Asian Australian Newsfeed (AAusN)

We have moved........

2011-04-21T21:12:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, we will be moving to a new site at http://aausn.blogspot.com. I will start posting articles on there once I finish sorting out some of the layout and I hope it's easier to navigate. Please redirect your links to the new addy.

Cheers!

Chinese in Australian Politics politicians forum

2011-04-01T20:28:00.000+08:00

Chinese in Australian Politics politicians forum Sydney 8 Sept 2010 from Andrew Jakubowicz on Vimeo.

Asian models change face of fashion

2011-04-01T20:23:00.000+08:00

Jessica Gomes

A NEW group of Asian models from Japan, Taiwan, China and South Korea are redefining the face of international fashion.

They are not yet household names, but they are sharing international runways and starring in lucrative advertising campaigns alongside the world's highest-paid beauties.

Chinese model Liu Wen is the most successful of the group. From Beijing, Wen's trajectory started on the pages of the Chinese editions of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar. In 2008 she made her first appearance in Paris on the catwalk for Jean Paul Gaultier and Chanel. Recently, Estee Lauder signed her as a new face and she is the 10th-highest-paid model in the world.
Advertisement: Story continues below

The Taiwanese actor-turned-model Godfrey Tsao is the latest to join this crop of mainly female models. Taller than most of his countrymen at 1.85 metres, Tsao has become the first Asian male to star in a menswear advertising campaign for the French fashion house Louis Vuitton.

Stephen Lee from New York's NEXT Model Management, which represents the Chinese model Shu Pei Qin, who is the world-wide face of Maybelline cosmetics, believes this is not a fleeting trend.

''There's been a very significant rise and demand towards the Asian look in the last five years, specifically from the Chinese market with its burgeoning economy and accessibility to a huge population. I do believe it's now an established market that will only grow as high-end products become even more accessible to the Asian population,'' Lee said.

In Australia, the Eurasian models Rachel Rutt and Jessica Gomes are redefining the sun-kissed blue-eyed blonde stereotype. Rutt is of Singaporean and British heritage and grew up in Japan before moving to Australia in 2005. The Sydney-based model has featured in campaigns for Sportsgirl, Saba, General Pants and on the pages of Marie Claire, Grazia and in Vogue Italia. Gomes was born in Perth of Singaporean and Portuguese heritage. Now based in New York, she has worked with DKNY and was the face of the Sean Combs Unforgivable fragrance.

Kathy Ward from Sydney's Chic Management, which represents Rutt and Gomes, does not like to label the pair. She puts their success down to the fact that they stand out in the crowd. ''They are both definitely in demand. Jessica has a busy schedule internationally and a huge following in South Korea and Rachel has the look of the moment. She's in high-demand for mainstream fashion media, advertising at Australian Fashion Week.''

Asian models have found success in the past - the 1980s model Tina Chow being one of the most famous - but ethnic diversity has long been a fraught topic within the fashion industry. The face of fashion is a homogeneous one, with those blessed with long thin white limbs dominating the pages of international fashion magazines. Beauties from eastern Europe, America and Britain are traditionally the highest paid models in the world. The top five female models today hail from Poland, Denmark, Netherlands, Russia and Australia (Melbourne's Abbey-Lee Kershaw). The debate, however, has mainly focused on the representation of black models. Naomi Campbell is an outspoken campaigner on the issue and in 2009 caused controversy when she told Glamour magazine that the fashion industry was racist. ''You know, the American president may be black, but as a black woman, I am still an exception in this business. I always have to work harder to be treated equally,'' Campbell said.

A Lanvin designer, Alber Elbaz, recently said he did not see colour when he was casting his catwalk crew. ''I use blonde, brunette, redhead, black and Asian models - I never do it to be politically correct.''

Elbaz may be speaking the truth or pulling expensive wool over our eyes. Not one luxury fashion house could deny that its bread is now buttered in Asia.

The bag Tsao is modelling, right, is called the Elvis but it is not only nostalgic Americans whom Louis Vuitton is hoping to draw into the store.

Both Louis Vuitton and Gucci have grown exponentially in China during the past five years. Gucci opened its first store inside the Peninsula Hotel in 1997 and now there are over 25 boutiques in 16 cities. Louis Vuitton first set up shop at the Peninsula Hotel in 1992 and now operates over 20 boutiques across China.

According to a TNS Retail Forward study Strategic Focus: China's Retail Landscape by 2015 China is expected to have passed the US and equalled Japan as the world's biggest market for luxury goods.''Everybody in the fashion/beauty industry recognises the importance of global markets, and currently China, Taiwan and South Korea are at the forefront,'' the make-up artist Dick Page told American Vogue last year in a story dedicated to Asian beauties.

Source

Thrown into the deep end, teenager's fears turn to smiles

2011-04-01T20:20:00.000+08:00

KENNETH TO cannot remember all the details of his first day in the pool but he is certain he did not like it.
Born in Hong Kong, the Ashbury teenager - who made two finals at the world short course titles in Dubai this month - came from a family who could not swim and was scared of the water. ''My first real lesson was at Ashfield public pool with my older sister when I was about five years old,'' he said.

''I really didn't like the feeling of being in the water when I started so mum and dad got me into swimming lessons to conquer that fear.'' Despite his parents being non-swimmers, Kenneth, 18, said they had made his safety a priority.
It was after completing a swimming program in year 3 at Haberfield Public School that Kenneth's skills really started to develop. He is now considered a likely prospect for the London Olympics in 2012.

''If you're born in Australia or grow up in Australia, swimming is built into the culture, but trying to get people from other cultures to learn to swim is important, especially people from Middle Eastern or Asian backgrounds who don't really have pools or access to water,'' he said.

''I'm pretty sure all parents always want their kids to be safe, especially around pools and beaches in Australia. It is a vital life skill that every kid has to have from when you're young.''

Source

Little Sparrows Wins DigiSPAA Award

2011-04-01T20:15:00.000+08:00

Camille Chen's debut feature film Little Sparrows has won the SPAARTAN Award in the 2010 DigiSPAA feature film competition, part of the Screen Producers Association of Australia's (SPAA) annual conference.

Little Sparrows traces the emotional journey of three sisters (played by Nina Deasley, Melanie Munt and Arielle Gray) whose mother Susan (Nicola Bartlett) is dying of breast cancer. As the women gather to celebrate what will be their last Christmas with their mother, the film explores and reflects upon the individual journeys of the three sisters, the decisions they've made and their family relationships.

The film was shot on location in Chen's home state of Western Australia in December 2009. The world premiere of the film took place at the Sydney Film Festival in June this year and it also recently screened as part of the 5^th International Rome Film Festival.

DigiSPAA is a celebration of the use of digital media technologies in filmmaking. When asked to describe how digital technology influenced the production process of Little Sparrows, Chen says that the use of this technology provided her with "a different kind of creative freedom and versatility," allowing her to be "as unobtrusive as possible and almost pseudo-documentary in style" whilst remaining "drama-focused."

Chen describes the reception of the film both within and outside Australia as "overwhelming and positive. Whichever city we screen the film I constantly become amazed how people come to understand the film, particularly women."

When asked about the production process behind Little Sparrows, Chen says that one of her goals as director was to "inspire people to give the best in themselves. The energy we were able to experience during the shoot translates on the screen so well."

Chen goes on to describe the most rewarding aspect of the filmmaking process as the "fact that we self-funded the film which allowed us so much creative control", going on to say that the "beauty of independent filmmaking is the responsibility you have to yourself."

Little Sparrows has secured an international distribution deal with Paris-based international sales agent Urban Media International. An Australian release is still to be confirmed.

For more information on Camille Chen and Little Sparrows, click here.

Source

Dump time!

2011-04-01T20:07:00.001+08:00

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

2010-12-02T16:54:00.011+08:00

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

2010-12-02T15:25:00.001+08:00

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

2010-12-02T14:40:00.000+08:00

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...

WW1 & 2: Harry Freame aka ANZAC Bushido - Japanese Australian

2010-12-02T14:34:00.000+08:00

Sergeant Harry Freame photographed in England 1916.

In August 1914, in the New South Wales town of Glen Innes, a man with somewhat unusual features presented himself for enlistment in the AIF. He gave his birthplace as Kitscoty, Alberta, Canada.2

Many assumed him to be of Eskimo extraction; some thought perhaps he was an American Indian; others believed him to be Mexican. In fact, the newly-recruited Wykeham Henry ‘Harry’ Freame was none of these.

Harry Freame was born in 1880 in the Japanese city of Osaka. His parents were William Freame, an Australian working in Japan as an English teacher, and Shizu Kitagawa, whose Japanese ancestry dated back to the Shoguns of the 16th century.3

The young Harry faced an upbringing of vast complexity—influenced by the inner peace of his mother’s Shinto beliefs and the strict ideals and dominance of his Western father. Not surprisingly, Harry was sent to England at the age of 15 to further his education.

Though well-educated and fluent in English and Japanese, Harry chose the life of an adventurer. He fought in the Mexican Wars, serving as intelligence officer to President Porforio Diaz and later confided to friends to joining a band of international mercenaries in German East Africa, to assist in suppressing the native uprising
of 1904.4

He returned to Mexico in 1910, but when the Diaz Government collapsed, Harry became a wanted man with a price on his head, and was forced to escape the country by packhorse. Making his way to a Chilean port, Harry boarded a ship bound for Australia.4

With the outbreak of World War 1, Freame enlisted in the AIF and was allocated to the newly-formed 1st Battalion. Because of his experience, Harry was promoted to lance corporal and assigned the crucial job of battalion scout.2

As the desert training at Mena in Egypt intensified, the skills and knowledge Harry had acquired during his involvement in earlier campaigns began to surface. His confidence, swashbuckling manner and air of individuality that would soon make him an ANZAC legend were slowly evolving.

First, he modified his uniform by attaching leather pads on elbows, knees and the insides of ankles. This allowed for easy movement when leopard crawling around no man’s land. Next, he discarded the standard .303 rifle and opted for a pair of pistols, worn on the hips. These were ideal for the close-in style of combat of the scout. A stout Bowie knife was sheathed in a boot scabbard. The last weapon included in his armoury was a small pistol, worn in a shoulder holster under his shirt. As a final touch, Harry added his trademark black and white bandanna, worn around his neck.4

Storming ashore at Gallipoli on the morning of 25 April 1915, Freame was attached to D Company, 1st Battalion, which landed in the second and third waves. With their backs to the sea, the Diggers of the battalion fought their way up the steep cliffs and through the rugged scrub. The battle-weary troops continued to push inland until mid afternoon when they were able to consolidate in small pockets along a bedraggled
line.

Freame found himself in a location alongside an area nicknamed The Nek. The position was under the command of Lieutenant Alfred Shout, who would subsequently be awarded both the Victoria and Military Crosses. Called away from his post, Lieutenant Shout left Harry in charge. Unbeknown to both, the Turks planned to launch a savage counterattack later that afternoon with the sole purpose of driving the intruders back into the sea.

Under a formidable onslaught of small arms fire, the Turkish attack was launched. Harry called for his 14-man force to number off. During a brief pause in the bombardment, he again called for his men to respond, but this time only nine answered. There was no respite as the Turks pressed home their relentless attack. When Lieutenant Shout arrived back at the scene, he ordered the force to fall back towards ANZAC Cove. On this call only one voice was left to reply—Freame’s.5

The next day, small pockets of men were still fighting independently. The commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Dobbin, was starved of vital information as to the plight of his men. Freame volunteered to make the steep climb into Monash Valley to assess the situation. On reaching his objective,
he found that the Turks not only held the immediate front but also the exposed flanks of the ANZACs.

In the semi-darkness, Harry made his way slowly towards the stranded men. He found them exhausted and parched with thirst, but still fighting. Accompanied by an unknown New Zealander, Harry descended part way into the valley, obtained the much needed water and then renegotiated the steep climb—amid
Turkish gunfire—back to the beleaguered soldiers. Then, knowing that the information he had gathered was required by his commanding officer, Freame sprinted down the valley, drawing a furious hail of
Turkish rifle and machine-gun fire as he went. Only after completing his report to Dobbin did Freame admit to being hit by sniper fire—twice on the last mad dash. For his actions during those first hectic days at Gallipoli, Freame was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.6

The war historian, Charles Bean, believed that Freame warranted the Victoria Cross, but at this point in the war no such award had been made to an Australian and his commanders were uncertain of the criteria for recommendation. Some believe that Harry Freame’s racial origins were a major factor in the award of the lesser decoration.

On 28 April 1915, Harry Freame was promoted to the rank of sergeant.2 Reports of
his actions had spread throughout the ANZAC trenches. Many credited him with having an uncanny sense of direction, an ability to find his way even in the pitch-black darkness of no man’s land. He continually made forays toward the Turkish lines, noting various ‘safe’ entry and exit points for patrols. However, Harry was fallible and made the mistake of using the same point twice. Two Turks had observed Freame on a previous sortie and they lay in wait for his return. As he approached, they pounced. Realising that resistance was useless, Harry surrendered. He handed over his two ‘hip’ pistols and his trusty Bowie knife, but fortunately,
he was not searched, and his small pistol remained hidden under his shirt.

AWM G01029A. Gallipoli
Peninsula, Turkey. 8 June 1915.
Sergeant Harry Freame,
1st Battalion AIF, looking through
a loophole.

The Turkish interrogation officer found Harry Freame to be a perfect gentleman and was amazed that an Australian could speak other languages. Freame was invited to share coffee and cigarettes with his captor. The ‘pleasantries’ over, Freame had little doubt that the Turkish officer’s next move would be to arrange for his execution. After all, Harry had been captured in the Turkish lines—the action of a spy.

He was placed in the custody of six Turks, to be marched under guard to the headquarters, some eight kilometres away. The guards surrounded Freame, two in front, one on each side and two at the rear. Although Harry acted as a defeated foe, with head down and moving at a sluggish pace, he was formulating a plan of escape. He was pinning his hopes on soldiers being soldiers, no matter what country’s uniform they wore. As he was marched away, his guards were alert and vigilant. After about a kilometre and a half, and out of direct sight of their officers, the guards relaxed. They slung their weapons and proceeded to chat animatedly among themselves. Harry saw his chance. He reached inside his shirt and drew the tiny revolver. Firing in a circular sweep and aiming for the third button above the waist belt, he hit both the front guards, missed one of those on his side and one at the rear. The surviving guards scattered in fright leaving Harry to scamper over an embankment and make his way back to his mates.4

On 6 June, Freame was sent out to assess the success of an earlier attack and to eliminate a troublesome machine-gun. He was accompanied by two young privates, one of whom had only recently arrived on the peninsula. Their job was to attract fire by throwing bombs into the trenches and then count the number and
note the type of weapons that responded. His two companions were to protect Harry’s rear. Making their way towards the trench, they spied the gun. Harry stood up and emptied his pistols toward the trench and threw his bombs. The only weapon to respond was a single Turkish Mauser. With his mission complete,
Harry returned to his escort and, crawling along the ground to avoid detection, the three made their way back towards the Australian lines. Although aware that a friendly patrol was outside the perimeter, an Australian sentry heard a noise and immediately fired in its direction. The round found its mark, hitting one of Freame’s escorts in the eye. The round continued through his neck and shoulder and exited to strike the second man. Harry dragged both men into the safety of the trench. The first man had been mortally wounded and died in hospital some 11 days later, the other was able to return to duty after treatment.7 For his actions, Harry Freame was Mentioned in Despatches by General Sir Ian Hamilton, commander of the Gallipoli campaign.

In August 1915, a crucial action against the Lone Pine trenches was launched and during one of the many Turkish counterattacks a single group of Australians was to suffer 31 dead or wounded. Amongst those wounded was Sergeant Harry Freame.

Harry had suffered a serious gunshot wound to the right arm, fracturing the elbow. He was first evacuated to the Greek island of Lemnos, but, due to the severity of the wound, he was forced to undergo further treatment at the Harefield Military Hospital in England. Harry could not be rehabilitated sufficiently for him to return to active duty and he was repatriated to Australia. He was discharged as medically unfit on 20 November 1916. The master scout’s days of fighting were over.2

After the war, Harry was joined by his English wife and settled on a farming property in the New England district of Armidale, New South Wales. In 1939, at the outbreak of the Second World War, Harry was seconded to again serve his country as an undercover operative. His job was to infiltrate and gain the confidence of Sydney’s Japanese community.

In the latter part of 1940, Freame was appointed to the Australian legation in Japan as an interpreter. It is believed that, prior to his departure for Tokyo, his undercover activities were discovered and relayed to Japan. In 1941 it was reported that he had succumbed to a serious throat condition, and he returned to Australia for treatment. Freame himself, however, was adamant that, in fact, Japanese military intelligence agents had attempted to murder him by garroting. He died in agony five weeks after his return.4

AWM ART11836. Barker, David, Sergeant
Harry Freame Drawing-crayon with brush
and ink heightened with white, 1930 Sydney
(Place executed), 22.2 x 22 cm 1930.
764 Sergeant Wykerham Henry ‘Harry’
Freame, was probably the most trusted scout
at ANZAC .

Harry Freame was an adventurer, a soldier of fortune and was reputed to be the most trusted scout on Gallipoli. In times of war, he was fearless, impulsive and always prepared for the unknown. His penchant for excitement and his daredevil disposition may well have been a legacy from his Japanese ancestors. Perhaps
his preferred way of life can best be summarised in the ancient expression,
‘… worthier to die a hero than live as a man of straw’.

1 Bushido: In Japanese, literally means ‘military knight’s way’. It is a code of honour and morals evolved by the
Samurai.
2 National Archives of Australia: B2455, WW1 Service Records, 764 Sergeant WH Freame, DCM
3 Shogun: A Japanese hereditary commander-in-chief and virtual ruler pre-1868
4 B Tait, The Gallipoli Samurai, The Weekender, 22 April 1995
5 Bean, CEW, The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918, Volume I, Australian War Memorial,
Canberra, 1936
6 AWM 28, Recommendation Files for Honours and Awards, AIF, 1914–1918
7 Bean, CEW, The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918, Volume II, Australian War Memorial,
Canberra, 1936

Source

Postscript 1:
The first is Australia's treatment of its large Japanese community during and then at the end of the war when we simply classified them as "seamen", a legal fiction allowing mass deportation.

Postscript 2:
Freame's son,Lieutenant Harry Freame Jr,served with the 2/24th Battalion 9th Division in WW2,and was killed in action at Tarakan, Borneo in May 1945.

Freame lead an assault on a Japanese underground bunker position near the Tarakan airfield using flamethrowers and grenades.Freame was wounded and was killed a few nights later when a Japanese infiltrator thew a fused shell into the hospital ward he was at.

Courage and Service - Chinese Australians and World War II

2010-12-02T13:45:00.001+08:00

I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of the above study by Diana Giese. I've also found out who the people in the below pic are (because it's on the cover of the book):

Cover photographs (from top): Jack Goon (third from left) from 1940 served in the Army Signal Corps, the RAAF in Melbourne and Sydney, the Dutch East Indies and Borneo, and from 1946 with the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces in Japan. On return to Australia, he worked as an intelligence lieutenant, specialising in Asian affairs. These mates are Indonesian, seconded to the RAAF in 1941-41.
(courtesy Jack Goon)

George Fong ,an engineering student at Melbourne University and a talented jazz musician, joined the RAAF in 1942. He was mustered as an airman pilot, commissioned in 1943, and sent to Britain. He was transferred to the Middle East in 1944, and his plane was lost at seaout of Palestine in 1945.
(courtesy Peter Liefman)

Eunice Leong (top left) worked from 1940 as a wireless operator for the Army in Melbourne, Sydney and Alice Springs, and as a signals instructor at Bonegilla. Her sister Valda worked as a radar plotter with the WAAAF, and her brother Max went with the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces to Japan after the War. Their family, the Chinns, were active in raising money for the War effort, including War in China.
(courtesy Eunice Leong)

Edit: I am in the process of moving all the information to http://chineseanzacs.blogspot.com

Freally!

2010-12-02T13:31:00.000+08:00

Interesting concept by two AAs

Freally.com

"An Australian based website wants to be the Ebay of free stuff while helping out the environment at the same time

Freally.com, the brainchild of Sydney-siders Eric Bae and Xiangwei Meng, allows users to post their unwanted possessions online so that anyone who wants them can arrange to pick them up.

The pair said they were inspired by the amount of unused and unwanted objects taking up space in their households.

“We looked around and just realised how much junk we had amassed over the years and we didn’t want to go through the hassle of selling them. But we thought there has to be someone who would want this,” said Bae.

“We tried a lot of other sites out there and realised each had its limitations. Some were quite outdated and very inconvenient in organising pick-ups while others were terrible when items were not collected. We wanted Freally to offer the best online recycling experience there is, and I think we made it quite close.”

In four months of operation the website has seen almost a thousand users sign up and given away everything from a glue stick to an electric keyboard."

Freally.com

Acclaim for young at art

2010-12-02T13:25:00.000+08:00

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

2010-12-02T13:20:00.000+08:00

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

2010-12-02T13:15:00.000+08:00

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.

Adam Aitken - Poems to Share

2010-12-02T12:03:00.000+08:00

Ninja Fail dude the wrong Wong

2010-12-01T22:28:00.000+08:00

(via ABC Australian Born Chinese Facebook group)

Adam in Waikiki - AA blog

2010-12-01T12:17:00.000+08:00

Was passed on the link to this blog

http://adamaitken.blogspot.com/

"I am an Asian Australian poet interested in photography, culture, politics, creative writing, current affairs to do wtih Asian communities in australia and in my own mother's birthplace. Thailand."

follow up to Broome article

2010-12-01T09:40:00.003+08:00

For some women they were also fighting inhumane Government policies of the time, especially if they had an inter-racial relationship.

Trish Jones's father Lani Fois was a Koepanger from the island of Roti, now in Indonesia and close to the Kimberley coast. Lani was a head diver and captain of a lugger for Morgan's Pearling Company.

His crime, says Trish who found court records in family files, was to fall in love with Yawuru woman Elsie Lee.

"My mother was a very beautiful, beautiful exotic looking woman and my father of course was a handsome Koepanger head diver," says Trish.

They met in the 1940s at many of Broome's social occasions - dances, music nights and cultural groups' festivals - which were well attended by locals of all backgrounds.

The couple had two children, but that didn't stop authorities from threatening Lani Fois with deportation to Roti if he did not cease his relationship.

"My mother was also pressured to into breaking off their relationship because he was Koepang and she was Aboriginal."

Lani received three official warnings, which Trish says she found in her mother's files from the Native Welfare office, before he was brought before the courts.

"The Broome Magistrate fined him three pounds six shillings for the crime of falling in love with my mother," Trish says. He was sent to work on a road camp in the east Kimberley not long after his second child was born.

"But fortunately love proved too strong and Lani came back to find her and they both lived together as husband and wife."

Trish was then born, but tragedy was soon to strike the family. Lani died aboard his lugger in a storm. Trish, the youngest of his three children, was just two years old.

The ceremony to unveil the statue was well attended on a sultry tropical evening. As huge clouds pulsed with lightning over the Bay, Broome women spoke of the sacrifices their families had made, the love and laughter, and the importance of never forgetting their stories when writing Broome's history.

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Huegill wins Australian Sports Performer of the Year

2010-12-01T09:30:00.000+08:00

GEOFF HUEGILL'S phenomenal comeback, a body-changing, life-altering feat to shed a third of his body weight and rediscover the athlete within and win Commonwealth Games gold, last night won him the 2010 Australian Sports Performer of the Year.

The award, voted on by the public, is due recognition of the magnitude of the task in going from fat to fast again, but also the affection there is for him with the Australian public. Huegill last night said the award was the perfect end to a dream year.

''For me it is a good way to cap off an amazing year,'' he said. ''I am so honoured I have been even nominated considering I am here with the likes of the Steve Hookers, the Mark Webbers and Torah Bright and others. It's been a dream come true. When I first made the comeback it was more about getting fit and hopefully inspiring others to lead a better life.

''It's been well documented depression was one of the things I suffered with and I found getting back into exercise gave me that sense of fulfilment and sense of purpose again … I think you have to go through the nightmares to appreciate the dreams you are going through and one of the things I have always said in my return is I really appreciate that, the highs and the lows.''

Huegill's comeback, which reads like a Hollywood script, featured his trimming 45kg from his body as he fought to return to the top of world swimming and the butterfly - the event he once dominated.

After retiring from swimming after a disappointing Athens Olympic Games in 2004 and watching his weight balloon, Huegill came back and swam in Delhi, taking home gold medals in the 100 metre butterfly and 4 x 100 metre medley relay. The medals added to his long list of credits, including Olympic silver and bronze medals, five world championships, eight world records, five Commonwealth gold medals and 10 national championships.

Gan but not forgotten: Brendan to play for Malaysia instead of Australia?

2010-11-30T22:22:00.002+08:00

SATURDAY night's scoreless draw between Sydney FC and Melbourne Heart might not feature on the highlights reel any time soon but Brendan Gan hopes it marks the spot where his luck finally turned.

The young midfielder joined Sydney amid plenty of fanfare in 2008 after a scintillating season in the NSW Premier League, and while his first season under John Kosmina was fruitful - scoring twice and getting plenty of game time - it's been a different story under Vitezslav Lavicka.

The Sutherland Sharks product has fallen down the pecking order since Kosmina's departure but, in a sign things might be changing, the 22-year-old made his first start of the season at AAMI Park.
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He played 63 minutes, but his energy and enthusiasm were enough to remind Lavicka that Gan should not be forgotten.

''I was a bit short on match fitness and was pretty tired towards the end but I was really happy with how I went,'' he said. ''I helped put together the move that ended with Simon Colosimo making a great clearance off the line, which was probably the best chance of the match. The more time I play, the more I think I can improve and show everyone that I have something to offer this team.''

Asked if he'd done enough to keep his position for the midweek match against Wellington Phoenix, Gan was confident he'd remain on the team sheet: ''Of course it's up to the coaches to do what's best for the team but I'd like to think I'll be playing on Wednesday night.''

Perhaps most crucial to Gan's chances will be the fitness of first-team trio Bruno Cazarine, Stephan Keller and Scott Jamieson, all of whom failed to travel to Melbourne, and will be monitored this week.

Previously a central or attacking midfielder, Gan was instructed by the coaching staff to change his game and learn to play with width, utilising his natural pace with a view to challenging for the right-midfield position that has been difficult to fill since the loss of Karol Kisel.

''The coaches have asked me to make that change, and they've had me focusing on becoming a real box-to-box winger,'' he said. ''It's not a position I've really played in before so it's going to take some changes in my game. But I'll work on it because if that's what they want, I'll keep working until I can get it right.''

Gan described the past year as a ''frustrating experience'', and knows it won't get any easier with the likes of Terry Antonis and Dimitrios Petratos coming through the ranks, while Rhyan Grant, another youngster, is also nipping at his heels. Out of contract at season's end, Gan admitted it was not a nice place to be.

''It's always in the back of your mind when you're out of contract, and not always playing every week,'' he said. ''I'd love to get a new deal with Sydney, and all I can do is keep pressing my claims at training and when I get a chance to play. If that doesn't happen then it's up to me to leave an impression on other clubs. Hopefully, someone thinks I've got something to offer.''

While his hopes of playing for Australia are unlikely to be realised any time soon, Gan's prospects of playing for Malaysia (through bloodlines) are being boosted by the locals who have identified him as a strong prospect for the Tigers.

''My inbox [on] Facebook is overflowing with messages from Malaysian fans who want me to come and play for them,'' he said. ''There's been no contact so far from the Malaysian FA but I'd definitely be open to it.''

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Adam Liaw Interview on SBS

2010-11-30T20:39:00.001+08:00

Here

Tribute to Broome's forgotten women

2010-11-30T11:20:00.000+08:00

Appearing to burst out of the water, holding a precious pearl shell aloft, a new 3m-high bronze cast of a female Aboriginal pearl diver unveiled on Broome’s foreshore on Friday appears graceful at first glance.

But a closer look reveals a less romantic story, as the woman is pregnant and she is gasping for air.

The new public memorial, created over a decade by sculptors Joan and Charlie Smith, pays homage to the resilience and suffering of the forgotten women of pearling in Broome – both early divers and those who supported the industry from land.

In the first instance, it acknowledges the horrendous early 19th century practice of “blackbirding” – the forcible kidnapping of Aboriginal women to pearl luggers, where they dived for pearl shells in deep water, often without breathing apparatus. Unsurprisingly, many of the women drowned.

Djugan and Yawuru woman Mary Theresa Torres Barker, 72, said she had heard painful stories from her grandmother Polly Drummond, about the “sad time” in Broome’s history.

“In the early days, there was no-one to do the job and they found the women had the lung capacity to stay underwater longer – they were the best,” Mrs Barker said.

“Sometimes they used to go a little bit further and they would put the woman in respirators but tie stones to their legs to keep them down … they were knocked around, tied on the dinghies.

“It was very cruel – just talking about it makes me sad.”

The practice died out in the 1890s, several years after Broome was gazetted, when men brought in to build the wooden jetty brought male skin divers with them.

But the statue also acknowledges the on-shore women who helped Broome’s pearl shell industry to thrive, during its heydays in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

From the early days, women worked for pearlers as domestic help – and in many cases, bore their children. Mixed families were often torn apart when Asian indentured workers were suddenly deported, leaving their women to raise children alone.

Researcher Sarah Yu said the statue’s location on the foreshore placed the spotlight back on a rich part of Broome’s heritage which was often ignored.

From the late 1800s to early 1900s, hundreds of pearl luggers would pass through the area en route to Streeter’s Jetty.

The mothers, wives and children of lugger crews would also assemble there, gazing out over the water and waiting anxiously for the return of their loved ones on the spring tides. Hearts sank when they arrived with flags at half-mast, indicating that more of their men had died at sea.

Despite the area’s rich cultural history, only bare traces of the once-thriving industry at the site can still be seen, including three crumbling buildings, the jetty and remains of several pearlers’ camps, Mrs Yu said.

“The focus now is on pearls and camels on the beach and sunsets – whereas the true heritage of Broome lies within the stories of pearl shell,” she said.
“There was a whole life around the foreshore and the luggers – so (the statue) is trying to draw attention to that history.”

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Shenzhen elevator beating incident

2010-11-30T00:30:00.000+08:00

From Tianya:
These days a program called “the First Scene” on the Shenzhen local TV station aired a surveillance video clip showing a man senselessly beating another man in the elevator. The suspect was reported to be Australian Chinese named Liu Zinan (刘子楠). In the end, the victim’s arm was broken and his face stitched up. The police eventually sentenced Liu 10 days in detention and a 500 yuan fine. Netizens nation wide thought the punishment was laughably too light.

It was reported that the offender Liu Zinan is ethnic Chinese Australian citizen, his home town is in Hubei province, his father has very high social status.

Very high social status? Is his dad also Li Gang? (editor - Google "Li Gang" if you're not sure what it refers to)

CLICK HERE to see the CCTV footage

Update of the incident provided by Internet user: (comment #128, 129)

Mr. Liu’s (suspect) parents were separated when he was young. His mother took him to Australia where later he obtained Australian citizenship. In each of the past few years, he have always come back to see his father, this year he came back in early November intended to see the Asian Games opening ceremony. (Opening ceremony was on the evening of November 12^th, the incident happened in the morning on November 13^th)

Mr. Liu stayed in a residential building 31^st floor, and the victim Mr. Wang lived on the 32^nd floor. It was reported that Mr. Wang has been renovating his home in early mornings for several days. Mr. Liu was very upset because of the noise, that day after watching the Asian Games opening ceremony, upstairs was still renovating. (The time was 12:07 am) Mr. Liu decided to go downstairs to report to the police (which does not seem to be very believable, calling police on the phone would be more efficient) it just happened that he met Mr. Wang in the elevator, without exchanging any words, the beating started…

After the incident, the victim Mr. Wag was sent to Nanshan People’s Hospital, the forensic report was “light injuries” (轻微伤) at the time. (According to the law “light injuries” is only enough to hold suspect responsible for civil case, as to the more severe “minor injuries” can hold suspect criminal responsible) So Nanshan Public Security Bureau processed the case on these principles and gave the decision of 10 day detention and 500 yuan fine.

Later Mr. Wang went to the second hospital for a forensic report, this time the report was “minor injuries”. Accoding to the law, Nanshan Public Security can no longer handle cases with “minor injuries” (related to criminal case). So this cause has been transferred to the city’s criminal police department.

Netizens questioned, why not handle this case as robbery since Mr. Liu took victims’ laptop bag? The police said, after viewing the surveillance video later, Mr. Liu’s stepmother went upstairs and gave the bag back to the victim’s family 8 minutes after the incident, so the case cannot be handled as robbery.

According to the law, intentional causing minor injuries may be sentenced up to three years of imprisonment, criminal detention or house arrest.

If this case is defined as a civil case, and Mr. Wang chooses to prosecute, the judicial practice is usually to encourage reconciliation. So if Wang seeks compensation, and Liu really pays the compensation, then there is almost no possibility of jail time.

If the prosecutor decides to try this as a criminal case, then there will be both sentencing and compensation. The amount of the compensation then can be considered for a lighter sentence.

Powerful Uncle?

More speculations spread on the Internet, someone exposed that the suspect Liu Zinan’s uncle is a high ranking official of the police in Beijing. According to this blog, November 19 when people do not understand why the incident is developing in this way, the high-level official already intervened. Liu Zinan’s uncle in Beijing called the victim’s family, he was representing Beijing Public Security, ordered the victim to take no more legal action, and urge them to settle the case in private.

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Funnyman reduced to tears compiling best-selling memoir

2010-11-30T00:08:00.000+08:00

Anh Do, in his sons' cubby house, is renowned for his upbeat personality but admits he cried while writing parts of his book

Anh Do's moving account of life as a refugee has become a surprise hit.

WHETHER he's appearing on Thank God You're Here, Dancing with the Stars, Good News Week, or the rugby league Footy Show, Anh Do seems the most relentlessly cheerful of Australia's latest wave of stand-up comedians and TV personalities.

A cheeky smile has been the calling card of the Vietnam-born, Sydney-raised comic and actor who chose a career in stand-up after completing a law degree. But his computer keyboard was, he admits, wet with tears as he worked late into the night writing his memoir, The Happiest Refugee. ''It all came pouring out,'' he says.

If the title sounds almost a contradiction, it's one readers have embraced. The memoir has been a surprise hit, selling out in its first fortnight in September and riding high ever since, in some weeks being the best-selling Australian book. BookScan reports 40,000 copies have been sold and after 10 reprints, publisher Allen & Unwin has 65,000 in print.

This week, three months after its launch, it ranks fourth on BookScan's non-fiction chart behind two versions of Eat, Pray, Love, and Guinness World Records. The Vietnamese refugee story is outselling Stephen Fry, Russell Brand - and John Howard.

''It's just family stories,'' Do explains, but when your family grew up in a repressive communist state and risked their lives to flee in a boat, then the yarns you spin around the barbie when the clan gets together are going to be a little different.

''At Easter the family got together and we were giving one of my uncles a hard time about watching scary films because on the boat leaving Vietnam, when we were attacked by pirates, he wet his pants,'' Do said.

The escape to Australia is a gripping episode, familiar to so many refugees, told beautifully by Do, whose account of the horrors of that life-and-death journey retain a child-like innocence. His family's unfailing sense of humour in the face of that adversity is faithfully reflected in his story's poignant yet funny retelling.

Many who have read the book - family, friends and people who just emailed Do on his website - said they couldn't put it down, they read it in a couple of days or even one sitting.

''Lots of people are emailing me, saying the book made them laugh and it made them cry,'' says Do. ''I've got an email from a bloke who said he loved it, and it's the only book he's ever read.''

Alex Miller, Australian author of books including Lovesong and The Ancestor Game, met Do at the Brisbane Writers Festival.

''The book is like its author, a delight to be with,'' Miller says. Do has, he says ''a brilliant sense of the comic at life's darkest moments. It is the work of a truly gifted storyteller and one of the most enjoyable books I've read this year.''

Do also had a phone call from a bloke who said he was Russell Crowe, saying he got the book yesterday and was up until 3am reading it. ''I thought it was my mate Johnno pulling my leg, but it really was the Gladiator. He said, 'I've just finished it, it's fantastic'.''

Crowe made the book compulsory reading for the players in his Sydney rugby league team, the Rabbitohs.

Do, who lives with wife Suzanne and sons Xavier, Luc and Leon, has appeared in movies including Little Fish with Cate Blanchett, and Footy Legends, which he co-wrote with his director brother Khoa.

Now he's working on a screenplay of his book, and hopes filmmakers will cast him in the key role of his dad.

It would be a fitting epilogue to the theme of reconciliation that bubbles through the book, which opens with him describing a journey down the Hume Highway to Melbourne to meet his father, who had deserted the family in a violent, drunken haze nine years earlier.

As for the comedy circuit, if he's looking for more material Do just has to listen to the yarns told by his family. ''I reckon I'm actually one of the least funny in my family,'' he smiles.

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