Phillip Wai-Shing Ng merited for contribution to Chinese language, education and community
Phillip Wai-Shing Ng recalls how challenging and exciting it was migrating to Australia from Hong Kong as a young teenager but never in his wildest dreams did he think he would be a recipient of the Order of Australia a few decades on. SEE THE FULL HONOURS LIST
Northern District Times
Don't miss out on the headlines from Northern District Times. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Phillip Wai-Shing Ng recalls how challenging and exciting it was migrating to Australia from Hong Kong as a young teenager, but never in his wildest dreams did he think he would be a recipient of the Order of Australia a few decades on.
Mr Ng’s family moved to Wyong in the Central Coast and there he had his first taste of Australian culture when he studied at Wyong High School.
“When I first arrived from Hong Kong, they were really good to me at Wyong High School. I’m grateful for that. When there are people who are good to you, you will always remember that,” Mr Ng said.
He admitted it was difficult at the start getting by with his then-rudimentary English.
“It was not easy at the start. Our English was not crash hot,” Mr Ng said.
Yet he said the communication issues went both ways with many Australians not being able to pronounce his surname.
“I’ve been called all different things and I’ve answered to all pronunciations,” he laughed.
After school he moved to Sydney and later married his wife Catherine and worked for a textile furnishing company for 20 years. He said his experience there gave him the drive to run his own venture.
The Epping father started his own seafood business Australia International Trading Pty Ltd.
It was only after the family moved to Epping in 1988 and when two of his three daughters, Lisa and Jacqui, started school at Dundas Public School that he and a few other Chinese parents felt their kids were losing touch with their heritage.
“You always want your children to learn their culture. They were born here, so we say they are ‘ABC’ Australian Born Chinese,” he said.
While he’s happy his kids grew up in Australia getting to know the Australian way of life, he said they are still Asian “in their looks and who they are” and it was important for them to also stay in touch with their cultural background.
In 1982, he and a couple of Chinese parents got together and opened Dundas Chinese School which started off with a few after hours classes consisting of one teacher and a handful of kids learning Cantonese.
Back then the father-of-three estimates there was only about five or six Chinese schools in the whole of Sydney and maybe one or two in the city’s north.
“I always had a passion for the Chinese language and I always hoped I could pass something on to the next generation,” Mr Ng said.
The school’s founder said the Chinese classes grew in popularity especially after more Chinese and Hong Kong migrants moved to the area in the 1980s.
The school which operated in Dundas Public School’s building expanded to include Mandarin as well as Cantonese and soon enough they had 14 classes a week with about 12 students a class.
While the majority of students were Chinese, he was pleased to see a few children with English speaking backgrounds enrol for after school classes.
As well as learning the language, he said there were many other cultural activities taught in class such as Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the dragon boat celebrations.
Mr Ng said they had students of all sorts, some who were keen to learn and others admitting Chinese characters was a real challenge. “The teachers taught the old Chinese characters. You’d see a lot who scratched their heads,” he said.
After 37 years Mr Ng, who is also an executive board member of the NSW Chinese Language Education Council, said opening the non-for-profit Chinese school is still one of his proudest achievements.
“I’m honoured to receive this award. I’ve got the school, school committee to thank. It’s not for my glory. It’s for the kids, school and Chinese education council of NSW and that’s what I’m proud of.
Mr Ng is a recipient of the Order of Australia award for his service to Chinese language, education and community.
The Order of Australia, which was established in 1975 by Elizabeth II, recognises Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or meritorious service.
FULL HONOURS LIST RECIPIENTS IN NORTHERN DISTRICT
- David Ronald Leece - AM
- Phillip Wai-Shing Ng - OAM
- Robert Peter Selinger - OAM
- Diana Mahony - OAM
- Hassib Elias - OAM
- Samiul Joseph Sorrenti - OAM
- Peter Maniscalco - OAM