St Albans sculptor Phu Van Le, 60, talks with Brendan Kelly about art, food and life as a refugee in Brimbank.
How long have you lived in Brimbank?
I have been living here for about 30 years. Before that I escaped from Vietnam. When the communists took over our country, they were going to put my father and brother in jail, so we tried to escape to come here.
What was life like in Vietnam before the war?
I went to university and got my bachelor of economics. My father was the manager of the post office for most of his life. My family had eight children.
Did your whole family come to Australia?
It was just me and my brother at first. My father came here about 20 years ago and died four years ago. Now all my brothers and sisters are here, except for my brother Ninh Van Le; he was a soldier and he was killed.
What did you do when you first came here?
After we came to Melbourne, my brother and I got a job. Then, when we had the money saved up, we put ourselves through school and both got our bachelor of engineering. At that time, we worked in a hotel and there were many Vietnamese and Polish people there.
What is your favourite thing about living in St Albans?
My favourite thing is all the flavours of its food. I love the markets and the food here is very good. I love all the food in St Albans, but my favourite is the noodle soup.
What made you want to start sculpting and composing?
I started sculpting when I was in Melbourne. I felt bored and wanted something to do. The main thing I love is sculpting beautiful women. I think it was about 2005 that I started composing music. I write songs in Vietnamese. The main thing I like about it is I get to express my feelings. After my parents died four years ago I stopped doing any art. I only started again last year.
Were you taught your art by anyone?
No, I am completely self-taught. I taught myself sculpting, painting and composing. My background would be music only. All my family know about music. My niece, especially, plays the piano very well.
Will you celebrate the 40th anniversary of Vietnamese settlement in Australia?
Yes, for me this was very important. Now I’ve spent more than 30 years in Australia. This year I joined with a Vietnamese festival hosted at St Albans Secondary College. They had some of my work displayed at that exhibition.
What works did you exhibit?
I have a sculpture there called Thank You Australia. It shows a refugee boat in a storm and then arms with Australian flags on them make waves that symbolise the struggles of Australians who made a strong decision to save our refugees.
