Accounted for: Ben Nhem was surprised to receive an Order of Australia medal in the Queen's Birthday honours.Honour astounds
10/06/2008
BY KYLIE STEVENS
St Mary's-Mt Druitt Star (Australia)
BEN Nhem, an orphaned teenager when he arrived in Australia with his younger brother from Cambodia in 1983, has received an Order of Australia medal in the Queen's Birthday honours.
It was for his tireless work with the Cambodian community in Australia.
'`I thought it was only for big guys like government ministers who would get this kind of award,'' Mr Nhem, an accountant of Rooty Hill, said.
``Some years ago, I never knew what the Queen's Birthday Honour was all about.
``Later on, when I understood what it meant, I thought to myself that I would not dare to dream about it.
``This award means so much to me.
``I feel more at home in Australia than in Cambodia these days.''
Mr Nhem formed CambodiaWatch Australia in 1997 to lobby for improved human rights in Cambodia. The group, now the Cambodian Network for Peace and Reconciliation, also raises funds to build wells in poor villages.
Mr Nhem also formed the Cambodian Ex-War Orphans Support Group and was on the Khmer Community of NSW committee for many years.
He was 10 when his father was killed by the communist Khmer Rouge in 1977, two years after it took over Cambodia at the end of the Vietnam War.
Mr Nhem was sent to prison not long after for stealing rice to eat.
He escaped and found his mother and sister dying from hunger and overwork.
Two years later, Mr Nhem and his brother, aged 8, walked 100 kilometres barefooted to Thailand where they were picked up by international aid workers and put into a Red Cross camp for orphans. They became state wards when they arrived in Australia and lived at the Burnside Home in North Parramatta.
Mr Nhem attended Ashcroft and Canley Vale high schools, studied at university, and has had his own accounting practice for 10 years.
``I have never seen any generous country in the world like Australia, and the Australian people,'' he said.
It was for his tireless work with the Cambodian community in Australia.
'`I thought it was only for big guys like government ministers who would get this kind of award,'' Mr Nhem, an accountant of Rooty Hill, said.
``Some years ago, I never knew what the Queen's Birthday Honour was all about.
``Later on, when I understood what it meant, I thought to myself that I would not dare to dream about it.
``This award means so much to me.
``I feel more at home in Australia than in Cambodia these days.''
Mr Nhem formed CambodiaWatch Australia in 1997 to lobby for improved human rights in Cambodia. The group, now the Cambodian Network for Peace and Reconciliation, also raises funds to build wells in poor villages.
Mr Nhem also formed the Cambodian Ex-War Orphans Support Group and was on the Khmer Community of NSW committee for many years.
He was 10 when his father was killed by the communist Khmer Rouge in 1977, two years after it took over Cambodia at the end of the Vietnam War.
Mr Nhem was sent to prison not long after for stealing rice to eat.
He escaped and found his mother and sister dying from hunger and overwork.
Two years later, Mr Nhem and his brother, aged 8, walked 100 kilometres barefooted to Thailand where they were picked up by international aid workers and put into a Red Cross camp for orphans. They became state wards when they arrived in Australia and lived at the Burnside Home in North Parramatta.
Mr Nhem attended Ashcroft and Canley Vale high schools, studied at university, and has had his own accounting practice for 10 years.
``I have never seen any generous country in the world like Australia, and the Australian people,'' he said.
8 comments:
Thanks you brother for not forgetting where we come from, and congratulation.
Ben,
My whole hearted Congratulation for your accomplishments and acknowledgement. May all Khmers stand proud with you.
Chan,
yes, the USA, EU, Australia and a few other countries in the world out there are truly wonderful to the Khmer refugees in the early '80s. Khmer people will forever love those great countries mentioned above; they are truly inspirational for cambodian people. i hope and wish these countries will come to cambodia to cement permenant ties with cambodia as cambodia will always embrace them all. thank you all for always caring for humanitarian like the time when cambodian people need it the most. god bless you all.
Congratulations mate , I'm living in Adelaide and I never know khmer people in NSW received it .
Keep up your good work mate .
Cheers
Peter
Good on you Mr Ben Nhem. We have three Cambodian people in New Zealand who have received such award from Her Majesty The Queen of England since 2000-2007. I hope more Cambodian people be recognised for their works to their country of residence. Areak Prey
Congratulations to you, Ben Nhem. I am sure if your parents were alive they would be proud of you and your work. I am sure your children and wife will be proud of you as well. Great to hear more and more people of 1980s generation have contributed to community work and be recognised! Our generation went thru so much ever since Camnbodia, Thai refugee camps and then the settlement in new adopted land.!
Khmer Sydney
What a Great Role Model.
It's a sad story but I won't let this interfere with business. He was my accountant for about a year and never have I dealt with such rude, unorganised and an incompetent accountant. Paid him $2000 per lodgement. I feel much regret for choosing Ben Buntha Nhem to do my accounting who I found through a Cambodian friend. All activity statements overdue, income tax bills went into default placing a mark on my credit file because he didn't manage the papers or even open them for months. He then dropped all correspondences to my house and left them in the rain, I was then managing all the accounting papers that I paid him to manage. When He was questioned or "nagged" because he wasn't always ontop of things, he began insulting me via text (cannot believe how unprofessional and rude he was to his clients) and still expected me to do business with him as usual. I later left and he was tried to make the transition difficult and messy. Honestly would not recommend this accountant who is rude and arrogant who couldnt demonstrate basic accountant skills and responsibilities let alone strategic or entrepreneur skills. Absolutely shocking experience. Save your time, sanity and money and go somewhere else.
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