Ong Truong Tan

Born 25.11.1934, entered eternal life 26.09.2023

“I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me…Assuredly, I say to you, since you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25).”

Ong Truong Tan were Deepdene and Balwyn’s first Refugee Family

Jan Ralton a member of OLGC Parish’s Refugee Resettlement Committee, was honored to speak at Tan’s recent funeral.  Tan and his family were the first refugee family welcomed and supported by the parish.  Following are Jan’s words of remembrance at Tan’s funeral.

In 1982 when the plight of Vietnamese refugees was at its peak the OLGC Parish halfway house became available to the Refugee Resettlement Committee who were then able to welcome Tan Truong and 4 of his children: Tuan, Tien, Tat and Nha. 

Tan was concerned his sons would be conscripted into the Chinese army.  He and his wife decided to split their family for the safety of their sons.  Planning for escape was important, so 12-year-old Tat was taught how to fix engines.  The 6-day sea voyage to escape was indeed dangerous but Tat’s skills proved advantageous.  The plan included reuniting the family as soon as possible.  

They stayed in Deepdene for 6 months where they were supported in many ways.  They came with very few possessions in a plastic bag, so they needed a lot of support including enrolling the children into school, study and finding work. Meanwhile the Committee was also finding its way in supporting this their first family.  The most urgent matter that was dealt with was replacing Tan’s glasses.  They had been broken with the right lens ending in a point on his cheek! 

Settling into their new surrounds proved challenging.  Different language, climate, culture etc.  However, the family had decided that if they were accepted by a country then they would accept the ways of that country including their religious beliefs.

Tan was unemployed but Tuan studied engineering at RMIT, Tien worked in a factory, and Nha and Tat were at Kew High School.  Nha, being the only female in the household, was set the role of cooking and housework.  She initially felt out of her depth but adjusted.

Tan continued using his skills as a poet and journalist for the Vietnamese newspaper, writing about the effects and influence of Communism. 

For Tan, to leave Vietnam and be separated from his wife and four other children was the hardest decision he made.  As a result, he valued the relationships he made with our parish community.  He was always at the Parish Christmas party with members of his family.  He was very proud when finally, after working his way through the complication of the Australian family reunion scheme, he was able to introduce his wife Thi, and 4 daughters to the Parish at the 1990 Christmas party.

In keeping with his decision to accept our Australian way, the family joined the Baptist Church in Kew.  There was a Vietnamese community based there.  In later years his children were all married in the Baptist Church, and he was a highly respected member of the Baptist community in Ashwood where he finally settled.

Apart from journalism his other loves were his grandchildren and his garden, which was a veritable wonderland. He worked in it every day and achieved the most amazing results.

Parish Committee members were invited to the weddings of the children we had sponsored, this was a great honour and an amazing experience.  We also attended Tan’s 80th birthday party and saw at first hand his garden.

Even after the Christmas parties were no longer held, he continued to visit OLGC families and attend their funerals.  Each Christmas he would deliver Christmas presents to the parish.  He would enjoy walking around their gardens, although we felt they were very poor in comparison to his.

After his funeral we received this lovely communication from the family:

“Thank you so much for attending my father’s funeral, even though the notice was so short.

Thanks a lot for the memories you shared at the funeral. I remember my father’s broken glasses; you fixed them for him.

My father always reminded us how grateful he is for what (Rosemary, Murray, Denis, Kay, Jan, etc.) of the Deepdene Church did for our family.

Our family are so grateful and privileged to know you and others for all our years in Australia.

May God keep blessing you and your family.

Tuan & all sisters and brothers”

Published: 3 November 2023