Community spirit recognised in competition

HOW much do you like your neighbour?

Lah Su Pahthei is so well loved in his community that he was named the winner of Long Gully Neighbourhood Centre’s Good Neighbours Competition last week.

The competition, now in its second year, celebrates Bendigo residents making a positive difference for the people around them with compassion and selflessness.

Speaking through a translator, Mr Pahthei said he’d never won an award like it and was very happy to be recognised.

Mr Pahthei, his wife and their three children were the first Karen family to move to the region in 2007, which he remembered as a lonely time spent mostly indoors before the community started to grow.

“We had time to go out when our sponsors came in, looked after us, took us out to the park, but that was the only social thing to do,” he said.

“As more Karen people came, it was more vibrant, you had more common things to share.

“It was more sociable, and you were able to communicate with each other better about experiences. It was less lonely.”

Now, Mr Pahthei is seen as an elder in the local Karen community, relied on for his advice about sharing traditions and culture.

Many young Karen people simply call him uncle.

He can also be found volunteering at the Buddhist Karen monastery or at LGNC’s community garden growing a variety of tropical Asian produce to share with people.

Ten finalists were selected for the Good Neighbours award from a pool of public nominations and LGNC coordinator Kerry Parry said choosing a winner was particularly difficult.

“Our Good Neighbours Competition has highlighted individuals who have helped others and sometimes it’s been one person at a time, sometimes whole communities have been impacted by some of these good neighbours,” she said.

“Regardless of the scale of their kindness and impact, to at least one person it has meant the world.”