On 19 February, diving legend and five-time Olympian Melissa Wu OLY delivered the Foundation’s 2025 Wang Gungwu lecture. This annual lecture celebrates the substantial and longstanding contributions of Australia’s diverse Chinese communities to Australian life.
The lecture is named after the pre-eminent scholar on China and Chinese diaspora communities around the world, Professor Wang Gungwu AO CBE. He was Director of the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies at the ANU from 1975 to 1980, President of the Australian Academy of Humanities from 1980 to 1983, Chair of the Australia-China Council from 1984 to 1986, Vice Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong from 1986 to 1995, and is an ANU Professor Emeritus. It is held in partnership with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon Penny Wong, delivered the welcome address, emphasising that “the values of inclusion and acceptance that underpin modern Australia must be defended…nurtured by leaders and by the community”
Melissa’s grandparents and father migrated to Australia in the 1970s from Myanmar. They moved to the then small suburb of Richmond in Sydney. Melissa’s career started at her grandparent’s house, diving off the top of their three-metre-high backyard shed. Over the course of her diving career Melissa was awarded more than 60 medals for Australia at various international championships, including a bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 making her the youngest Australian diving medallist ever.
“Every step of my journey has been guided by the values of my family and by my Chinese heritage. I will always be proud of my Chinese heritage and I intend on passing on our family traditions to future Wu generations and instilling in the athletes I coach the values that my grandparents and entire family taught me, ensuring they live on in future generations. It has been a huge honour to represent the Chinese-Australian community and to give this lecture tonight” said Melissa.
Previous lectures were delivered by paediatrician, and former Australian of the year, Dr John Yu AC, 2022-23 Australian Children’s Laureate, Gabrielle Wang, and former Chair of Diversity Council Australia and the first Asian woman to lead an ASX200-listed company, Ming Long AM.
The event was hosted by writer Patrick Skene. Mr Skene authored Celestial Footy which chronicles the success of Chinese-Australians in the Australian Football League. With support from the Foundation, Celestial Footy will be made into a documentary and educational resources for Australian schools.
Watch the whole lecture HERE
