Last Post for the next couple of months - I'm still posting on Facebook though

Please check Asian Australian Newsfeed (AAusN) on Facebook as I'll continue to post articles on there.

Last post for the next six months.  It's been an interesting one and a half years blogging and posting and I think I'm ready for a change now.   I have learnt about so many Asian Australians and don't think I would have been able to do that had I stuck to being a model minority without any direction or identity.

I won't be doing nothing of course, I'll be helping Chung Wah Perth digitise their old photos and documents, and eventually put them online with full descriptions.  Chung Wah is in a bit of strife, they kicked out the old committee at the end of 2008 and replaced it with a new committee.  The old committee was comprised mostly of 3rd and 4th generation Australians, whereas the new committee are mostly 1st generation or non-Australians.  This past year was really funny because Chung Wah celebrated their 100 yr anniversary, but I don't think they quite knew what to celebrate.  Oh well, I hope I can offer some helpful suggestions on how they can be more community oriented.  Oh, and they are "non-political", in other words, kisser of all arses.

After that I am intending to work on a website that will collate all the information on Chinese ANZACs.  A bit like my Asian ANZACs table but a trillion times better.

Some people I would have like to blogged more on:


Charlie Teo (thanks EL for the links)
Modern  Day Dads

Some teaching vids
http://tv.unsw.edu.au/video/unsw-medicine-dean-s-series-2010-curing-the-incurable
http://tv.unsw.edu.au/video/curing-the-incurable-dr-charlie-teo


Rosie Quong
She was in Flower Drum Song and had somewhat of a career in acting.

William Poy
His wiki doesn't do him justice.  He was an excellent father figure and is a perfect F U Right Back to the Joy Lucks out there.   He was part of the volunteer militia whilst in HK and won a military medal for his bravery.  Both his kids went on to make a name for themselves.   Adrienne went on to become the first non-white Governor General of Canada whilst Neville became an Officer of the Order of Canada.

There's not a lot about him on the web but you can read a bit more here.

LJ Hooker

A biography by Natalia Hooker will be out late December or early January.  The website will go live next week www.ljhookertheman.com

John Quinlem

Harry Freame

And one last quickie from NZ
A feature film about an Asian girl and Nerdy White Guy.  Yuck.  I'm sorry, that was the wrong thing to say wasn't it?  How bad of me.   That should read Nerdy Pakeha Guy.  The movie was made by Asians too, and is apparently based on a true story but the maker/cast member got a bit defensive when I questioned them about it, cos it hit too close to home.  Your husband is white and nerdy and a loser.  I think Asian Australians might be slightly ahead now (of course in general, not based on just the one kiwi feature film)?  If you think the actress looks familiar, it's Michelle Ang, she is usually the hypersexualised token asian chick that gets paired up with non-asian guys.  Not her fault of course, unfortunately that's how the current system is.




Last word

The Year of Living Dangerously - John Quinlem, the real Billy Kwan

By now, most of you would have come across the movie called The Year of Living Dangerously by Peter Weir starring Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hunt.  You would also know that Linda Hunt played the role of Billy Kwan, a "Chinese-Australian dwarf of high intelligence and moral seriousness".  Yes, I know, WTF?@?@?

I came across an eulogy at danielbowen.com and was fascinated by the story of John Quinlem, Daniel's dad. Firstly that the character of Billy Kwan in the novel may have been based on him, but more importantly some of the things that John fought against in his life.

From the Eulogy:


Some of you have known Dad since well before my sister and I were born. Many old friends of his from around Australia have been in touch over the last few days, and we are learning more about his incredibly diverse life every day. It’s not that he kept his past life a secret, but clearly there was a lot more to him than he talked about.

As a young man, Dad had a teaching scholarship taken from him when the authorities discovered he was of Chinese heritage. He felt strongly about this and it lead him to fight against the establishment for what he believed was right.

****

Dad’s friend Christopher Koch wrote a well known book “The Year of Living Dangerously”. Dad used to say the Chinese-Australian photographer in the book, Billy Kwan, was partly based on him. I’m not sure I really believed it until I read it.

The character in the book calls everybody “Old man” — Dad used to call me that.
And the book describes the character:

Kwan was one of those people who rarely answer questions directly, and who start conversations in the middle.

That was very Dad.

************

There is also an obituary in the Courier Mail.

There is an extract on him in Mother of Rock: The Lillian Roxon Story

And an 1949 article about his fight with authorities (name spelt wrong)

“You couldn’t have a full-blooded aborigine or Chinese teaching”

Source
Danel Bowen's Blog:-
The Funeral
'You couldn't have a full-blooded aborigine or Chinese teaching"

Wing Music

In case you haven't heard of Wing, you can hear her in all her glory at her website http://www.wingmusic.co.nz/.  This is one kiwi we won't be claiming thanks!

She even made it to South Park...

Acclaim for young at art

JACQUELYN NGO would prefer to keep her paintings, but the six-year-old's artwork could sell for thousands of dollars when her Through Young Eyes exhibition opens this week.

''I'd imagine early hundreds for her small works to the early thousands for the larger ones,'' said Steven Alderton, the director of the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.

The Liverpool City Council's gallery will host an exhibition of 30 of the young master's oil paintings in its new Kids' Gallery to be opened by mayor Wendy Waller.

Mr Alderton came across Jacquelyn's artwork a few months ago when she won the children's category of the Liverpool City Art Prize.

''She has a very fresh painterly ability,'' he said.

''It's light and bright and energetic and you can feel that youngness in the canvas.''

He admitted he was initially sceptical that the paintings could be created by an artist so young, so he sent a colleague to watch Jacquelyn paint for 2½ hours.

''She was crying she was so amazed at the young girl's talent,'' Mr Alderton said.

Jacquelyn is not the first child artist to be exhibited.

In 2008 Melbourne's Brunswick Street Gallery unknowingly agreed to exhibit the paintings of Aelita Andre, then aged 22 months, as part of a group show. When gallery director Mark Jamieson discovered her age, he said:

''I was shocked and, to be honest, a little embarrassed.''

But he decided to proceed with the exhibition.

Mr Alderton said he had no problem with giving gallery space to an artist so young.

''Some people have natural talent,'' he said. ''Mozart at a young age knew what to do with the keys on a piano. Darren Lockyer knew what to do with a rugby ball in his hand. Some people clearly have inherent talent.''

Jacquelyn's aunt Thu Ngo said the family had noticed her talent when she was three. ''She started drawing this and that,'' she said. ''Her sketches were quite good, so we thought maybe we should do something about it.''

Jacquelyn, who also plays piano, was mentored by artist Trong Nhon Do, but the inspiration for her paintings is all her own. ''I paint everything,'' she said. ''I paint people and animals and landscapes.''

Asked if she wanted to become an artist, Jacquelyn said: ''I think so.''

Mr Alderton believes Jacquelyn has a promising career ahead of her and could be a future winner of the Archibald or Moran Prize.

''Absolutely. She's very talented. I might ring Edmund [Capon, director of the Art Gallery of NSW] up and see if we can get her entered.''
Source

(Thanks EL)

Northbridge History Project

Was forwarded on this site, there is quite a lot of info in the form of photos, recordings and transcripts on Chinese Australians in the Northbridge area.  Northbridge used to be a really crap area, then it got better after all the new migrants came in the 80s because of the diversity of the food on offer.  Then it got shit again, it's currently the glassing capital of WA.

There are photos of Chinese servicemen and women on the site as well.

http://www.northbridgehistory.wa.gov.au/

Australian Chinese War Memorial

I've never seen it but will definitely check it out if I'm in Sydney,  heres a clip from youtube, they are rehearsing for something.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of info about the memorial on the net.

Ninja Fail dude the wrong Wong

(via ABC Australian Born Chinese Facebook group)