For former Australian rules footballer Peter 'Spida' Everitt, one of the most striking things about visiting a poverty-stricken South Sudan in East-Central Africa was the noticeable lack of footwear.
"I feel a bit like a freak to be honest. Standing here, I have shoes and boots and these clothes on. The shoes, there's no shoes here" Everitt, who has been open about his strong anti-refugee views, said on camera.
The comments appeared to be of great interest to viewers on social media, who wondered how Everitt would reconcile a first-hand experience of poverty in Sudan with his political beliefs.
The 44-year-old father of four joined radio personality and refugee advocate Meshel Laurie in South Sudan as part of SBS's groundbreaking three-part program Go Back To Where You Came From Live, hoping to educate himself on the complex challenges faced by refugees.
Everitt, who now has his own radio show on the Gold Coast, has previously spoken out about his fear of Sudanese gangs in Melbourne - where his daughters live.
"(My daughters) go out to parties in all these areas," he said.
Spida Everitt and Meshel Laurie visit a South Sudanese family in Melbourne. Source: SBS
"I am concerned when they do go out."
He added: "I've had friends and family members at parties where some of these gangs have come in and terrorised the whole lot. So now, as soon as they rock in, the party disperses very quickly."
Visiting the home of a South Sudanese family in Melbourne in a prerecorded segment, Everitt surprised some audience members by telling the family he believed in stricter laws for refugees already living in Australia
"If a refugee does commit a serious crime, you send the whole family back," he said.
'Go Back To Where You Came From Live' airs over three consecutive nights, October 2 – 4, 8.30pm, LIVE on SBS Australia and streaming live at SBS On Demand.
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