MARIBYRNONG resident Cuc Lam was added to the State Government’s Victorian Honour Roll of Women for 2007, last Thursday for her work among multi-cultural communities.
She was named at the International Women’s Day celebrations and joins a prestigious list of women who have excelled in their chosen field such as sporting great Cathy Freeman and first Victorian woman premier Joan Kirner.
Jacinta Allan, Minister for Women’s Affairs, said these women were selected because they made a “lasting contribution to lives of Victorians”.
Mrs Lam was among 30 women to be recognised this year. However, the roll was launched in 2001 as part of Centenary of Federation Celebrations and will end next year during the centenary of women’s suffrage in Victoria, with 386 women now on the honour roll.
Mrs Lam, a 1997 City of Maribyrnong councillor, said she was “humbled” to be added to the roll.
“It says to me to work harder to contribute to Australia,” she said.
Mrs Lam has worked at Centrelink since 1997, covering Footscray and Sunshine, as a multi-cultural services officer.
She provides information to migrant and refugee communities about Centrelink’s support services.
But her work in the community does not stop there. She has been the school council president for the Western English Language School, Braybrook, for the past six years.
“I am also on the Western Region Health Centre’s board of directors, multicultural adviser on the board of the Western Hospital, in the past I have been multi-cultural adviser for the Victorian Privacy Commission – the committee is no longer and also a multi-cultural adviser to the Western zone fire brigades,” she said.
Mrs Lam said the desire to support the community as a volunteer is something she continued in Australia following her arrival in the country as a refugee from Vietnam.
As a youngster she was a volunteer with the Red Cross in Vietnam and one of her life’s highlights was participating in the Commonwealth Games’ closing ceremony last year, carrying a picture of her self as a 20-something Red Cross volunteer.
“I love being a volunteer,” she said. “I think it’s once in a life time opportunity to be part of a Commonwealth Games, it gives me a sense of belonging to the Australian community.”
Mrs Lam said that when she retires she wants to resume her work with the Red Cross and has studied blood pathology to help with specimen (blood) collection.
Since her arrival in Australia her work has centred on helping migrants and refugees adapt to life in a new country, as her own experience showed that it can be difficult to settle into a new life.
She left Saigon, Vietnam with her husband, disguised as a fisherwoman in 1978.
She was in the first weeks of a pregnancy out on the open seas in a small fishing boat for eight days with about 30 other people.
The group was picked up by a larger ship, a navy vessel and taken to Thailand and then to Malaysia where Mrs Lam was given the option to migrate to the West.
She arrived at a mid-way hostel – now the Maribyrnong Detention Centre – with her husband Minh and a red suitcase.
The tale of the suitcase is now family lore.
“What happened is, we were in Malaysia in the refugee camp and then we got accepted,” Mrs Lam said.
“I did not bring anything because we came as a fisherwoman/ fisherman.
“My two things that are very valuable to me are my mother’s earrings and my wedding ring.
“So I decided because my mother passed away when I was 13-years-old I don’t want to sell her earrings because I want to give it to my children.
“I keep it and sell my wedding ring to buy the red suitcase, to bring it with me to a new country.
“Because I believe when you come to the new country you don’t want to be empty handed, even an empty suitcase, it looks like something with you.
“It makes you feel good … it’s like you bring hope for the future- inspiration in that suitcase.
“That’s why I work hard to make a living- there is nothing coming from nothing.”
Mrs Cuc still has the red suitcase and keeps it in a plastic bag to teach her three children and future grand children the lessons she has learned.
“The other thing I would say is, I really love to live in Australia.I love Melbourne,” Mrs Cuc said.
Mrs Cuc was also awarded the 2002 Commonwealth Public Service medal in 2002.
