Australian VN Adoptee Contact People
The individuals below reflect a diverse range of experiences and opinions about adoption and related topics. There are many more AVI state and city contacts, general members and events listed on the AVI FB group. If you would consider enlisting as a state contact to meet adopted Vietnamese and co-ordinate events in your area – see the Become an AVI volunteer page. National contact is Indigo Willing, founder of AVI Email: adoptedvietnamese@hotmail.com
Queensland
Jen Fitzpatrick - yangyin@ihug.com.au
Jen was on Operation Babylift 1975 and from the Sancta Maria orphanage. She is also the NICAAG adoptee Rep, and an AVI Advisory Network Member.
Dr Indigo Willing - adoptedvietnamese@hotmail.com
Indigo is an adopted Vietnamese, researcher of transnational and transracial adoptions, and Convener of AVI.
New South Wales
Analee Matthews - analee@allsmilescreative.com.au
Analee is an adopted Vietnamese living in Sydney. From 2004 she is the National Australian Public Liaison Manager for AVI. Her story is also featured in the book ‘The Colour of Difference’ edited by Sarah Armstrong and Pertina Slayter from PARC.
Sophie English - sophie_english@optusnet.com.au
Sophie is a graduate from UTS and is an adopted Vietnamese living in Sydney. She is happy to hear from other adoptees who are exploring their history.
Victoria
Dominic Golding - dominichongducgolding@gmail.com
Dominic is an adopted Vietnamese artist and AVI Advisory Network Member
Jennifer Szetho an adopted Vietnamese working on a searching for birth parents database project. Email: Jen_ssss@hotmail.com
Western Australia
Ms Sue-Yen Bylund - bylund@email.com
Sue-Yen is a Western Australian VN adoptee and has extensive experience with both adoption community and committees.
South Australia
Ty ‘Phoon’ - phoon08@iinet.net.au
AVI SA contact and Admin Team Member
Other VN Adoptees based in SA include:
Jamie Fry, Adelaide - jamiefry911@hotmail.com
Saran Chamberlain, Adelaide saran@portolesi.com.au
Tran Van Heeswyk - Tran1975@bigpond.com
Tran Van Heeswyk was adopted in 1975. She lives in Mt Gambier which is in the Sth East of South Australia, and works with a Medical Imaging Practice.
Other Adoption Contacts/Organisations Within Australia can be found on the Australian Contact Directory AVI page.
BACKGROUND TO THE ADOPTED VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY IN AUSTRALIA
AVI is developing a list to document the children who were adopted into Australia during the Vietnam War and is looking for more information and community assistance to build it. Please visit the Adopted Vietnamese Australia LIST. According to the Dept. of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs, their 1998 census revealed approximately 250 to 500 children were brought in by Operation babylift 1975 while a number of other individual adoptions from Vietnam also took place prior to this date. Thus, Operation Babylift and the end of the Vietnam War in April 1975 are major symbolic events and parts of the adopted Vietnamese community’s overall history, but all of the orphans both prior to and during 1975 now make up a much bigger and more inclusive community.
- Figures vary for example J Harper “Intercountry Adoption of Older Children in Australia” (1986) 10 Adoption and Fostering: 27 estimates that 292 children were airlifted and that 119 were adopted by NSW families.
- Coughlan, J. (1989) “A Comparative Study of the Demographic Profile of Australia’s Indochinese-born Communities: 1976 – 1986″, Australia Asia Papers, 50, Centre for Study of Australia-Asian Relations, Griffith University, QLD places the figures at approximate 537 incoming Vietnamese orphans
- Harvey, I. J. (1980). Australian Parents for Vietnamese Children: A Social & Psychological Study of Inter-Country Adoption. Unpublished MA Thesis, Macquarie University, Sydney places figures for NSW at approximately 292 incoming Vietnamese orphans on the Babylift and just over 50 prior to 1975 in private adoptions.
- In Dai Le’s documentary Operation Babylift her research posits that 214 children were a part of the airlifts which took place on two commercial aeroplanes in April 1975.
Also see: www.agd.nsw.gov.au/lrc.nsf/pages/R81CHP10
Sydney Quarantine Station housed some of the Vietnamese orphans. Read more at www.castleofspirits.com/quarantine.html
Operation babylift memoirs by Chris Sturt can be found at the Chris Sturt – Memories of North Head Quarantine Station AVI page.