Mabil, Mr A. and Deng, Mr T.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:50): Today, I would like to salute two young and proud South Australians who have made their mark on the world game of football, or, as some still call it, soccer: Awer Mabil and his best friend, Thomas Deng. Last week, they won their first caps playing for Australia in a friendly international against Kuwait. The Socceroos won 4-0 and one of the scorers was Awer Mabil, who dedicated his first international goal to his mother as she was proudly watching him on a TV screen in Adelaide.

They have fascinating back stories. Both are South Sudanese—although Awer has never visited the country—and are the result of Australia's refugee intake. They represent everything that is good about the opportunities this country offers to people who have come from contrasting and often cruel and hostile countries. Awer and Thomas are also representative of the new wave of Australia's multicultural fabric that has enriched this country. They are assimilation success stories and role models for others in the African community.

Awer was born in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya and at the age of 11 came to Australia with his mother and siblings in 2006. Thomas was also born there with his family. They grew up in the same neighbourhood, playing football on rough surfaces, never once thinking that one day they would both don the yellow and green of Australia on the very same day and be professional footballers. Sport has a unique knack of changing and altering the course of a person's life. I first met Awer a few years ago while he was playing for Adelaide United where he was a youth player after a short stint at Campbelltown City Soccer Club, recently crowned as the national second-tier champions on top of other local championship successes.

He made his debut in 2013, aged 17, and immediately won the hearts of Reds fans. His flair and skill running at defences was electrifying and he soon became a crowd favourite. His mother would sit in the stand with other members of his family, proudly looking on. He was dedicated to his sport and determined to succeed. Just to make it to training at Hindmarsh, he would catch two buses each way. United's coach at the time, Spaniard Josep Gombau, rated him highly and nurtured him without rushing him—a wise move.

You could always tell big things were in store for Awer and it was no surprise when overseas clubs came knocking. He is currently playing in Denmark with Midtjylland. Awer is an impressive man, with a strong sense of purpose and humility on those young shoulders. A few years ago, he wanted to give something back to those refugees still caught up in the Kakuma camp, the largest of its kind in Africa. Awer recounted the story to me about how much the kids loved playing football on the dusty and rocky grounds. They had no boots or shoes to wear and for a ball they would blow air into condoms and wrap and tape them with rags.

After getting his first professional contract, he returned quietly with a few small gifts of boots, balls and some United shirts to hand out to the kids who were in the same predicament that he once was. He was so overwhelmed by the response that, with his brother Awer Bul, friend Rachel West, and Adelaide lobbyist Ian Smith, they now return to Kakuma each year with football equipment. Awer Mabil does not consider that going back to Kakuma and helping is anything special. He said:

I think footballers are often taken only at face value. Like in all spheres of life, I think a lot of footballers are not only willing to do good things, they just do them.

Awer says he is not interested in publicity. In fact, he even knocked me back when I suggested we do a documentary for Channel 7. He says it is all about giving back to the place where he was born, seeing family and friends still there and reassuring the wide-eyed children caught in that situation that there is some hope for them and that dreams can come true.

Awer and Thomas have played for Australia at youth and Olympic level, and are now Socceroos teammates as well. Thomas is 21 and plays as a central defender for the reigning A-League champions, Melbourne Victory. When Awer scored for Australia, Thomas was the first to help him celebrate that special moment. You can imagine the thoughts that were going through their minds about where they came from and where they are now heading.