Payback has been a positive force powering a visionary refugee’s 40-plus years of community service.
Loc Huu Lam, 72, of Springvale, says he’s “honoured” to be named as a Medallist of the Order of Australia (OAM) among the Australia Day awardees list.
“It’s an honour for myself, my family and my community.
“Unbelievable – you don’t expect an award like this.”
The crowning part of his legacy is set to be realised – a $20 million Vietnamese Museum of Australia that has been years in the making.
Located in Sunshine, the stunning “Uluru-coloured” design shaped like standing trunks of bamboo will be home for the compelling histories of Vietnamese refugees from the past 50 years.
For years, Lam has been director and chair of fundraising for the project. He’s helped land grants from three tiers of government with works expected this year.
He calls it “my last wish for the Vietnamese community”.
Lam, his wife and two children were among many thousands who desperately fled Vietnam on perilous boat voyages.
They were among the lucky survivors.
Raiding pirates stole what little possessions they had. After nine days, they landed in Indonesia “nearly starving” with no food or water.
Resettling in Australia in 1980, Lam started from scratch. He studied English language, gained commerce qualifications and became a financial planner for AMP.
“We had nothing. My generation knows the value of life and that’s why we worked extremely hard.
“When I retired I had time to pay back not only Australia but the whole world.”
Afflicted with polio as a child, Lam is part of an international Rotary Club drive to eradicate the disease.
He still walks with a limp as a result but in a way, his sickness was not a complete curse.
It stopped him being conscripted into fighting in the Vietnam War, enabling him to study law and economics instead.
While he suffered a “minor” strain, childhood friends of his died from polio. It motivates him to save young lives around the world.
Many decades on, his branch Rotary Club of Springvale City is one of Australia’s leading fundraisers for the cause. Over the past four years, the 10-member club has raised more than $40,000.
A founding member of more than 20 years at the Rotary branch, Lam is a four-time president.
Lam has also been part of the renowned South Eastern Melbourne Vietnamese Associations’ Council (SEMVAC) based in Springvale South.
The 25 SEMVAC volunteers offer invaluable help with tax, job seeking, finance and legal matters for non-English speaking communities.
This included tending to the isolated and unemployed during Covid lockdowns.
A father of two, Lam is also regularly doting on his nine grandchildren – all aged under seven.
– More on Australia Day awardees, pages 6, 8.
