Summary
Greeting Card made by Thomas Le, a Vietnamese migrant. Thomas undertook some art training in Vietnam before he escaped at the age of 16. Since arriving in Australia he has put himself through an Art and Design course at Preston TAFE and Phillip Institute and now runs his own Graphic Design business. He also creates his own artwork in the form of a visual diary of his life, including the many traumatic experiences he believes he has to deal with by painting them out of his system. Thomas donated the images of these cards to Austcare which seeks to help refugee children throughout the world. He views this as a way of giving something back for his new life in Australia for others who are suffering.
Physical Description
White rectangular cardboard greeting card. The front of the card has a white boarder around a print of a black-chined honeyeater, with a light yellow body, dark yellow wings and a black face, standing on a brown branch of a eucalyptus caesia which has bright pink blosoms. There is extensive text printed in black on the back of the card.
Significance
The impact of Thomas' immigration and refugee experiences is evident in his willingness to donate his time and art to the cause of Austcare which aids refugee children. Thomas undertook some art training in Vietnam before he escaped at the age of 16. Since arriving in Australia he has put himself through an Art and Design course at Preston TAFE and Phillip Institute and now runs his own Graphic Design business. He also creates his own artwork in the form of a visual diary of his life, including the many traumatic experiences he believes he has to deal with by painting them out of his system.
Thomas donated the images of these cards to Austcare which seeks to help refugee children throughout the world. Thomas views this as a way of giving something back for his new life in Australia for others who are suffering. He identifies with the plight of refugee children who miss out on simple pleasures such as reading books and looking at illustrations other than war propoganda.
More Information
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Collection Names
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Collecting Areas
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Acquisition Information
Donation from Mr Thomas Le, 24 May 1999
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Artist
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Manufactured For
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Inscriptions
On the back of card: 'Eucalyptus Caesia and Black-Chinned Honeyeater' / "As a child growing up during the war, I never had a childhood. / I missed out on many simple things such as the pleasures of reading books/ and being able to look at illustrations other than war propaganda. / I often used a stick to draw on the dirt, and then imagined the colours." / Thomas Le / AUSTCARE / "CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF HELPING REFUGEES" / AUSTCARE / LOCKED BAG 15 / CAMPERDOWN NSW 2050 / TELEPHONE (02) 9565 9111 / Proceeds from the sale of this card will benefit AUSTCARE.Australia's only specialist refugee agency. / Card designed for AUSTCARE by Thomas Le..© Copyright Thomas Le / Paper supplied by Edwards Dunlop Paper
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Classification
Cultural identity, Ethnicity - creative practice, Paper craft
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Category
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Discipline
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Type of item
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Overall Dimensions
18 cm (Length), 13.1 cm (Height)
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Keywords
Charities, Fauna, Flora, Political Prisoners, Refugee Children, Refugees, Vietnamese Communities, Vietnamese Culture, Vietnamese Immigration, Vietnam War Refugees
