VN Adoptee – Australia
Teacher & Community Engagement
Teacher, Long term Community Engagement with SA VN and Multicultural Communities & Media Artist
Ruth Tulloch’s original Bio PDF can be found here: ruthbio.pdf (705 KB)
Qualifications:
Bachelor of Social Science and Diploma in Management Community Services.
Job Occupation:
Lecturer at TAFE SA, teaching students who aspire to work in the social work, health and community services job areas.
Work History:
12 years experience working in the community services and social work areas. Ten years working with the Vietnamese Community Centre in South Australia as a youth worker and manager.
Other:
– Young Vietnamese
– Australian of the Year 2003 presented by the national organization Vietnamese Community in Australia / SA Chapter Inc.
-Asia Video Entertainment Incorporated video productions presented award in 2004 (California,) for contribution to helping young Vietnamese in Australia. Asia Video Entertainment made a music / DVD called “Voice of the Heart,” included my life story as an adoptee.
– Chairperson of Multicultural Youth South Australia Inc. 2001 – 2003, advocating for young refugees.
-Board member of Multicultural Communities Council of SA. 2002-2004, advocating for culturally diverse communities.
-Ministerial member of Youth Plus, advising youth minister on youth issues. 2001-2002.
-A keen photographer and face painter!!!
External Vice President of the Vietnamese Community in Australia / SA Chapter Inc.2005 – 2008
I was born in Vietnam, Saigon. I came to Australia in 1975, when I was adopted by an Australian family. My first contact with the Vietnamese Community was when I was 15 years old and I started to go to ethnic school to learn Vietnamese. I sat in Vietnamese classes with pre-schoolers at Ridley Grove and all my class mates were 4 years old, so that was an interesting experience for me.
I remember going to some of the Vietnamese festivals at that age, like Tet and Full Moon festival. Through the ethnic school, I found out about the cultural festivals here in Australia and went to them and that was the first contact I had with the Vietnamese culture. Shortly afterwards I lost contact with the Vietnamese culture, which was unfortunate.
I went to university and studied social science and that was when I became interested in providing welfare services and really wanted to help other people. However I was still very much interested in my cultural heritage and finding my Vietnamese family. My interest in that cross-cultural identity always bothered me and luckily I was introduced to the Vietnamese Community in Australia / SA Chapter Incorporated in 1997. I started volunteering with the Vietnamese Community Centre in South Australia as a street outreach worker, making contact with young Vietnamese people in their own environments. Distributing health, legal and other information and linking them back to welfare services. From my volunteer work I was able to become employed by the Vietnamese Community in South Australia as a youth worker and many other roles over the years.
My involvement with the Vietnamese Community in South Australia stretched over a period of 12 years, after I left working there I became a management committee member. It has given me valuable insight in to the Vietnamese culture and has allowed me experiences I will never forget.Over the years I was able to give the Vietnamese Community insight to the stories of Vietnamese adoptees and it has been an enlightening and worthwhile experience.