In front of 300 people at the Westin in Sydney, Aliir spoke on stage with former Wallabies captain Phil Kearns of his family’s path from war-torn Sudan to being drafted by the Sydney Swans.
Aliir was born in a Kenyan refugee camp to Sudanese parents who had been forced out of their home country due to the devastating civil war – a war that still rages today.
“It’s always hard leaving your country; mum and dad wanted us to have a better education and grow up somewhere where there’s not so much war and (violence) going on,” Aliir said at the breakfast.
“It was pretty difficult but my parents did it to give us a better life as there’s too much going on back there.
“My brothers and sisters were young and they didn’t really know what was going on, but there were gun shots and stuff around, so it was really difficult, but they’ve made the right decision.”
Aliir spent six years in Kakuma refugee camp – home to 150,000 men, women and children who have fled wars and violence in neighbouring countries – before migrating to Australia, eventually settling in Brisbane, where his uncle had made his home years earlier.
The Kakuma refugee camp where Aliir spent six years
While food, shelter and water supply are limited in Kakuma, it’s the support of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and people’s generous contributions that are making a difference to kids and families in need.
“It was a great life (in Kakuma), every day you have your friends and family around you and you go out and play soccer,” he said.
“There was a lot of fighting going on, but dad took us there for a reason. We were still young, but we had our relatives around, it was a great life for me as a young kid as I didn’t know what was going on, I just wanted to play sport and hang out with family and friends.”
After moving to Brisbane at age eight, Aliir was introduced to Australian football by a school friend and he hasn’t looked back since.
He was instantly drawn to some of the intricacies of the game like “jumping on someone’s head to take a speccy”.
After overcoming the disappointment of not being drafted when eligible, Aliir moved to Perth to be closer to family.
A season in the WAFL and a positional change from the ruck to defence led to a breakout season which was rewarded when the Swans called out his name with selection 44 in last year’s Draft.
Aliir became the first Sudanese player to join an AFL club via the National Draft and only the second on a club list following North Melbourne’s Majak Daw.
The World Refugee Day breakfast, hosted by the UNHCR, is an annual event to help raise much needed money and awareness for the millions of people world-wide affected by war and those who have been fortunate to seek a better life elsewhere.
Australia for UNHCR has set up a fundraising initiative called the South Sudan Appeal to deliver life-saving essentials like food, water, shelter and medical care to those desperately in need.
Right now, the conflict in South Sudan has put four million people at risk of acute food insecurity, with women and children being the most vulnerable. The UN has advised that without immediate action, up to one million people could face famine in a matter of months.
To donate or for more information please visit http://www.unrefugees.org.au/donate/donate-now
Aliir Aliir with Phil Kearns and Ian Chappell this morning
