The growth of the Vietnamese scouting movement in Sydney is one of Thuat’s proudest accomplishments but his biggest life achievement will forever be the creation of the Children’s Festivals. Inspired by Sydney’s multicultural society, Thuat came up with an idea of a festival for children that celebrated diversity and harmony.
Launching in 1999, the Children’s Festival was the first of its kind in Western Sydney. To Thuat’s surprise, the festival grew rapidly and soon gained sponsorship from the NSW Government.
“In the last 22 years, we have successfully staged 35 Children’s Festivals in Bankstown, Canterbury, Marrickville, Campbelltown and Sydney, attracting a quarter of a million participants and inspiring thousands of volunteers, particularly the young ones,” he said.
Looking back on his life, Thuat says he is “thankful that my family has luckily survived after the escape by boat from Vietnam then successfully settled down in West Germany and then again in Australia”.
A member of the Bankstown Lunar New Year Festival committee since 2008, Scout Leader and Editor, Scouting pages, The Vietnamese Tribune, since 1994, among his many roles, Thuat was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2007 and received the Waratah Award in 2019.
“I am thrilled to now receive an AM and see it as a win for all of my supporters as well as the festival volunteers,” he said.
