Toowoomba, South Sudan man Anyuon Liai Mager shares immigration story on World Refugee Day

On World Refugee Day, an inspiring Toowoomba man has opened up about the moment he fled his war-torn country as a young teen in search for a better life.

When Anyuon Liai Mager was only 15, he was forced to flee his war-stricken home in South Sudan, and heartbreakingly he was separated from his family for decades.

The teen spent the remainder of his childhood in an Internally Displaced Person’s camp, before he was eventually transferred to a refugee camp in Egypt where he lived for 10 years.

In the height of the Second Sudanese Civil War – an intense 22-year conflict between the central government in Khartoum and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army, Mr Mager longed for a sense of security and the day he would be reunited with his family.

Anyuon Liai Mager. Nev Madsen

“It’s unimaginable to think about a child in the western world being separated from their family and having to navigate through life alone with a turbulence of emotions,” he said.

“Not knowing if I would ever get to go home or see my family again was something I lived with for a long time, and eventually you realise that day may never come so you just need to adapt to your new reality.

“You never forget and I did not give in. I just kept telling myself as long as I was alive I had to carry on.

“The hope of seeing my family again never died away – when you have nothing, hope is all you have.”

Mr Mager said the strangers he met at the refugee camp soon became a second family, including his wife who he married at the camp in 1994.

Two years later, the couple became parents for the first time and welcomed their first child.

Bonding over the devastation of being separated from their families, Mr Mager said he “grew up” with his wife in some way.

In 1998, the couple and their two-year-old son immigrated to Australia with four other family members.

Arriving at Brisbane Airport, church group volunteers picked them up and drove them to Toowoomba, where the family has lived ever since.

Now aged 58, Mr Mager and his wife share four sons aged between 14 and 27 and the family became Australian citizens in 2001.

Eager to earn his own money, the father began harvesting vegetable crops on a local farm just weeks after his arrival.

Anyuon Liai Mager and his wife.

With the added benefit of being able to speak English, Mr Mager went on to study public relations and management at the University of Southern Queensland.

But the family’s arrival didn’t come without its challenges, especially as they were the second refugee family to settle in Toowoomba.

Mr Mager said at the time, refugees would only receive beds and chairs and his family had never seen appliances like washing machines and fridges before moving to Australia.

He said he also struggled with tasks most people in western societies did daily, including using public transport and grocery shopping.

“It rained a lot in Toowoomba in the 90s, and we came from a country where it didn’t so we didn’t understand what umbrellas were,” Mr Mager said.

“We got stuck in the rain a lot and had to rely on the kindness of complete strangers to pick us up and take us home in their cars.”

In 2005, Mr Mager returned to South Sudan and reunited with his mother and siblings for the first time in years.

He described the experience as a “breathtaking moment” and recalled everyone crying while his mother held on to him tightly.

Anyuon Liai with sons (from left) Liai Geng, Geng Geng and Keer Geng. Picture: Robert Shakespeare.

Since immigrating to Toowoomba, Mr Mager has dedicated his life to advocating for refugees, assisting in the settlement process and was part of the group who established the TRAMS program.

Every year on June 20, the United Nations honours the people who have been forced to flee their home country in a search for safety, social inclusion and support.

“(World Refugee Day) is very important to me because it means a lot for the people of Toowoomba who do not have refugee backgrounds to stand with you, walk beside you and show you you’re not alone,” Mr Mager said.

“Living in a refugee camp leaves a huge psychological scar that can only heal when people stand with you and welcome you.

“If I’m capable of making a difference I will, and that makes me happy.”

The University of Southern Queensland will hold an event in the Refectory (R) Block at UniSQ today from 11am to noon.

Next week, the Toowoomba Regional Council will also be celebrating the 10 year anniversary of Toowoomba becoming an official Refugee Welcome Zone.