WORDS Stephanie Thomas PHOTO Beth Doherty

From refugee to Young Australian of the Year, Khoa Do’s story is an inspiration.

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 that he’d be able to, in his words, ‘change the world’.Khoa ended up finishing an Arts degree and moving into film, but having finished three acclaimed films while spending time working with disadvantaged youth, the 27-year-old is definitely making a difference in his own way.

 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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