Perpetual conflict in his homeland of Afghanistan drove him and his family away when he was just a young child, ending up in Iran.

Again, the insecurity of the area forced them to move to Pakistan – a country where his two brothers, sister and wife remain today.

Ramazan arrived in Australia in 2010 to try and find peace and security for his family, completely disenchanted with any prospects in Pakistan – and the wider region – after years of displacement.

He lived in South Australia, then Sydney and Brisbane, attempting to find work, hoping to earn enough to support his family back home.

A few years ago, he arrived in Bendigo with the support of Bendigo Community Health.

“I’ve been to a lot of places in Australia – I went to South Australia, Sydney, Brisbane – finally I came to Bendigo for work, and I saw it was a quiet place,” he said.

“A quiet, beautiful place.

“The first thing I noticed when I came to Bendigo was just how friendly everyone is, the friendship here is wonderful.”

He gained work at Hazeldene’s and permanent residency in 2011, being introduced to Bendigo’s 11 other Afghan families.

But even with some stability, being so far from home was full of challenges.

“At first I was depressed, I was sad, it was tough. But the longer I was here, the people I met and with the people who helped me, it gradually got better and better for me,” he said.

“It is so hard though, being away from home for five years now. Being away from my wife for five years.”

Four months ago he applied for a citizenship test, but is still waiting for a reply from the Australian Government. He hopes that with citizenship, his wife can join him in Bendigo.

The isolation of living in a foreign country continued to make life tough for Ramazan, so he turned to his passion – soccer.

He has played soccer since he was nine and even though he suffered a serious ankle injury a few years ago, he’s determined to stay involved.

Ramazan completed a refereeing course two months ago, and on Saturday he refereed his first match in Bendigo at a multicultural soccer day at the Tom Flood Sports Centre.

He now wants to referee in the Bendigo Amateur Soccer League.

“I know everything about soccer – all the teams, all the players – that’s why I was interested in becoming a referee,” Ramazan said.

He took charge of the matches at Tom Flood, where 26 teams of Afghan, Sudanese and Karen people – as well as Bendigo community groups – played short friendly matches throughout the afternoon.

They came to Bendigo from across regional Victoria, showing off their skills, laughing and cheering together as they pulled off brilliant goals, crisp passes and the occasional howler in front of goal.

Karen and Afghan women cooked up a lunch as the players took part in the round-robin tournament.

A Karen team from Bendigo – appropriately named “Team Freedom”, kitted out in Everton shirts – reached the final, but were beaten by Team Dandenong, a team of Afghan men. 

Bendigo Community Health humanitarian settlement manager Martine Street said the matches aimed to bring communities together through soccer, a “universal language”.

“There was great sportsmanship and opportunity for people to share their love of the game that speaks all languages,” she said.

For Ramazan, it was everything he hoped to see as he searches for stability in Bendigo.