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 square cardboard greeting card. The front of the card has a white boarder around a print of a Koala on a background of green and magenta. The Koala has pink and brown claws, a brown body, yellow stomach and blue eyes. There is a baby Koala with a pink head and green body holding on the the larger Koala's back. 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.

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