Beau's moment of joy

Beau Tyson holds the Aboriginal and Australian flags at the opening ceremony of the 2009 Homeless World Cup. Photo courtesy of Longbow Productions.

Entering the arena at the opening ceremony with your country's flag draped on your back is a memorable moment for most competitors, especially for Beau Tyson from Brisbane, Australia. Not only is he part of the Australian team, but he also carried the Aboriginal flag for the first time at the Homeless World Cup, as he is the first Aboriginal competitor.

Tyson, aged 20, is extremely proud of being the first Aboriginal competitor. “Carrying the Aboriginal flag was the best thing in my life.” The Aboriginal people are the Indigenous population of Australia and account for about 2% of the Australian population. While some individual Aboriginals have succeeded in the sporting arena (Cathy Freeman won the 400m gold medal in 2000 Olympics), the community face many health and economic difficulties including substance abuse and high unemployment.

Beau started playing soccer at age 5 with his dad as his coach. He tried playing for a few clubs but they wouldn't socially accept him because of the colour of his skin. One year ago he started playing street soccer with a few friends, but they didn't commit. Beau continued to play and excelled, and was consequently chosen to represent Australia this year as a goal keeper. The Homeless World Cup has opened his eyes and when he goes home he wants to continue playing and take soccer to a higher level.

Life has not been easy for Beau. He has been homeless since he was 14 years old, when he rebelled against his dad and went to the streets. He stayed on the streets until he was 18 when he qualified to temporarily reside in a men’s hostel. He has worked on and off in Brisbane as a qualified bar tender, but found it hard to find work when he was homeless as he didn’t have a permanent address. “I don’t want to be classes as homeless, just a person.”

Now, Beau is positive about his experience and life in general. He has never been as happy as he is now, parading through the streets of Milan and representing both Australia and the Aboriginal community in his life passion.

Story by Keren Tuch, reprinted with permission from the Homeless World Cup website.

Last reviewed: 21 September 2009

Secondary navigation