Some Great Australians... Who Happened To Be Refugees

Help me out. I want to put together a list of Australia’s most well known or successful refugees. Lets put faces to these great Australians who came to this country, received our compassion and have certainly repaid us by becoming part of this country’s DNA.

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The one thing both Gillard and Abbott are agreeing on at the moment is the need for stronger border control. Abbott takes it a step further by proclaiming he’ll “stop the boats”. Completely.

Gillard is talking about a “sustainable” Australia by slowing growth and immigration. It’s a softer way of delivering the same message that we’re going to stop more people coming here.

They are promoting these tough policies to win votes, because so many people look at asylum seekers in a negative way. It comes down to being scared. People are afraid of the unknown, of anything different, and so instantly shout these xenophobic and intolerant rants. Politicians respond with scare tactics that make their particular solution look so much better.

I thought it was funny the other day when Tony Abbott was pictured on the television news services having a discussion with a small business owner… a greengrocer from an Asian background. It turns out the small business owner came to Australia in the 1980s on a boat as a Vietnamese refugee.

The reality is that refugees contribute a hell of a lot to our country, both economically and culturally. Not only is accepting them the compassionate thing to do, and the right thing to do. It’s the Australian thing to do. We have a great country built on multiculturalism. Why is everyone scared of a few hundred desperate people running for their lives?

Let's stop looking at refugees as numbers. Lets start looking at refugees as real people.

Like the green grocer, let’s start by taking a look at some stand-out Australians who just happened to arrive in Australia as asylum seekers. Have a think about what you’re contributing to Australia in comparison to them… and add to the list.

Frank Lowy

Australia’s richest man, founder and largest shareholder of the world’s biggest shopping centre owner, Westfield

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Lowy was born in Czechoslovakia, and lived in Budapest, Hungary during World War II. He made his way to France in 1946, where he left on the ship Yagur, but was caught en route to British Mandate of Palestine by the British and deported to the detention camp in Cyprus. After a few months, Lowy was allowed into Palestine and was brought to the Atlit detainee camp. Lowy then moved to Sde Yaakov a small yeshiva school near Qiryat Tivon.

In 1952, Lowy left Qiryat Tivon, Israel and joined his family, who had left Europe for Australia and started a business delivering small goods. In 1953, he met fellow Hungarian immigrant John Saunders to start Westfield.

Tan Le

1998 Young Australian of the Year and voted one of Australia’s 30 most successful Women Under 30. She was 20 years old. A very successful entrepreneur with Bachelors degrees in Commerce and Law and is now Business Development Director of SASme Wireless Communication. She arrived from Vietnam as a refugee in 1982.

Les Murray

Australia’s Mr Football, number one man when it comes to soccer. Host of The World Game on SBS and inducted into the FFA’s Hall Of Fame.

Hungarian refugee who arrived in Australia and spent time at Bonegilla Migrant Camp near Wodonga.

The late Richard Pratt

Pratt was born in the city of Gdańsk, Poland of ethnic Polish Jewish parents. His family emigrated in 1938 and settled in Shepparton, Victoria, changing their surname from Przecicki to Pratt.

Pratt combined study with acting and working as a salesman for the family business, Visy Board. After touring London and New York with a production of Ray Lawler's Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, he returned to Melbourne and Visy. Following the death of his father Leon in February 1969 Pratt took over his father's business.

He built that business into one of the world’s biggest cardboard and packaging empires while becoming one of Australia’s richest men.

He donated $10million a year to his Pratt Foundation which supports the arts and refugee organisations.

The Honourable James Spigelman

Lieutenant Governor of New South Wales and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Polish-born refugee.

Majak Daw

Recruited last year to North Melbourne at the age of 18. First Sudanese Australian to be drafted into the AFL. Fled the Sudanese Civil War to Egypt, then finally made it to Australia.

Ahn and Khoa Do

Khoa was 2005’s Young Australian of the Year, recognised for his “leadership, compassion, and will to inspire and inform Australians on issues that affect our community”. He’s an actor and writer.

Ahn is an actor and comedian who’s starred in plenty of Australian movies and TV shows, and has done stand-up around the country and on the Matty Johns Show.

The two brothers both arrived in Australia from Vietnam as refugees in 1980. They came, according to Ahn, on a leaking fishing boat eight meters long, packed with 40 Vietnamese on it, “crammed in like sardines”.

I talked to Ahn about putting my list of famous refugees together and he told me he’s writing a book about his experiences.

Gustav Nossal

Born in Bad Ischl, in Austria. Because his father was Jewish, the Nossal family left their home town of Vienna for Australia when he was eight years old.

When he first attended his school in Australia, Nossal spoke no English but he graduated from St Aloysius' College in 1947 as the dux of the College.

He went on to become a world renowned research biologist and was Australian of the year in 2000.

Judy Cassab

One of Australia’s most recognised artists. The only female to have ever won the Archibald twice. Has held more than 50 exhibitions in Australia, Paris and London. Austrian refugee.

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki

Dr Karl was born in Sweden to Polish refugee parents from European concentration camps. His father had been a member of the Polish resistance and was imprisoned in Russian jails and German concentration camps.

The family migrated to Australia when Karl was two and lived for some time a refugee camp in Bonegilla near Albury, before moving to Wollongong.

Dr Karl is a prominent scientist, medical doctor and television and radio presenter. He holds degrees in Physics and Maths, Biomedical Engineering, Medicine and Surgery and is a member of the Order of Australia.

Henri Szeps

Henri was born in Switzerland in a refugee camp during WWII, lived in Paris and came to Australia when he was eight.

He has had an enviable career on stage and screen and is still best known for his role of Robert Beare in the landmark TV comedy series Mother and Son, opposite Ruth Cracknell and Garry McDonald.

Henri was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for services to the arts and the community in 2001.

Huy Truong

One of Australia’s leading entrepreneurs, founder and director of more than one multi-million dollar business.

After arriving from Vietnam aged seven with just the clothes on his back, he has built dot-com company Wishlist, turned around and sold a large company, managed fast growing company Julique, and launched a fund to invest in small and medium businesses.

Who are some others you know of?

Comments

-1 #20 mory 2012-04-28 02:48

thinking refugees of people not dander or burden requires a rich culture and understanding of this idea that helping and caring for others is what makes us different from other animals.those open-minded people always look at the bright side.

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+1 #19 native australian 2012-04-22 18:16

refugees are generally bad news. they are all from failed societies and lack modern cultural traits.

the number of convicts, welfare dependants amongst the refugee diaspora is above national average.

this includes italians, polish, hungarian, moslem and chinese.

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-6 #18 Robert Ramsdale 2012-03-10 15:44

You missed a hell of a lot that are in jail for drug trafficking,asa ult and rape..Most refugees these days are muslim and hate our western society and come half way around the world for welfare payments thats whats changed now days.None of these people are muslim.

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0 #17 cate 2012-01-21 12:18

So Koch, the xenophobic undertones and blatant sensationalism that led me to stop watching a given telvision network are pushed by the producers and are not your own personal views? Well there you go. I learn something new every day.

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-4 #16 2011-11-17 19:34

If you want to get approved based solely on the merits of your business then find the right business loan that focuses only on the merits of your business.

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