A FEW months ago Wilson Neuendorf met Vietnamese woman Diem Ngo, who is visiting relatives in Kalbar.
“Ms Ngo is the sister of our much loved chemist and she said to me, out of the blue, ‘you don’t know what you have as a country, you don’t know how lucky you are to live here’, so I invited her to speak at this event’,” said Mr Neuendorf, adding that the audience at the Kalbar Australia Day Awards would find the experiences of a complete stranger compelling.
“I come from Ho Chi Minh city, a big city with a population of 10 million people,” said Ms Ngo.
“It is the commercial centre of the fastest growing country in South East Asia.
“Unfortunately, rapid economic development has led to severe environmental pollution and this impacts on people’s health and well- being.
“I feel blessed to be in Australia, a country with quality of life for its people and one that has one of the highest human development indexes in the world.
“Here I can drink clean water, breathe clean air and eat fresh and organic fruit and vegetables whereas in my country food safety is of great concern.”
Ms Ngo said Australia was a beautiful country and one of the most desired destinations to immigrate to in the world.
“The government here takes good care of its people with generous welfare policies,” she said.
“I was assisting my daughter at the pharmacy and was greatly surprised when medicine was provided free of charge to many patients during the pandemic.
“My daughter also received a substantial compensation from the government when Covid lockdowns were in place, even though she is a foreign student.“I highly appreciate Australia as a proud democracy and multicultural society.
“People of all races here enjoy the same quality of life, access to education and have the same opportunities.”
She thanked the community for making her stay in Kalbar unforgettable.