Migrant family from Fairfield were honoured on the Welcome Wall

Australian-Chinese family from Fairfield were the guests of honour at the unveiling of 882 new names on the Australian National Maritime Museum’s migrant Welcome Wall, last Sunday.

Dr Lin Hu with his parents Taihang Fan (left), Guorang Hu (right), whose names were unveiled on the Welcome Wall at the Maritime Museum on Sunday.

A Fairfield family were guests of honour at the unveiling of 882 new names on the Australian National Maritime Museum’s migrant Welcome Wall on Sunday.

“This wall is fantastic record of who we are, where we came from, and how we got here,” Dr Lin Hu said during the unveiling.

Dr Hu arrived in Australia as a six-year-old boy with his mother, Taihang Fan, in 1988. That was a year after his father, Guo Ran Hu, came to Australia from China as part of the World Health Organisation’s medical research fellowship at Concord Hospital.

Dr Lin Hu speaking during the unveiling of the Welcome Wall at the Maritime Museum on Sunday.

“My father had dual-training in western and traditional Chinese medicine at the Shanghai Medical University and specialised in immunology,” he said.

“Then he went on to complete a PhD in Medicine at the University of Sydney, and has had a successful career in medical research, starting research on possible causes for Alzheimer’s disease and then allergies.”

For nearly 30 years, Dr Hu ran a practice in Traditional Chinese Medicine, serving his community of Fairfield before recently retiring.

Dr Hu’s mother, Taihang Fan, was a paediatric nurse in China but her integration in Australia was hard at first due to her limited English.

“My mum started out sewing in a clothing factory before teaching herself English. She then went to TAFE where she began her career in aged care nursing,” said Dr Hu.

His own journey into medicine felt natural because he grew up with medical text books around the house, he said..

“My parents didn’t push me into it, but they certainly were supportive.”

Dr Hu said the moment he truly felt Australian was when he put on his navy uniform after he joined the defence force as a reservist.

Sue Ho, Dr Lin Hu, Guorang Hu and Taihang Fan with the next generations of Australians, Lin’s sons, Benjamin Hu and Kaelan Hu.

“Seeing that uniform with the Australian flag made me feel a real sense of pride for my country — that’s when I felt like an Australian,” he said.

Dr Hu has since gone on humanitarian aid missions overseas with the Australian navy.

The museum’s Welcome Wall is a celebration of Australia’s diversity with the names of the families who have migrated here.

When Dr Hu spoke about how Australian his family is now, he said: “Without fail we have a BBQ every Christmas in our parent’s backyard.”