Afghan businessman Khalilullah Dydar is a two time refugee.

As a boy and a member of Hazara ethnic minority he fled the rise to power of the Taliban in his homeland in the 1990s. But his new life in Ukraine came to an abrupt end in February this year with the Russian invasion of his adopted country.

He and his extended family were forced to take and arduous journey to safety that took in Romania, Poland, Germany and Ireland.  

Now, after just two months in Australia, Khalil has set out to build a third new life; settling in Melbourne and opening a stall at the iconic Queen Victoria Market.

Born in Bamiyan Province in 1990, Khalilul left for the Soviet Union with his older brothers in 1996 as a six year old.

“We were sent away because the situation was not good after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan,” Khalil said, speaking at his new stall in the market.

“I remember playing in the street and the Taliban started firing. My mum called me in just as bullets started striking just a metre away from me,” he said.

Khalil’s family is from the Hazara ethnic minority, who have long been the targets of the Taliban and other groups.

During the Russian occupation of Afghanistan his father worked in aircraft refuelling at Kabul’s airport.

“At the time the Russians would send the best students to the Soviet Union to study. So one of my brothers ended up studying medicine in Khmelnytskyi in the Ukraine.

“When the Taliban came and their war with the Russians increased, my father and mother made the decision to send me to the Ukraine with my brother,” he said.

Khalil grew up in Ukraine with two brothers and a sister in law.

“I went to school and learned to speak Ukrainian and Russian which were really my first languages,” he said.

“Then in 2014, my parents came to Ukraine for health reasons and eventually got permanent residence.”

Life was good for Khalil and his family. They ran a wholesale business selling umbrellas and other accessories across Ukraine and other parts of Europe.

Khalil and two of his brothers lived in the historic and elegant Black Sea city of Odessa.

But in April, Russian forces attacked Odessa with cruise missiles. They destroyed both the city’s military infrastructure and residential buildings, killing and wounding dozens of people.

“We heard the firing and saw the missile blasts and we decided that we had to leave. My brothers and I went to Romania and my other family members who were living Kyiv went to Poland,” Khalil said.

“Our children heard the alarms and the rockets and were scared. We were forced to shelter in underground cellars.

“At first when the wars started I didn’t want to leave but then my brother called me from Kyiv. He said he could see Russian tanks from his apartment on the 12th floor. We made the decision that life would not be possible if we stayed,” he said.

Forty-five members of Khalil extended family met up in Poland and pondered what to do next.

“We couldn’t find anywhere where we could live together in Poland so we decided to go back to Germany. But we could not speak Polish or German and Europe seemed to be a difficult place to make a new life,” he said.

“I googled countries where English was spoken and where we could go without visas – and I came up with Malta and Ireland.

“So, we decided to go to Ireland. In Ireland the people were very friendly and kind. They gave us accommodation and we were safe,” Khalil said.

But after hearing about an opportunity for Ukrainians to come to Australia, Khalil applied for a visa.

“We were told we could get a 600 tourist visa to Australia and then apply for a humanitarian visa,” he said.

Khalil and his wife and three children arrived in Melbourne on July 9, five months after fleeing Ukraine.

“We were able to get visas but some of my brothers had problems with their documents because they had to leave Ukraine so quickly. I hope they can get their documents and join us,” he said.

Khalil said he was immediately impressed with Australia’s relaxed and multicultural society.

“From the first day in Australia, I was feeling comfortable. It’s a free country with many different people. Here at the market there are people from China, Vietnam and different parts of Europe like one family.

“I have never seen this anything like this. In Ukraine there is not so much immigration. And even though we were permanent, there were always comments about we were not the same as Ukrainians.”

After arriving in Australia, Khalil initially tried a variety of jobs but was drawn back to running a business. He approached refugee micro-finance provider Thrive for a loan.

“I have twenty years’ experience of trading and I started looking for a market opportunity. I had spent most of my money on aeroplane tickets so I needed a loan to start the business,” he said.

After securing a loan, Khalil has established a well patronised market stall selling mobile accessories, LED caps and glasses; and he plans to expand his range.

He says he is cautiously confident about the future.

“I want to grow my business and build a new life here in Australia. But I’m worried about having a temporary visa,” Khalil said.

“In Australia we feel fully free. My kids are happy here; they are studying English and looking forward to starting school.

“In Ukraine, my son had a parrot as a pet and here there are parrots everywhere in Australia so it makes him happy.

“We are enjoying the river and nature in Melbourne and the multicultural nature of its people. Nobody care about the colour of your skin or the size or shape of your eyes,” he said.