Former fugitive Darko 'Dougie' Desic returns to Sydney's Northern Beaches

A fugitive who escaped jail and lived in Sydney for three decades working as a handyman has been welcomed home to the Northern Beaches.

Darko "Dougie" Desic, then 35, allegedly used tools including a hacksaw blade and bolt cutters to free himself from the Grafton Correctional Centre, now known as the Grafton Intake and Transient Centre, in 1992.

He had been sleeping rough in sand dunes and doing odd jobs for cash to survive but in September 2021 he handed himself into authorities.

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Desic told police he escaped prison because he didn't want to be deported back to war-torn Yugoslavia, a country that no longer exists.

He was arrested and charged with escaping from lawful custody and was jailed again.

By December 2022, Desic had served the outstanding 19 months of his original 44-month sentence for cannabis cultivation, plus an extra two months for breaking out.

However, questions then loomed about his citizenship status and the former fugitive was facing deportation.

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On Monday the 65-year-old was released from immigration detention and granted a permanent visa to live in Australia.

The community on Sydney's Northern Beaches rallied around the handyman they called "Dougie" and support from Avalon locals proved a convincing element in allowing him to remain in Australia.

"A lovely afternoon indeed. Getting to hang out with our very special friend and returning member of Avalon 'Darko Dougie Desic'. Welcome home Dougie!" a post in a local Facebook post read alongside a photo of four smiling people - including Desic.

Desic has now returned to his adopted suburb and has his own Medicare card for the first time.