ID :
182338
Mon, 05/16/2011 - 07:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/182338
The shortlink copeid
A TIMID NEWCOMER NOW A HIGHLY FETED COMMUNITY LEADER
By Neville D'Cruz
MELBOURNE, May 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysian-born Marion Lau has been inducted
into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women for her tireless work on many welfare
and business committees since arriving here from Ipoh 42 years ago.
She was one of 20 women inducted by Victorian State Women's Affairs Minister
Mary Woodridge last week and she spoke to Bernama of her journey as a rather
timid newcomer to Australia to a highly regarded community and business leader.
Lau's achievements are remarkable, fighting initial discrimination, while
working her way up through the nursing profession to be appointed matron/manager
of the Avenue Private Hospital in the 1970s, turning the fortunes of the
hospital, thus enabling the owners to sell the once struggling hospital to a
United States health company at a profit.
In her next role as Senior Nursing Adviser to the Victorian Department of
Health, she was responsible, among many other duties, for the preparation of
hospital budgets, staff recruitment and management of hospital industrial
relations issues.
In the early 80s, she became the Director of Nursing at the Montefiore Homes
but her nursing career was interrupted in 1995 when her husband, whom she
married in 1971, died and she inherited his restaurant in Chinatown here.
Those were tough years when Chinese restaurants were battling to make ends
meet because of a variety of economic challenges and the lure of the
newly-opened Crown casino.
But Lau prevailed and through good management skills her restaurant was
highly successful for seven years before she sold it.
After that Lau, who trained as a nurse in Britain, switched her attention to
community work, advocating greater recognition for migrant women in public,
private and community life.
"I have a deep feeling for these women because of my experience when I came
to Australia all those years ago," she said.
"People then found it difficult to understand I had nursing qualifications
from England and I could speak good English and I was comfortable with the
Aussie way of life."
Lau said that in the 1970s Aussie women generally found it difficult to gain
equality and for migrants it was doubly more difficult.
"But we are getting there now and hopefully with Julia Gillard as prime
minister, the fortunes of women would change because she came to Australia as a
migrant from Wales," Lau said.
Lau was the first woman to be elected chair of the Ethnic Communities
Council of Victoria, the first female president of the Chinese Community Society
of Victoria, life governor of the Victorian Elderly Chinese Welfare Society and
a Justice of Peace.
In 1996 Lau was awarded an Order of Australia medal for services to older
Australians and the Chinese community in Victoria and in 2003 she received a
Centenary Medal, both prestigious national awards.
These days Lau has her own thriving aged care consultancy.
MELBOURNE, May 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysian-born Marion Lau has been inducted
into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women for her tireless work on many welfare
and business committees since arriving here from Ipoh 42 years ago.
She was one of 20 women inducted by Victorian State Women's Affairs Minister
Mary Woodridge last week and she spoke to Bernama of her journey as a rather
timid newcomer to Australia to a highly regarded community and business leader.
Lau's achievements are remarkable, fighting initial discrimination, while
working her way up through the nursing profession to be appointed matron/manager
of the Avenue Private Hospital in the 1970s, turning the fortunes of the
hospital, thus enabling the owners to sell the once struggling hospital to a
United States health company at a profit.
In her next role as Senior Nursing Adviser to the Victorian Department of
Health, she was responsible, among many other duties, for the preparation of
hospital budgets, staff recruitment and management of hospital industrial
relations issues.
In the early 80s, she became the Director of Nursing at the Montefiore Homes
but her nursing career was interrupted in 1995 when her husband, whom she
married in 1971, died and she inherited his restaurant in Chinatown here.
Those were tough years when Chinese restaurants were battling to make ends
meet because of a variety of economic challenges and the lure of the
newly-opened Crown casino.
But Lau prevailed and through good management skills her restaurant was
highly successful for seven years before she sold it.
After that Lau, who trained as a nurse in Britain, switched her attention to
community work, advocating greater recognition for migrant women in public,
private and community life.
"I have a deep feeling for these women because of my experience when I came
to Australia all those years ago," she said.
"People then found it difficult to understand I had nursing qualifications
from England and I could speak good English and I was comfortable with the
Aussie way of life."
Lau said that in the 1970s Aussie women generally found it difficult to gain
equality and for migrants it was doubly more difficult.
"But we are getting there now and hopefully with Julia Gillard as prime
minister, the fortunes of women would change because she came to Australia as a
migrant from Wales," Lau said.
Lau was the first woman to be elected chair of the Ethnic Communities
Council of Victoria, the first female president of the Chinese Community Society
of Victoria, life governor of the Victorian Elderly Chinese Welfare Society and
a Justice of Peace.
In 1996 Lau was awarded an Order of Australia medal for services to older
Australians and the Chinese community in Victoria and in 2003 she received a
Centenary Medal, both prestigious national awards.
These days Lau has her own thriving aged care consultancy.
