Who are we? And where do we come from? SBS Explores Identity looks at this multicultural nation, and what it means to be Australian today.
Safwan Khalil may be a star athlete but family comes before fame. It has shaped who he is. Olympian Safwan Khalil is a fighter in every sense of the word. The taekwondo athlete says his Lebanese heritage played a key role in establishing a solid work ethic.
He says, "There's seven boys, one girl in my family, and I've got twelve nieces, and about 150,000 aunties, uncles and cousins. Everything we do just comes from a very big support network."
Safwan's family migrated from war-torn Lebanon to Australia when he was just eight months old. "When we came here, we were probably the only Lebanese family out in our area, and going to school with a cucumber and a Lebanese sandwich, we got picked on a fair bit, not speaking much English at all. But, I never felt like I had to be an Australian. I sort of felt like I fell into it, you know, just by growing up playing cricket and footy with the boys, I sort of felt like I grew up as an Aussie, you know, with a Lebanese background," he says.
There's no doubting the 30 year-old's courage - and it seems to be a part of his DNA.
"The work ethic in our culture's very high. All my brothers, my family, my father - they believe in resilience and bouncing back. My father, when I didn't make the Beijing team, I was crying to everyone else, and he was the first one to look at me and say, 'Suck it up, you little biscuit - let's go, next one!' So being a part of that culture where you've really got to strive for what you want, believe in what you want and get out there and get it, because my family, their culture, didn't have much opportunity at all. So, when they see I do have an opportunity, they want me to strive for it 100 per cent."
The opportunity became reality when he competed in the London Olympic Games and now he's off to Rio.
Also in the team is his fiancee Carmen Marton. Life's pretty good, but nothing to get carried away with.
"Often my mum and my dad, as I get older, reflect a lot on those times and how hard it was in Lebanon - politically, especially. I guess, just being now in Australia, where everyone's free to vote, it just makes life a lot easier, a lot safer, and I couldn't imagine growing up in Lebanon in those days. I'm so grateful to be here in Australia."
