2009 Winners

Mr Ron Yeo winner of the Jack Wong Sue Award for Voluntary Service Beyond the Chinese Community, Ms Hua Mei Ruan, winner of the Victor Chang Community Service Award, Mr Robert Ho OAM winner of the Quong Tart Lifetime Achievement Award in Community Service, the Premier, Nathan Rees, Henry Tsang MLC, former premier of NSW, Barry Unsworth Three Chinese Australians from Sydney have been honoured for outstanding voluntary service to the Community in the 2009 Premier's Chinese Community Service Awards. The winners were announced by the Premier, Nathan Rees, at a ceremony at Government House.

Victor Chang Community Service Award

Ms Hua Mei Ruan

Ms Hua Mei Ruan receives this award for her work with the Australian Federation of Chinese Organisations and the Australian Chinese Immigration Association.

One of her notable achievements was to, almost single-handedly; convince the Federal Government to increase the intake of migrant parents by fifty percent. As a migrant parent herself, she is passionate about this issue and recognises well the benefits of this programme to Australia.

Professional artists from China are another group of immigrants to greatly benefit from Ms Ruans voluntary service which provided them with a platform and many opportunities to showcase their skills. Their performances opened the eyes of the local Chinese and the wider communities to the new culture of China. She believes the appreciation of the arts greatly increases mutual understanding across the community.

Ms Ruans broad-based work in youth and culture includes organising Chinese schools, English classes, Tai Chi classes and performances such as Shanghai Opera.

She has shown initiative, courage and wisdom in making valuable and significant contributions to the community, despite her initial lack of English language, making her an outstanding role model for the younger generation

Jack Wong Sue Award for Voluntary Service Beyond the Chinese Community

Mr Ron Yeo

Mr Ron Yeo wins this award for his dedication and selfless work helping disadvantaged, sick and less fortunate people in Australia and overseas.

These include orphans, the elderly, the destitute, the mentally ill, victims of brain cancer and children with physical handcaps. He also helps injured animals, both wild and domestic.

Mr Yeo has been involved with many charitable organisations in the last 10 years, including the Salvation Army, the NSW Cancer Council, the Day of Difference Foundation and the Cure for Life Foundation, set up by Neurosurgeon, Dr Charlie Teo, for which he raised over $4 million for research and treatment of brain cancer.

Overseas he has taken part in cycling trips through steep mountains in Vietnam and Sri Lanka to raise money for the Oncology Childrens Foundation. His impact has also been felt in the Indian city of Jaipur where I-India Projects provides money to house and care for street children and orphans.

Ron Yeo, who has last year given Rotary Internationals highest honour, the Paul Harris Fellowship, as well as being named citizen of the year in his municipality, lives in his daily life the ideals of Jack Wong Sue in serving the whole Australian community, regardless of race, culture or social status

Quong Tart Lifetime Achievement Award in Community Service

Mr Robert Ho OAM

Robert Ho migrated to Australia from Hong Kong in 1960 and after establishing successful catering businesses in Manly and Sydneys Chinatown, he set up the Sydney Chinatown Chamber of Commerce to provide networking and support to local mainstream and registered Chinese charities.

Mr Ho has given voluntary service to a very long list of welfare and charitable causes both inside and outside the Chinese community in Sydney where he has proved to be a highly effective fund raiser. The causes he supports range from the purchase of microsurgical equipment for St Vincents Hospital to the funding of a team of Aborigines to play Rugby Sevens in China and Hong Kong.

Within the community, he is a council member of the Australian Chinese Community Association, he heads the Chinese Cemetery organisation and the Chinese Australian Historical Society. Mr Ho is Vice President of the Sze Yap Society and he advises another twenty local Chinese associations.

Mr Ho was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 1995 and the police bravery award in 2007 for his efforts and cooperation with NSW Police in capturing a local Chinese-Australian criminal gang.

In the past 19 years, Mr Hos generous contributions have been widely acknowledged by local, mainstream and Chinese welfare and charitable associations.