Aussie legend
WORDS Stephanie Thomas PHOTO Beth Doherty
From refugee to Young Australian of the Year, Khoa Do’s story is an inspiration.
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When last year’s Young Australian of the Year, Vietnamese-born
Khoa Do, left high school he started studying a Commerce/Law degree
at Sydney University hoping with that he’d be able to, in his
words, ‘change the world’.
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Khoa’s altruism and keen sense of social justice has been shaped
by an array of life experiences and a solid Catholic upbringing. ‘I’ve
grown up seeing lots of different injustices’, he says. ‘It
makes you want to work in a capacity where you can change that, where
you can make a difference.’
When he was almost two, Khoa and his family fled war-ravaged Vietnam
on a fishing boat bound for a Malaysian refugee camp. From there they
were accepted as refugees into Australia. After a stint in a Sydney migrant
hostel, they moved around the city’s inner western suburbs, eventually
settling in Yagoona, where Khoa still lives with his family.
There were times when it was tough for the Do family. Khoa mentions ‘not
having a lot of material possessions’ but he doesn’t dwell
on the difficulties. He’s remarkably positive about the opportunities
he’s had in life and acknowledges the influence of his parents,
who encouraged him ‘to strive for something great and to make a
better life’ for himself.
During his secondary school years, Khoa and his brother Anh received
a part scholarship to attend the prestigious St Aloysius College on Sydney’s
North Shore. It was a far cry from the inner west but Khoa and Anh loved
the experience and ‘fitted in really well’.
Comparing himself to his classmates Khoa says, ‘I might have [had]
a completely different background in every way… [but] we’re
actually very similar as people, and the more of us who can see that,
then the less problems we’ll have socially.’
It’s insights like this which distinguish Khoa from the pack. He
possesses depth and maturity beyond his years and a capacity to reflect
on life and the big questions. No wonder he received the honour of Young
Australian of the Year in 2005.
Khoa describes that experience as ‘extraordinary’ and ‘unexpected’.
‘I remember receiving the award and thinking to myself, there are so
many people who’ve helped me along on this journey. This award is really
not a reflection of what I’ve done but what we’ve all done.’
So given the Australian Government’s current refugee policies,
does Khoa think it’s ironic that Prime Minister John Howard chose
a ‘boat-person’ to be Young Australian of the Year?
Khoa laughs awkwardly and explains that the recipient is selected by
a panel and the PM gives the award. ‘We’re living in interesting
times’, he says. ‘It’s great that someone like myself
with this sort of background can receive an award like this.
‘I’ve had a lot of opportunities growing up here and it’s
been fantastic and wonderful and I think if there are more people who can receive
the sort of opportunities I’ve had, the better.’
Khoa received the award for his contribution to the community as a writer
and film maker. He regards film as ‘an incredibly powerful medium’ which
has the potential to reach a broad audience and to move people.
‘[As a film maker] you’re fortunate to be in this position where
you can tell the stories’, he says, ‘but you’ve got a responsibility
to do the best job possible because what you do can change people’s
lives.’
Khoa remembers meeting a young woman who said her life changed after
seeing the short film Delivery Day, which explored the world of home-based
migrant sweatshop workers in Sydney. ‘When I saw that film I just
cried, because that was me growing up!’ she said.
Based heavily on his own experience, Delivery Day was Khoa’s first
attempt at screenwriting and learning the ropes of film directing. Khoa
says, ‘It’s moments like that, you know what you do really,
really impacts people.’
Khoa’s screenplay for Delivery Day was nominated for an Australian
Film Institute (AFI) Award and the film has screened at over 20 international
film festivals and won numerous awards.
Interestingly, it was after a group of homeless young people at a Cabramatta
youth centre watched Delivery Day that Khoa’s next film project
took shape. Khoa was invited along to talk to the young people about
film making, but instead of talking about it, Khoa invited the group
to work with him and make a film.
The end result was Khoa’s debut feature film, The Finished People,
which followed the lives of three street-kids in Cabramatta caught up in
a cycle of homelessness, drugs and crime.
Produced on the smell of an oily rag, The Finished People received rave
reviews in Australia and overseas as well as AFI Award nominations. Veteran
movie reviewer, Margaret Pomeranz described it as ‘poignant and
powerful, one of the best Aussie films of the year.’
Khoa’s latest film, Footy Legends moves away from the grittiness
of The Finished People. It’s been described by many as a ‘feel-good’ movie
where, against the odds, the underdogs triumph, and stars his brother
Anh, himself a well-known actor seen on TV shows such as Fat Pizza and
Thank God You’re Here.
In his production notes Khoa explains that the film isn’t about
football. Rather, it’s about the important themes of family, friendship
and finding a place for yourself in the world. ‘It’s about
realising broken dreams and ambitions. It’s about finding a way
home.’
In so many ways Footy Legends reflects Khoa’s hopeful attitude
to life. He says, ‘If a refugee who came to Australia with no shoes,
who works in the arts and lives in the poor parts of Sydney can be Young
Australian of the Year, then anything is possible.’
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