A letter from our CEO, Elijah Buol OAM

It is an incredible honour and true privilege to write to you as the new CEO of the Asylum Seekers Centre. 

Every step we take today shapes the path to tomorrow’s impact. And as we walk forward together, we carry with us the hopes, courage, and dreams of those who have been forced to leave everything behind in search of safety.

I am humbled to step into the legacy that the Asylum Seekers Centre has built over the past 30 years thanks to every community member, every CEO, every staff member, every volunteer, every supporter.

I embrace this role both as a messenger and as the message itself – having personally walked the path of displacement, I now walk alongside those still on their journey. 

My mission is to elevate the voices of people seeking asylum, to ensure they are seen, heard, and supported with the welcome, dignity, and respect they deserve.

For me, this work is not just professional, it is deeply personal.

I was born into the realities of war and spent much of my childhood in refugee and displacement camps as an orphan. I arrived in Australia at age 16 as an unaccompanied minor with no family, no possessions, and no clear path ahead. 

But I carried with me something stronger than fear: hope and aspiration. The belief that safety was possible and that a new beginning was within reach. 

My story is just one among millions. But it has given me a valuable and deep understanding of what it means to flee not in pursuit of wealth or comfort, but in desperate need of peace and safety. To hope not for privilege, but for protection. And above all, to long for a chance – a chance to rebuild, to contribute, and to belong.

Every day since I started at the Asylum Seekers Centre, I have met people who reflect this same courage and determination. Individuals and families who arrived in our community with nothing but strength in their hearts and a desire to begin again. And thanks to your unwavering generosity, they are met not with hostility, but with open arms. Not with silence, but with support. Not with rejection, but with welcome.

With your support, we provide critical services such as healthcare and crisis support, open doors to employment and education so people can start to rebuild, create a community where people feel a sense of belonging, and advocate for systemic change. 

And yet, the work is far from over. 

Australia’s cruel and broken asylum system continues to force people seeking safety into poverty, ongoing limbo, and irreparable harm. 

In a world where more people than ever are being displaced by conflict, persecution, and crisis, Australia has both an opportunity and a responsibility to lead with compassion. The steps we take today, no matter how small, determine where the road will lead for those seeking refuge tomorrow.

As someone who once stood at the threshold of the unknown, I can say this with absolute conviction: your support changes lives. It changed mine.

The passion in our community was on full display earlier this month at City2Surf, where the ASC team donned our ‘run for welcome, run for all, run for asylum seekers’ shirts to raise awareness while raising money for our critical services. 

Crossing the City2Surf finish line with new colleagues in my first week at the ASC was a moment I won’t forget. It felt like a fitting step and symbolic start, side by side with a team who cares deeply about our mission, sharing in both the challenge and the celebration. 

It filled me with pride and optimism for what we can achieve together in advancing human rights for all. If these first weeks are anything to go by, I know there’s so much strength and heart in the ASC community.

Thank you for running this race beside us and the people we support. Thank you for believing in a more welcoming world. Let us continue forward together with compassion in our hearts, conviction in our actions, and hope lighting the way.