A hard hitting interrogation of President Tony - all it needed was the spotlight!! Well, not really - Tony L interviewed Pres Tony and it turned out to be an inciteful fun event
Thanks To Anne for the report (slightly amended to incorporate the questions)
A CONVERSATION WITH TONY NGUYEN
Q. Tony – Let’s start off with a little about your family history. Tell us a little about your family history, when did they arrive in Australia? Did they come to Melbourne first off or move here later? Where did you go to school?
FAMILY
Tony's mother spent four years in a camp in Hong Kong, before she came to Melbourne. His father travelled by boat from Vietnam to Malaysia to reach Bedong, before he eventually arrived in Melbourne in 1981. Tony, born in 1993, went to school in Springvale, spending the last three years of school in a Catholic school.
Q. What occupations have you had since you left school?
CAREER
Tony began his career as "chip master" in the Carribean Gardens and from there, he worked night shift in a pizza shop. He has also worked in a call centre, a bank in the home loan department. What struck him most was the ease in which he was allowed to offer credit to those who were already deeply in debt. As a result of this, he chose to become a financial planner, which he undertook for a period of three years. In his final incarnation, we now know him as a real estate agent.
Q. And how about Tran? Where did you meet and how long did it take before you both decided this was for the long term?
HIS LIFE WITH TRAN
Tony has known Tran since they were both sixteen years of age. Tran's family is very loving, what Tony describes as "a beacon of light". Their journey to marriage has been a long one, at least twelve years in the making. Mealtimes with his in-laws are very traditional and an integral part of their daily life together as a family group. His quote on marriage from his father - " Don't ever give up or walk away."
Q. We know that you gained an interest in joining Rotary through a chance meeting with Ted at Camberwell market, what is it that drove your passion to actually join and indeed join Canterbury (especially given the distance you have to travel to get here)?
TONY'S LIFE IN ROTARY
Tony has acknowledged a long held desire to give back and undertake charitable activities, as inspired by his mother who would send food back to Vietnam regularly. He wants to be surrounded by better things and better people, than he has previously been. For him, the work that Rotary International undertakes, has meant that he has done something else to change the trajectory of his life. This has been particularly important for him.
Q. You’ve been in Rotary for 3 years and are just about to complete your Presidential year
What are the highlights for you?
Now that you are finishing your presidential year what avenue of service/role would you like to be involved in – notwithstanding that as IPP you still have a key role on the board
The highlights for him were the mentoring, the opportunity to grow as a person. He believes that he would like to be involved as IPP in something to do with communication both internally and externally
Q. Lastly, tell us something about yourself that we would never guess?
SOMETHING YOU WOULD NEVER GUESS...
Tony loves cooking and food, in general. He learned to make souvlaki and pizza at an early age. His favourite recipe is Vietnamese beef noodle soup.