Chinese Volunteers are Great Australians

Three Chinese Australians from Sydney have been honoured for outstanding voluntary service to the Community in the 2009 Premier's Chinese Community Service Awards.

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

The winners were announced tonight by the Premier, Nathan Rees, at a ceremony at Government House.

Congratulating the volunteers, the Chair of the community Relations Commission For a multicultural NSW, Mr Stepan Kerkyasharian said: "These are magnificent achievements which deserve recognition by the whole community.

"The awards are named after three great benefactors from the Chinese Community over the last hundred years - Jack Wong Sue, Quong Tart and Dr Victor Chang who all demonstrated extraordinary commitment to the Australian society.  It is very fitting that their memory is kept alive in these awards to modern-day volunteering heroes.

"In every community there are scores of self-less hard-working people who do not seek public recognition of their wonderful deeds. They should be acknowledged and their contribution should be held up to inspire others who may feel a little timid or shy about offering themselves as volunteers. A culture of volunteering makes our society richer and stronger. And what a wonderful example of that strength we have seen in the response across our state to the Victorian Bush Fire disaster," Mr Kerkyasharian said.

The winners of the 2009 Premier's Chinese Community Service Awards are:

• Ms Hua Mei Ruan, winner of the Victor Chang Community Service Award;
• Mr Ron Yeo - winner of the Jack Wong Sue Award for Voluntary Service Beyond the Chinese Community: and,
• Mr Robert Ho OAM - winner of the Quong Tart Lifetime Achievement Award in Community Service.

"Hua Mei Ruan is a staunch fighter for Chinese migrants, in particular migrant parents and professional performance artists from China. Ms Ruan's broad-based work in youth and culture includes organising Chinese schools, English classes, Tai Chi classes and many other performances such as Shanghai Opera.

"Mr Ron Yeo is a dedicated and selfless worker for the disadvantaged, sick and less fortunate people in Australia and overseas. The causes he assist go right down to street level like the St Vincent de Paul Society's night-time meals service to the homeless in the city of Sydney. Amongst other disadvantaged groups in the community his work assists orphans, the elderly, the destitute, the mentally ill, victims of brain cancer and children with physical handicaps. He also helps injured animals, both wild and domestic.

"Robert Ho, who was the founder of the Sydney Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, has given voluntary service to a very long list of welfare and charitable causes both inside and outside the Chinese community in Sydney, for many years. His fund-raising efforts range from appeals for high-tech hospital equipment to the funding of a team of Aborigines to play Rugby Sevens in China and Hong Kong.

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

"These are three great Australians and we salute them," Mr Kerkyasharian said.