Statecraft & Independence
Peerless
Deng Adut
born 1984
Conscripted as a child soldier at six, and Australian of the Year for New South Wales at thirty-three
Peerless is level 1 of 4 in the South Sudan Hall of Fame: changed the field itself. Tell the country's story without them and the story breaks. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
Taken to be a child soldier at six. Smuggled out in a maize sack. He reached Australia at fourteen unable to read, finished school at TAFE, won a law scholarship, and now defends refugees in Sydney.
Deng Thiak Adut was born in 1984 in what is now South Sudan and was taken from his village at six to be trained as a child soldier, later wounded in combat as a boy. His brother arranged for him to be smuggled out to Kenya hidden in a maize sack.
An Australian family he met in the refugee camp helped him reach Australia in 1998, aged fourteen and unable to read or write in any language. He learned English, completed his schooling at TAFE, won a scholarship to Western Sydney University in 2005 and qualified in law.
He practises as a defence lawyer in Western Sydney and works extensively with refugees seeking asylum, and was named New South Wales Australian of the Year for 2017.
An Australian family he met in the refugee camp helped him reach Australia in 1998, aged fourteen and unable to read or write in any language. He learned English, completed his schooling at TAFE, won a scholarship to Western Sydney University in 2005 and qualified in law.
He practises as a defence lawyer in Western Sydney and works extensively with refugees seeking asylum, and was named New South Wales Australian of the Year for 2017.
- Wikipedia — Deng Adut
- Face2Face Africa — From child soldier to lawyer, South Sudan's Deng Adut is making a difference in Australia
- State Library of New South Wales — Deng Adut, oral history and sound collection
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