Nyadol Nyuon is a commercial litigator at the prestigious Melbourne law firm, Arnold Bloch Leibler. She was born in the Itang refugee camp in Ethiopia, in 1987.
Nyuon was reunited with her mother after her father was killed and in 2005 they were accepted for resettlement in Australia. They travelled as a party of 10: her mum, seven children and two relatives. Nyuon recalls trying to commit to memory the serial numbers on the airline tickets – all 10 of them – in case the tickets were mislaid or stolen, and this bid for freedom was sabotaged. At 18, she was no stranger to hard luck."We came with just our clothes. No money," Nyuon tells me.
With less-than-proficient English, she attained her VCE. Then she studied at Victoria University for her Bachelor of Arts. Then she was accepted into the Law School at Melbourne University. Nyuon ran through the city, gripping that cheque. She was so afraid she would lose it. She rang her mum.Her mother said, "Keep it. You keep it, Nyadol. And start your life."
Nyuon remembers the hollow feelings of grief after her beloved step-sister, whom the family nicknamed "Mona Lisa", was killed in a car accident.When Nyuon returned to South Sudan for the first time, she loved it. She found the people friendly and full of optimism and energy. Here was a new country coming into being and there was a sense of joy and achievement in the air. She felt safe in the streets and proud.