria and staged at the Victorian College of the Arts last weekend.

Choreographed by Shermaine Heng, the dance explored the push and pull between external forces and the individual, and the sense of suffocation women experienced as a result of cultural and societal expectations.

Working alongside the Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council, Ms Heng engaged local migrant women, listened to their stories and choreographed the dance with a group of culturally diverse women from Ballarat.

"Through each personal story, we strove to capture the essence of simplicity and 'everyday-ness' in basic human gestures that illustrate who we are as women today," Ms Heng said.

"Along with the sounds of migrant women sharing their experiences, we sought to find our common ground and essentially, what makes us."

Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council executive officer Ann Foley said Breathe, Woman! was selected out of all the arts projects because of its "profound impact" on both audiences and everyone involved.

"It was perceived as an exemplary arts project with great participation and community support and an excellent artistic outcome," she said.

"It's very important for regional organisations like ours to have a community connection and understand the transformative power of the arts."

Breathe, Woman! portrayed the essence of my grandmother’s story and her beliefs.

The faith that inspires my grandmother and our family is a world religion which has more than five million adherents worldwide. 

The Baha’i Faith arrived in Australia in 1920 and its followers and communities come from a wide variety of backgrounds. 

Baha'is are the followers of Baha'u'llah who they believe brought a divine message to guide humanity towards its spiritual and material maturity, and to create a united world society of peace and justice.

Yet in Iran, the situation for the Baha'i community has not improved since my family fled more than 30 years ago. If anything, it continues to worsen everyday with followers denied the right to practice their Faith freely.

The ongoing systematic persecution includes the jailing of Baha’is, bans on attending university, desecration of cemeteries, official media hate campaigns, threats and assaults, and the forced closure of Baha'i businesses.

It is for this reason that my grandmother has never returned to her home country, and I have never been able to visit and explore the wonders of my heritage.

"I would love to go back to Iran but not under the current regime," Pari said.

"Right now, Baha'is are being imprisoned, forced to close their shops, and robbed of their possessions.

"If the current situation changes, then I will go."

Even though her heart will always remain in Iran, my grandmother says with utmost sincerity that Australia is home.

The freedom she was afforded here allowed her family to grow, and she now boasts six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. 

Having moved to Ballarat from Melbourne 13 years ago, she spends her spare time volunteering at BRMC and Sovereign Hill in a bid to give back to the community she loves.

"For Baha'is in Iran, it's about living in fear every day. You wake up frightened that you could be abused or even killed. If I stayed in Iran, my family and I would not have been able to have a free life so I am very grateful for that."