An active community member, she currently holds the director positions at Doutta Galla Aged Care Services; the Royal Children’s Hospital Children’s Bioethics Centre Development Board; the Emergency Services Telecommunication Authority (ESTA); and is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee for Senior Victorians and the Policy Council of the Council on the Ageing. She is the President of the Chinese Community Society of Victoria; and Immediate Past President of the Chinese Health Foundation of Australia and Member of the Rotary Club of Glen Eira.
Marion also sits on a number of other NGO & Government Ministerial Committees. She is a qualified health services administrator, management consultant specialising in aged care, small business mentor and counsellor and a cross-cultural trainer.
Marion is a Justice of the Peace for Victoria, Previous People of Australia Ambassador, Australia Day Ambassador Victoria, and the Patron of the National Australian Chinese Women Association. Marion received an Order of Australia Award for her work with older Australians, and a Centenary Medal, for services to multiculturalism, and is on the Victorian Honour Roll for Women, and a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.
Testimonial
Multi-lingual - Countless Benefits I was raised in a multi-racial country and environment where being multilingual is normal. Growing up, I attended a school run by Methodist missionaries, so English was the medium. However, our school mates came from different races and it was most natural for us to be multi-lingual when we speak with each other, and we understand it if others are talking about us. So, it was a challenge for me when I arrived in Australia to find that a large proportion of the community is mono-lingual. Communication is a significant factor in all aspects of life, and if we are unable to communicate with each other, we are greatly disadvantaged – economically as well as socially. So, in the spirit of ensuring that we are able to maintain a high quality of life, learning a second or third language should be one of our priorities. In the course of learning another language we have the added benefit of knowing more about the culture where that is spoken.
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Daniel Ednie-Lockett
Daniel Ednie-Lockett is the founder of Language Connection, a not for profit which runs language exchanges and conferences for native speakers and learners of English, Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Daniel speaks fluent Japanese and Mandarin and has worked as a TV presenter in Mandarin in China for the last two years.
Helen Kapalos
I began my career as a reporter on ABC Radio in Newcastle in 1994 before moving to SBS after winning a national scholarship. In 2001, I was approached to join the Nine Network as a reporter on National Nine News where I covered breaking news events such as the Waterfall train disaster and the historic Sydney Gang rape trial. I played a key role in the 2004 Athens Olympics coverage, where I reported for several news and current affairs programs from the Greek capital and across Europe. Upon my return I was appointed host of the Late News program Nightline. In addition to that role, I presented a weekly news segment on the Network's flagship current affairs program Sunday, alongside host Jana Wendt.
GARANG DUT
First Sudanese refugee to obtain a Medical degree in Victoria
Dr Linny Phuong
State Finalist Young Australian of the Year 2013
Fablice Manirakiza
Maintaining language culture is very important not just to me but to all the diversity communities as well as the wider community of Australia, English is my second language, I understand the importance of it, not just in our everyday life but also in connecting with the world politicly, economically and other aspects, but to most of us this wouldn't slow us in maintaining our main language, the world of today is about creating and sharing we should all be proud of who we are and share our cultural across the world, but it all start with your own identity of where you come from, I believe maintaining language is important to achieve all the desire of making this world a better place.
Robert DIPIERDOMENICO
"I was born to play in Grand Finals," says Robert DiPierdomenico, somewhat humbly.
