once upon a time in cabramatta
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Lisa Maher: Shares a moment when she saw two young girls turn away from their mother as they had become drug addicts.
Professor Lisa Maher is Program Head of the Faculty of Medicine and Senior Research Fellow at the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the University of NSW.
Hien Le: Blames Professor Blainey for seeding unnecessary fear due to comments against Asian migration. Community leader Hien Le says the comments distracted Australians from the humanitarian needs of the Vietnamese.
Hien arrived in Australia as a refugee from Vietnam in 1980. Hien is the Vice-President (Planning) of the ...
Vincent Doan: Shares a moment of frustration and sadness when a hopeful young boy's life was taken away due to drugs.
Vincent Doan left Vietnam by boat in 1978 at 16 years of age. In 1985 he started working as an outreach officer in Bankstown and in 1991 moved to the Cabramatta Community Centre.
Lam Nguyen: Recalls the moment when he realized he had become a heroin addict. For years, the drug took over Lam's life, eventually leading him to jail.
Lam Nguyen's family migrated to Australia in 1995. In 1996 he became involved in heavy heroin use and spent a year in prison. With the help of his parents, Lam has turned...
Vincent Doan: Family unity and pride are of paramount importance to the Asian community. Vincent believes the need to uphold family pride becomes a major obstacle to welfare work as the community become reluctant to open up about their problems.
Vincent Doan left Vietnam by boat in 1978 at 16 years of age. In
1985 he sta...
Tony Hoang: A heroin relapse in church awakened Tony to seek help. He said from that moment on he found redemption in God.
Tony Hoang is the oldest son of the Hoang Family. Tony believes years of childhood domestic violence and an estranged relationship with his feather led to his involvement in the gangs and heroin. He s...
Thang Ngo: Was empowered to strive for a solution after receiving a letter from school-children about drug users at the Cabramatta Hughes St Playground.
Thang Ngo was born in Vietnam in 1966 and arrived in Australia as a refugee in July 1977. Thang became a Fairfield Councillor in 1999. He was instrumental in bringing ab...
Lam Nguyen: Reformed drug dealer and addict Lam Nguyen remembers being a child and battling with the values of his parents and the culture of Australia. He says the conflicts subjected him to child-abuse and rebellion against his father.
Lam Nguyen's family migrated to Australia in 1995. In 1996 he became involved in heav...
Tony Hoang: Remembers when he was bullied in school because his parents would dress him in his uncle's clothes which were too big for him.
Tony Hoang is the oldest son of the Hoang Family. Tony believes years of childhood domestic violence and an estranged relationship with his feather led to his involvement in the gangs...
Joe Le: Drugs became the only solution for Joe Le as he struggled to fit into Australian society.
Joe Le was born in a Malaysian refugee camp in 1983 and came to Australia with his mother. Joe left home at age fifteen because of family violence and moved in with gang members. In 1999, Joe was
arrested and spent time in p...
Joe Le: Shares some dark experiences in Cabramatta which have become a "tattoo" which he can never remove.
Joe Le was born in a Malaysian refugee camp in 1983 and came to Australia with his mother. Joe left home at age fifteen because of family violence and moved in with gang members. In 1999, Joe was
arrested and spent t...
Lam Nguyen: Reformed drug dealer and addict Lam Nguyen is using experiences from the past to guide his children towards a better way of life.
Lam Nguyen's family migrated to Australia in 1995. In 1996 he became involved in heavy heroin use and spent a year in prison. With the help of his parents, Lam has turned his life ...
Thang Ngo: Bob Carr's laws to help clean up Cabramatta gave the community renewed hope. Thang Ngo remembers the day his friends called him that day to say "we did it".
Thang Ngo was born in Vietnam in 1966 and arrived in Australia as a refugee in July 1977. Thang became a Fairfield Councillor in 1999. He was instrumental ...
Former MP Helen Sham-Ho: Gives credence to the Policy Inquiry into Cabramatta as it gave the community much needed hope that change was possible.
Helen Sham-Ho chaired the 2001 Inquiry into Police Resourcing in Cabramatta. She became a Liberal Party member in 1988 but resigned in 1998 when Prime Minister John Howard refu...
Thanh Hoang: Growing up was a struggle for Thanh as her parents insisted she speak Vietnamese, as they didn't understand English. Thanh was under pressure to always be at home to be the interpreter between her siblings and her parents.
Thanh Hoang is the daughter of Chau Hoang, born in 1981 in Bondi.
Thang Ngo: The rise of Pauline Hanson prompted Thang to question his identity.
Thang Ngo was born in Vietnam in 1966 and arrived in Australia as a refugee in July 1977. Thang became a Fairfield Councillor in 1999. He was instrumental in bringing about the Parliamentary Inquiry into Policing in Cabramatta and help draft it...
Hien Le: The term "refugee" was an unwelcomed label on the Vietnamese, as it was associated to feelings of devastation, fear and uncertainty.
Hien arrived in Australia as a refugee from Vietnam in 1980. Hien is the Vice-President (Planning) of the Vietnamese Community in Australia
– NSW Chapter (VCA/NSW), which is the um...
Tony Hoang: A stained past and dark experiences have empowered Tony to help uplift the troubled youth in Cabramatta.
Tony Hoang is the oldest son of the Hoang Family. Tony believes years of childhood domestic violence and an estranged relationship with his feather led to his involvement in the gangs and heroin. He served ...
Thang Ngo: As a young boy Thang slept in the same room as his parents as they were committed to "staying together, no matter what".
hang Ngo was born in Vietnam in 1966 and arrived in Australia as a refugee in July 1977. Thang became a Fairfield Councillor in 1999. He was instrumental in bringing about the Parliamentary ...
Thang Ngo: We rewrote the past, we started off fresh, we stepped off the plane and boat as fully pledged Australians.
Thang Ngo was born in Vietnam in 1966 and arrived in Australia as a refugee in July 1977. Thang became a Fairfield Councillor in 1999. He was instrumental in bringing about the Parliamentary Inquiry into ...