Remembering  

 

Khalilullah Qasimi 

Rosalie Fourniotis

Teacher - Humanities

I first met Khalilullah Qasimi in 2012, during my first year teaching at Brunswick Secondary College. Khalil was in Year 10, doing his first year  in an Australian school, and I was his Year 10 teacher of English as a Second Language.  

One of the first writing tasks that I asked the students to complete was a personal reflection. The purpose of the task was to get a writing sample, which would help me to gauge the students’ writing abilities and also to learn something more about them - something that they could share with their classmates in a future lesson.  

Khalil chose to write about his journey to Australia as an orphaned minor who had fled Afghanistan seeking a new beginning in Australia.  The writing task soon became an oral task, with other students asking Khalil question after question about life under the Taliban, his journey to Australia and the time he had spent in detention in both Indonesia and Australia. 

Khalil spoke quietly and gently, holding his audience captive with his philosophical perspectives about the hardship he had endured and with an overwhelming optimism about his future prospects as a permanent resident of  Australia.  

In 2014, I worked with a group of Humanities students to stage a landmark community event at the school. The event, A Question of Rights - A Human Rights Forum,  focused on the plight of asylum seekers - a very hot topic in 2014. Guest speakers included refugee advocates Julian Burnside and Tri Nguyen, a local pastor and former refugee and a representative from the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. At this time I asked Khalil if he would like to speak at the event, to share his experience. While he wanted to participate, Khalil was overwhelmed at the thought of speaking to a large audience but agreed to be interviewed in a short film called Khalil’s Story. The film was screened at the event, and the audience was greatly moved.  

Without malice or self-pity, Khalil's Story highlighted the harsh losses and ordeals that he had faced throughout his young life. Khalil wanted to use his experience to educate those around him, to dispel any misinformation or preconceived ideas about 'boat people'. His story was delivered with dignity and humility, and was a lesson for us all. Sharing his experience put a human face on an issue which was on the doorstep of our own community.  Hearing his truth was enlightening, tragic and uplifting - all in one instance.

Khalil was profoundly proud to graduate with the Class of 2014, with the support of his wonderful Australian ‘parents’, Amanda and Steve. Pictured above (top, right) with fellow BSC graduates in a 2014 Herald Sun article, peers and BSC staff shared in his celebration of this moment. Despite limited schooling and having only lived in Australia and studied English for four years, he achieved his VCE and was offered a place at RMIT to study a Diploma in Justice. Khalil hoped to one day join the police force or the Australian Defence Forces so that he could give back to the country that had created such opportunities for him. He completed the first semester of this course but needed to defer his studies until he was more financially secure, and went on to work in the construction industry as a painter.  

In 2022, Khalil purchased a house in Brisbane and was looking forward to welcoming his wife to Australia. He visited me during this time and shared photos of his wedding celebrations in Iran. 

Then, late in 2022 Khalil visited to tell me that after several months of shoulder pain, an MRI had shown a mass on his shoulder blade that was likely to be cancerous. We talked about the fact that he was in the best position to overcome this, with his youth, fitness and healthy lifestyle all working in his favour.  

Sadly, during the Easter break this year his adopted parents,  Amanda and Steve, contacted my family to relate that, despite coping very well with many rounds of chemotherapy, a routine scan six weeks after the completion of his treatment showed that the cancer had spread.  Khalil was admitted into palliative care at the Peter McCallum Cancer Hospital. 

Along with former principal, Vivienne Tellefson, I was fortunate enough to be able to visit Khalil before he passed away on Saturday 22nd April , with his wife at his side and surrounded by many friends and family. I was able to tell him how proud I was of his achievements and how privileged I felt to have been one of his teachers and ultimately, a friend.  

Khalil has left a lasting impression on all who knew him in our school community. His warmth, compassion and respectful manner fostered empathy and understanding in others, making our community a better place.  His resilience, courage and optimism along with his work ethic and generosity will be remembered by all who knew him. He is sadly missed.  Vale Khalilullah Qasimi.

If you would like to learn more about Khalil's journey and life in Australia, click below to watch Khalil's Story. 

Editor note: Special thanks to Peter Biancofiore for his assistance with this article.