As the above video shows Mr Adut aged 6 was taken by rebels and forced to fight in the war for the Sudan People’s Liberation Army that went on to split his country, he was trained with an AK-47 Machinegun and was wounded twice.
He was often beaten and tortured for disobedience and had close friends who were killed. He says he witnessed many killings by firing squad.
He was eventually smuggled out of Sudan into Kenya before making it to Australia in 1998. He went on to teach himself how to read and
“I put the video up as a form of telling everyone that no matter how many journeys, how many problems, how many obstacles you have in your way, you have to acknowledge that your disadvantage is not entirely your disadvantage,”
“It could be your advantage if you followed a way with the right ingredients or the right training or the right kind of people.”
Learning is a marathon, you’ve got to take it slowly, you’ve got to take time to get there and it shouldn’t be rushed.
In 2012 Mr Adut returned to Sudan to find his mother, she hadn’t left the family home in all those years
“What was there was my old mother … waiting for me, I didn’t recognise her,” he recalled.
“Somehow she recognised me, maybe because I was different, I looked more like a westerner.”
Australia is home now, and while he has come a long way already, he knows there is more to do.
“A friend of mine told me before that learning is a marathon, you’ve got to take it slowly, you’ve got to take time to get there and it shouldn’t be rushed,” he said.
“I think that is one of the things, the last thing now in my life is that I shouldn’t be rushing.”
