It was Sunday, 6 September 1992. The weather was pleasant and sunny. The gleams of the morning sun shone brightly on the lawn of the Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour. It was the day where the “Dragon Charity Walk 92” organised by our Society was held. The event was a new attempt in the Chinese community and created strong interests and positive response. Many people participated in the walk, joined as volunteers or assisted with finding sponsors. Henry, who proposed the idea, was enthusiastically committed to the complicated organisational and preparational work. All those involved held the same belief: they must raise funds for Elderly Australian Chinese Homes Co-operative Ltd. (EACH).

Participants began arriving at the Tumbalong Park at around 8:30am. They each carried a ‘sponsor card’, with the names of their sponsors and the amount sponsored per kilometre. Each card had an identification number and would be used for lucky draw after the walk.

There were around 600 participants. Together with over 100 volunteers, forming a huge crowd at the park.

There were many familiar faces in the crowd: parents and children of Campsie Child Care Centre, children’s drama classes, Chinese Youth League and Sydney Chinese School. The most eye-catching scene was the bright yellow flag of the “Carers’ Self-Help Group of Chinese Family Day Care”. Though the service was not a formal family day care scheme yet, our Society had been assisting Chinese women to get into the family day care (FDC) industry since 1982. Our Society was like a family to the carers. The FDC carers brought their families and children to support the fundraising event, totalling over 200 participants among them.

Distinguished guests on the day included the wife of the Premier, Ms Colleen Fahey, and the Deputy Mayor of Sydney City Council, Mr Henry Tsang. The VIPs conducted the ribbon cutting ceremony to kick off the walk. The scene was spectacular and the atmosphere was jubilant!

Proper techniques bring physical benefits. Before the formal start of the walk at 9:30am, a professional exercise coach, Ms Julie Diamond (also a professional makeup artist) shared tips on walking techniques and led the crowd to do warm-up exercises.

Apart from the walk, the event also included a photography competition and a lucky draw.

After the finish of the walk at 11:30am, a one-hour variety performance was staged. It was a spectacular show performed by distinguished artists from different communities, including solo singing by Chinese Australian opera singer, Ms Suqin Yu, solo singing by Ms Xiaocen Shan, Syrian folk dance, peacock dance, flying apsaras dance, ballet, etc. The Art Troupe of Liaoning Overseas Exchange Association happened to be visiting Australia at the time, and they put on an acrobatic show. The performance attracted over 1000 people to stop and watch!

The charity walk was an overwhelming success! It raised $52,000, for EACH, an amount never reached before.

There was also tremendous support from businesses with over 40 sponsors. They came from different sectors such as restaurants, fashion and food industries, finance, legal firms, travel agencies and electrical appliances shops, etc. Some of them placed advertisements in the souvenir publication of the Walk. Many members of the newly established Way In Network sponsored generously for numerous participants.

🤔 “Dragon Charity Walk 92” was such a huge success. Would the event be organised again? Stay tuned for the next article!

Following the successful staging of the drama show “Ma-Lan-Hua” in October 1991, towards the end of the year, our Society resumed work to raise funds for EACH’s Croydon Elderly Hostel Project. It decided to organise a fundraising walk, a model commonly used in the mainstream Australia.

Hosting a charity walk involved a lot of organising work. The route and venues required permission by certain authorities; maps had to be prepared to show details of the route for distribution to participants and seeking copyright from the publisher was essential.

Approval from the police department was required for the public roads covered by the route, especially for those areas having traffic lights where police would need to make special arrangements. As the starting and the finishing of the Walk were both set at the Tumbalong Park in Darling Harbour, approval was needed from the respective management authorities, including the use of the open-air stage, the underground dressing room, the microphones and sound systems on the stage, etc. As the route would pass through the Royal Botanical Garden, approval was also required to be sought. Since it was a charity event, the venue fee was exempted but fees would be payable for the use of facilities.

Arrangements for the venue during the event also required careful planning, including registration desks, management of starting and finishing points, checkpoints along the route, tents for each checkpoint, tables and chairs, etc. Volunteers were needed to man the checkpoints. Water and snacks would have to be provided for the volunteers, and these supplies had to be bought beforehand and transported to the respective venues. A communication centre would have to be set up to provide support to the various venues.

To make the event more interesting, warm-up exercises were organised at the starting point, and cultural performances were arranged at the finishing point after the Walk. A lucky draw was also held.

During the planning, it was discovered that marshals would be needed along the route to assist participants with enquiries. With one marshal every 250m, the 10km route would require 40 marshals.

A significant amount of planning and preparation work was involved, requiring a lot of manpower resources. Promotion work in the community was crucial to attract as many as possible people in the community to participate. After detailed planning, there was realization that at least 100 volunteers would be required. The total number of Society members and directors who could help was only about 30 to 40 people. Where could the large number of volunteers be found?

The main sponsor of the event, Po Hong Group of Companies, which had been sponsoring various soccer teams of the Chinese students’ associations of universities and TAFE, initiated contacts with these associations and invited their members to volunteer. The response was very good. Each of the 10 plus students’ associations sent about 7 to 8 students. Members of the newly established Way In Network also volunteered for the event. With over 100 volunteers recruited, the problem was solved.

At that time, the company that Henry was employed was undergoing restructuring and he was awaiting job assignment. This gave him the time and opportunity to get involved in the preparation work of the charity walk, including contacts with various parties, organising meetings, preparing the souvenir program and designing the logo, etc.

🤔 How did the Dragon Charity Walk go? How much was raised? There is more to share in the next article!

After undertaking the EACH project in early 1989, the Board of Directors and volunteers of our Society directed their focused and energy on the development and fundraising for the Croydon Elderly Hostel.

A charity dinner was held at a Chinese restaurant in Paramatta in March 1991 to raise fund for EACH. The event gained the support of a famous actress and singer from Hong Kong, Lee Heung-kam. Even though she did not perform on the night, her presence attracted many participants. The tickets of all 50 tables were sold out and the atmosphere was exuberant.

In April 1991, with the help of the Sydney Man Wah Cantonese Opera Troupe, the fundraising event, “The Lion’s Roar” Chinese opera was staged. Our Society did not have to worry about the venue nor the performance and was responsible for the ticket sales only.

To raise fund for EACH, the large-scale children’s drama “Ma-Lan-Hua” was staged in October 1991. It had created a huge impact in the community. Teachers, students and the responsible Board directors all wanted to continue organising performances. However, such performances involved a lot of finances, manpower and resources, affecting the goal and work schedule of the Society at the time. People like Henry felt that the Society should stick to its founding aim which was to provide community services and not cultural performances. There were different opinions among the Board directors and cracks began to surface.

Apart from dinners and performances, what other options were there? Henry was aware that some mainstream fundraising events included charity walks. A significant one was the Walk Against Want held in the Tumbalong Park at Darling Harbour. After taking part in the event with his friends, he felt that it was very relaxing and meaningful. People of all ages could participate, and could enjoy the beautiful sights of Sydney while exercising and at the same time supporting charity.

Henry thought: if such charity walk was organised in the Chinese community, maybe a lot of money could be raised for EACH.

Both the starting and finishing points would be set in Tumbalong Park at Darling Harbour. There were 3 routes, 3km, 5km and 10km respectively. Participants could choose the route according to their physical ability. Along the routes were lined with Sydney’s beautiful scenery. Participants could enjoy the attractive sights of Sydney during their walk, including famous landmarks such as the Chinese Garden of Friendship, Macquarie Street, Martin Place, Hyde Park, Royal Botanical Garden, Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, etc. Check points would be set up along the routes. Participants would get stamps at those different check points, adding fun and a sense of involvement in the process.

Organising this charity walk required the involvement of many volunteers. Such fundraising activity also needed sponsorship and people to sponsor the participants. Gaining the support of various parties and well targeted promotion would be crucial.

A well-known stationery shop in the Chinese community at the time, Po Hong Group of Companies, was willing to sponsor the event. They sponsored many Chinese tertiary student groups every year, enabling them to take part in soccer competition.

🤔 Would the Dragon Charity Walk get support from sponsors, volunteers and participants? There is more to share in the next article!

The Chinese proverb, “One minute on stage, ten years of practice off stage” highlights the immense, unseen effort and long-term dedication required to achieve a seemingly effortless performance. The children’s fairy tale drama “Ma-Lan-Hua” performed by the children’s drama class of our Society is a classic example.

This children’s drama developed around the theme of ‘truth, goodness and beauty”. The story described how Ma Lang and the little animals in the forest tried their best to protect the magical flower ‘Ma-Lan-Hua’ on the mountain. This flower had the mysterious power of helping the hardworking people to fulfill their wishes. At the foot of the mountain lived an old couple, Senior Wang and his wife, who had two daughters: lazy Da Lan and the kind hardworking Xiao Lan. They also had an old cat knowing lots of tricks. The story evolved around the battle between good and evil.

When news about the production of the drama show spread in the community, it received a lot of support from passionate professionals. There were only 3 paid staff members in the office at the time, all working for the Family Day Care Development Service Project. Thus, preparation work for the production of the show depended on the efforts of volunteers.

The children’s drama class teachers spent extra time helping the young actors to practise, work on the dialogues, build up their physique, choreograph dances and practise singing. When they practised the labour dance and harvest dance, the children were excited about the new style of dancing. While the children were practising, a team of over 50 parent volunteers were busy sewing costumes, making props and preparing meals.

The most precious aspect was the volunteer assistance provided by professional artists from China in various areas of acting, stage effects, composing music and lighting, etc. The main character ‘Xiao Lan’ was played by a well-known actress, Mingdi Tam.  Veteran professional children’s drama educators, the couple Lingsun Hu and Huili Wang, taught the children acting while also played the roles of Senior Wang and Madam Wang. Haiyun Fung from the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music composed the music for the drama show. Stage design was done by internal designer Junrui Li and film studio set designer Yuanheng Chen. Bing Xi, stage designer from the Beijing Central Experimental Drama Theatre, was responsible for the lighting.

Unlike the cultural performance held earlier which was mainly music and dance, ‘Ma-Lan-Hua’ was entirely a drama show performed in Mandarin. Ticket sales were a challenge as there were fewer potential audiences. Fortunately, some Chinese Schools were willing to provide a helping hand and encouraged parents to buy tickets. Volunteers also actively promoted the drama show and sold tickets at shopping centres, community events and restaurants, etc.

After a year of intense preparation, ‘Ma-lan-hua’ was finally staged at the UNSW Science Theatre on 12 October 1991. The 800 seats were all filled. Once the curtain was open, the beautiful backdrops, captivating music, professional lighting and the dedicated performance of the children all combined into an enchanting scene. The morning glories, deer, birds, koalas and the forest fairies brought out the innocence, liveliness and kindness in their delicate performance.

The concerted efforts brought not only an outstanding performance but also raised $10,000 for EACH and created a positive response from the community. It attracted many new enrolments to the children’s drama class. From the original 20 students, the number rapidly increased to over 40. There were 9 classes with over 70 students at its peak.

🤔With such a positive response to cultural activities, would there be further expansion in the area? Stay tuned for the next article!

Like many Chinese migrants, our Society’s directors and volunteers also sent their children to Chinese School to learn Chinese language. During their conversations, they often talked about how the children felt the Chinese classes were boring and were not motivating, leading to unsatisfactory learning outcomes. In 1989, some directors suggested the idea of using drama to motivate children’s interest in learning Chinese language.

Starting the drama class required professional teaching personnel. By chance, Henry met a couple, William Yu and his wife Yanni Wang, who were overseas Chinese students then. They were graduates of The China Central Academy of Drama who were perfect candidates for running the drama class. After knowing the situation, they happily agreed to teach the class.

The Children’s Drama class of our Society started in October 1989. Many children of our Society’s directors and volunteers showed interest in joining the class, including Henry’s two daughters.

Half a year later, our Society staged a grand Cultural Concert at Willoughby Town Hall to raise funds for the Elderly Home Project of EACH. Children of the drama class performed a short drama titled “The Little Crayon”. After the performance, feedback  received from audiences was very good and positive. Children and their parents felt a strong sense of encouragement.

As more students enrolled in the drama class, the number of teachers had also increased. These included Jian Chen, a veteran Hong Kong media personality who had also worked for the Shanghai television station and she taught the children singing and voice projection; Yi Hu of the Suzhou Song and Dance Troupe taught dancing. There was also a couple, Huili Wang and her husband, Lingsun Hu, who were experienced professionals teaching children’s drama. Their participation strengthened the academic personnel of the children’s drama class.

With the strong team of expertise, William Yu came up with a daring idea to stage a large-scale children’s drama performance. His idea was strongly supported by our Society’s Board. Decision was made in October 1990 to stage a large-scale fairy tale drama “Ma-lan-hua” consisting of 6 scenes. The performance would again be raising fund for EACH.

“Ma-lan-hua” was a huge production. There were many characters in the story and they all needed special costumes, together with props and backdrops. To ensure an excellent outcome, children stayed back after their drama class every Saturday to rehearse.

The newly built Campsie Activity Hall provided an ideal venue for the rehearsal and practice. The activity space was large and kitchen facilities were adequate. The hall became a busy place on every Saturday. Children were enthusiastically rehearsing while the team of over 50 volunteers worked on the costumes, props and preparing meals. Henry’s wife, Sue Mok, was one of the backbones of the volunteer team responsible for making costumes and preparing meals.

Today Henry is still reminiscent of those weekends when everyone was busy rehearsing and working on the performance. Everyone was working towards the same goal: raising fund for EACH and providing an opportunity for the children to shine on stage. The team spirit was enormously strong, with everyone supporting and encouraging one another.

🤔 How did the “Ma-lan-hua” performance go? There is more to share in the next article!

In 1989, the then Prime Minister of Australia, Bob Hawke, gave an emotional speech allowing 40,000 PRC students to remain in Australia temporarily for 4 years. This decision provided an unexpected turning point for the fundraising efforts for the EACH project.

As there were malicious rumours spreading in the community targeting the Society, Henry was resolute in clarifying that the Society was an organization registered in Australia and focused on providing community services, sharing and disseminating the views of the Australian government. This standpoint was not only the choice at the time but remains the long-term position of the Society.

The Society was active in urging the Government to allow PRC students to stay in Australia and fought for their welfare. Many people in the community began to change their views about our Society.

The Society was active in urging the Government to allow PRC students to stay in Australia and fought for their welfare. Many people in the community began to change their views about our Society.

While Henry was still suffering from Meniere’s disease and had a full-time job, he still devoted his limited energy to the development of our Society. He realized the increasing government supervision on child care services and felt that After School Care service should have a separate venue to operate. He proposed to knock down the old warehouse at No. 48 adjacent to the Campsie Child Care Centre to build an activity hall. However, resources were limited. He used his experience of building his own home and took over the planning and supervision of the construction works. He even integrated his ideas into the layout of the kitchen. The hall was built in early 1991, providing a venue not only for the After School Care service but also for the many community activities in the years to come.

In early 1990, EACH assumed official ownership of the Croydon Elderly Hostel located at 17-19 Brady Street, Croydon from the German owners. The property consisted of 2 blocks. The north wing was in a better condition. After simple refurbishment, the 10 rooms began offering service on 5 February 1990. The south wing required renovations before it could begin the provision of service. During the waiting period when fund had to be raised, the rooms were leased out.

Repaying the $140,000 loan needed immediate attention. There was an urgent need to raise funds.

By chance, a group of Chinese students with cultural artistical background were renting some of the rooms of the south wing. They included Mr. William Yu and his wife. During a chat with Henry, Mr. Yu suggested organizing a cultural Concert to raise fund for EACH. He took up the responsibility of coordinating those professional artists among the Chinese students. These included Yang Hai Yan and Zheng Wan Ping, both performing traditional Chinese dance, with other artists performing violin, piano and solo singing programs. Professionals were also engaged in lighting and stage management.

Henry supported the idea. Other organizations also joined in. These included the Australian Chinese Children’s Choir, Hwa Sheng Chorus, the Martial Arts class of the Chinese Youth League performing “Southern Fists and Northern Kicks”, dance class performing “Spring Rain” and the Northern Lion team performing “Northern Lion Dance’, etc. The students of the Children’s Drama class established by our Society in October 1989 presented the children’s drama “The Little Crayon”.

On Saturday 7 April 1990, a grand Cultural Concert was held at Willoughby Town Hall with 14 performances. All 800 seats were filled.

To show their gratitude for the Australian Government, and realizing the goal of fundraising for EACH, the international students volunteered their time and efforts. There were no props nor rehearsals. Expenses were minimal. The event raised an impressive $26,000.

🤔 The success of the Cultural concert brought confidence for EACH. Would this model combining arts and fundraising be continued? There is more to share in the next article.