Young Australian of the year

[eagleboy]

Congratulations to Awer


The title of Young Australian of the Year was awarded to Socceroo and Barefoot to Boots co-founder Awer Mabil, of Walkley Heights.

Also featured in The Advertiser’s Power 50 list, the 27-year-old came here from Africa as a child refugee at age 10.

He and businessman Ian Smith established Barefoot to Boots, the not-for-profit organisation striving for better health, education, policies and gender equality for refugees.

Currently in Europe for soccer commitments, Mabil was unable to attend the Canberra ceremony.

His mother Agot Dau Atem and uncle Michael Matiop Dau Atem accepted his award on his behalf.

https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/sou ... erallPos=1

[Con M]

Well done Adelaide boy Awer!

[eagleboy]

A nice write up in the Tiser.

MABIL INSPIRES CHILDREN
MICHAEL MCGUIRE
AWER Mabil was aged 10 when he arrived in Australia.
It was the end of one long journey and the beginning of another.
His family had fled the civil war in Sudan the Kakuma refugee camp in
Kenya, where Mabil was born.
Now, Mabil is one of Australia’s finest soccer players. He has played in a
World Cup for the Socceroos, plays club football in Spain and the 27-yearold, who started his professional career at Adelaide United, is the Young
Australian of the Year.
But it’s not only his sporting achievements that have made Mabil a worthy
recipient.
Mabil is also co-founder of the Barefoot to Boots charity, which supports
refugees who live in camps such as Kakuma. The charity started with Mabil
returning to Kakuma with 20 football shirts but has expanded to also focus
on health, education and gender equality initiatives.
In announcing Mabil’s award, chair of the National Australia Day Council
Danielle Roche said it was an “extraordinary achievement for Mabil to flee
conflict and “represent Australia at the highest level as a Socceroo’’.
“He has used his success to co-found Barefoot for Boots, a not-for-profit
that supports and advocates for other refugees,’’ she said.
It was also noted he had endured the tragedy of the death of his 19-yearold sister Bor Mabil in a car crash, not long after the footballer had been
chosen to represent his country.
When Mabil visited his old school, St Columba in Andrew’s Farm in
Adelaide’s northern suburbs last year, it was only a week after he had
scored the decisive penalty that ensured Australia qualified for the World
Cup in Qatar.
After the game, Mabil said scoring the penalty was “the only way to say
thank you to Australia on behalf of my family’’.
Mabil said he wanted to show the kids at St Columba anything was
possible, no matter where you started in life.
“I want to be an example to the next generation because, you know, the
former generation of the Socceroos was a big impact on my life growing
up.

Mabil.jpg (47.27 KiB) Viewed 3749 times

[SP999]

Leadership by example to all young people.
Hard work, determination, giving back, service to those less fortunate, overcoming adversity….

Deserves all the success he has achieved.

[Michael]

Leadership by example to all young people.
Hard work, determination, giving back, service to those less fortunate, overcoming adversity….

Deserves all the success he has achieved.

agree.
something the youth of today should look up to - Instead of being a victim and complaining, wotk hard and achieve something on your own merits.

Couldnt be happier for Awer!