Pirates, police and parliament: a refugee’s journey
Trung Luu’s story is an exemplar of what hard work and courage can achieve when starting a life in a new country.
The Member of the Legislative Council for western Melbourne started his journey as a small child aboard a boat escaping from Vietnam after the fall of Saigon.
He is now Shadow Assistant Minister for Police, Corrections and Crime Prevention.
Besides being a representative for the Vietnamese community in parliament, he has also served in Victoria Police for 28 years and form 19 years with Australian Defence Reserves.
Now a proud father of five children, Trung has a lot to remember of his journey to Australia: his parents’ resilience and courage in rebuilding their lives, as well as what Australia has offered him and many other migrants and refugees.
“We left Vietnam by boat when I was about 5 or 6 years old,” Trung said.
The journey, of course, was not smooth as the boat Trung and his parents were on was, like many others, attacked by pirates.
“They tried to get whatever valuable was on the boat. This went on for seven days, much longer than what the trip should have taken,” he said.
Desperation was rising as food and water was not enough for everyone and did not last long.
And having reached Malaysia, the boat was turned back.
“There was a big influx of refugees at the time and the coast guard dragged us out,” Trung said.
As somebody tried to tip the boat over, people were forced to swim to shore. Some managed to reach a town to notify the Red Cross.
It was in that way that Trung and his parents were put in a refugee camp in Malaysia.
“We stayed there for six months, while most people stayed for years,” he said.
The family managed to receive approval to be allowed into Australia.
“We arrived in Sydney in 1979,” he said.
Trung and his parents arrived here with no possessions, besides small things like a wallet and some photos, while the family had no relatives here.
“My parents could not find a job, as language was an issue at the time,” Trung said, describing the early struggles of his family.
Shortly after their arrival in Sydney, his aunty and grandma arrived in South Australia and the family moved there for a few months to find work.
While Trung’s father managed to secure a job in a farm, it was seasonal work and the family needed something stable.
The family moved to Melbourne and Trung started primary school in Box Hill.
They were staying friends when Trung’s father secured a job, enabling the family to set money aside to buy a house of their own.
“As a kid, you are aware, but also not fully aware of what the adults go through,” Trung said.
“We hardly went out, I missed out on getting toys, but you understand your parents can’t afford that,” he said.
While he was unable to enjoy what children his age did, he understood that his parents were doing everything to secure a better future for him.
“My parents got a house in Blackburn North, after I finished grade 4 in Box Hill,” he said.
As Trung was growing up and soon after started high school, he remembers how few Vietnamese students were at school.
“There were hardly any Vietnamese kids in high school,” he said.
“My friends were all Australians and Europeans.”
It was only when he went to university that things diversified.
“I studied civil engineering, but I still wanted to help people, so that’s why I chose to join the police force,” he said.
“I wanted the Vietnamese community to have a voice, to speak on their behalf.”
Trung’s sentiment is reflected in the recent news of a Vietnamese museum being in the works.
“Vietnamese people have contributed in all types of areas – they are doctors, lawyers, businesspeople. They have contributed widely and greatly to Australian society,” he said.
“I, myself, am trying to influence more younger generations to get involved in politics.”
Trung believes this is the only way in which you can have a voice for your community and represent it.
“In politics, you are part of rebuilding the country,” he said.
Trung believes that we can only move forward as a society only if we learn more about one another.
“Knowledge is power, informing people about the stories, challenges and contributions different groups have made to Australian society can bring people closer, it can unite and make them understand where the community came from and what it did,” he said.
“When people do not understand what you have contributed, it always creates a ‘you and me’ situation, but when they do, the ‘you and me’ turns into ‘us’.”
When reflecting on the perceptions some people may have on refugees and migrants, Trung has his own view on what might be causing such ideas.
“People come to Australia from countries where destruction prevails and they have bad experiences, and they try to build something better for the next generation,” he said.
Trung said it is only in recent years that perceptions on refugees and migrants have been distorted.
“People generally do not have bad opinions about refugees and migrants, it is only in recent years that all kinds of activists have been advocating on their behalf, but in the process, they give them a bad name,” Trung said.
“It’s a privilege to be here, it’s not a right, and people need to understand that.”
“Even before people arrive here, such activists demand that refugees immediately receive full rights, and they end up portraying them in a wrong light in the process,” he said.
Trung thinks political games also get in the way but, nevertheless, recognises that Australia is a country that can, ultimately, help everybody.
“We’ve got a vast country, we have resources but, unfortunately, politics come into play. There are places for a lot more people to settle in Australia,” Trung said.
Trung’s story is one that reflects and highlights how Australia can only flourish by giving a chance to refugees and migrants to rebuild their lives in a new country.
Katerina Hatzi