Minh Dang - REQ Board Director
Having recently celebrated his 40th Birthday, Tristan Kolay has certainly had a positive impact on countless refugees and migrants in Perth over his life.
Growing up in Perth in a Burmese family, Tristan counts his blessings for the opportunities Australia has provided for him to prosper.
Aside from managing his young family and full-time employment, Tristan dedicates his time volunteering at the Rotary Club of Elizabeth Quay (REQ). Tristan has been a Rotarian for over 10 years and chartered REQ in 2017 as the Club’s first president, creating a place for young professionals to serve the community through the Rotary motto ‘Service Above Self’.
During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Tristan saw the shortage in essentials items for disadvantaged families resulting from the public frenzy of hoarding food; toilet paper; general medical supplies; non-perishable items; baby supplies and more. A large portion of the most vulnerable groups were from migrant and refugee communities. Tristan took the initiative to partner with Vinnies, City of Vincent and the Knights of the Southern Cross to organise a Food Appeal Drop-off. In one event, 3,200 kilograms of food was donated and 177 food hampers were distributed to those in need. Tristan also helped carry forward this project for the Christmas Appeal with 77 hampers created and distributed to families in December 2020.
Tristan has a keen interest in helping those from a refugee or migrant background who face hardship; from experiencing additional barriers to employment, difficulties accessing services due to language barriers, to isolation and trauma resulting from the refugee experience. Tristan worked extremely hard to develop a Refugee & Migrant Engagement project, to provide an opportunity for participants to co-design some life-skills workshops facilitated by REQ members and subject matter experts.
The participants identified the need for strong English skills and increased knowledge around becoming job ready, including the importance of volunteering; upskilling; work experience and making meaningful connections outside of their own community.
In addition to the Refugee and Migrant Engagement project series organised by Tristan, REQ understands the need to provide opportunities to young children coming from refugee and migrant families. As a result, Tristan took the initiative to incorporate community events for children of various ages, such as tree planting, recreational sports and cooking.
Outside of Rotary, Tristan works in the Human Resources Sector and consistently encourages graduates to attend or volunteer at REQ events. Tristan is a volunteer firefighter and is involved in many other community organisations.
What gives Tristan the energy to continue to volunteer for so many years after his family’s arrival in Perth?
“Being able to make the wrongs right with like-minded friends and family.” - Tristan Kolay
Tristan was awarded the Volunteer for Multicultural Communities Award at the Volunteering WA gala dinner on 20 May held at Crown Perth. Tristan was not the only Rotarian to win an award, Maurice Becker a member of Rotary of Wagin took home the Spirit of Volunteering Award.
Tips from Tristan to keep volunteers motivated:
Don’t do things alone
When the going gets tough, believe in why/what you are doing
Work on sustainable projects
At the end of the day, Tristan wants his children to inherit a better world, like his parents migrating from Myanmar to Australia for their children.
A big thank you to all the other finalists for their community service.