Our most senior teacher, The Most Venerable Thich Phuoc Hue was the first Vietnamese monk to arrive in Australia. He set foot on our soil in 1980. In 1981, he formed the Vietnamese Buddhist Federation of Australia, which currently has branch temples in all Australian states, with the exception of Tasmania, which has very few Vietnamese refugees. At its Biennial Conference in 1987, the name of the Federation was changed to the United Vietnamese Buddhist Congregations of Australia. The Most Venerable established the Phuoc Hue Temple in a large garage at the rear of a cottage in Fairfield, which served as a monk's residence. Racial tention and the local council's insensitivity to the needs of the refugee communities forced the Vietnamese Buddhist Federation to seek Government assistance in finding a suitable place for a temple to serve the spiritual needs of Sydney's large Vietnamese Buddhist community. The then Premier of N.S.W., the Hon.Barrie Unsworth, responded by making available an unused school premises at Wetherill Park, an outer western suburb. The foundation stone for the new Phuoc Hue Temple was laid by him in October, 1987. The splendid temple premises, which is a major showpiece in Sydney, is currently situated on this former school land.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 July 2011 00:12