For David Chong, the concept of a first language has always been a difficult one to grasp.
“People would ask me about my first language, and I would say English because that’s how my babysitter communicated with me… but then they would want to know what language I spoke at home, and I would say Cantonese… and then they would want to know which language I felt most comfortable with, and I would say Portuguese,” he told SBS News.
“So if you talk about representation, I am not Chinese enough, I am not Brazilian enough, and I’m not Australian enough – but I am all of those things together, and it’s always been my learning that has been my main focus.”
Dr Chong is being recognised for his work with Portuguese speaking communities, and is one of the 755 Australians who have been honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) this Australia Day.
“I never thought I would be chosen for something like this, but the medal is not just about me, it’s about how we as a community can join forces,” he said.
Born in Sydney to two Chinese travelling acrobats, Dr Chong and his parents traveled around the world, and arrived in Brazil in 1969 with an Italian circus, five years after the 1964 coup d'état ushered in a period of military dictatorship.
The family had only planned on living in Brazil for a few months, but they decided to settle in the city of Belo Horizonte, and open a Middle Eastern snack store.
David Chong: "People would ask me about my first language, and I would say English because that’s how my babysitter communicated with me". Source: LF/SBS Portuguese
In that time, Dr Chong studied clinical psychology, while helping at the family business, but decided to return to Australia at the age of 25.
“I knew that if I wanted to be a psychologist, I needed to leave my comfortable life at the snack bar,” he said.
“My English was incredibly basic when I arrived, but the sentence I used all the time was, "can you please correct my English?"”
Dr Chong was persistent in improving his English, so he could overcome language barriers which were preventing him from practicing psychology.
“The struggle of not having the words in English, but having the knowledge, and the concept, was very challenging,” he said.
“But migration was a gift which helped me understand more about myself.”
Living in Australia, Dr Chong believes he finally had the chance to connect more with his Chinese heritage, and to understand the experiences of minority groups.
Brazil is home to the largest Japanese population outside of Japan, and many people assumed Dr Chong was also Japanese.
“In Australia, it was marvelous to connect with my Chinese heritage. I had never been able to settle into one culture; cultures can be hybrid and unconventional,” he said.
“It’s basic human nature to try and classify people, but I love being the odd one out."
It’s that quality of standing out which equipped Dr Chong with the tools to support a variety of different communities through his work as a psychologist.
“I have worked with people at the margins of society – the, those with substance abuse issues, and more,” he said.
“Whatever struggle people may face, there are always common denominators.”
Dr Chong has also worked with LGBTIQ+ groups on a number of mental health initiatives – an opportunity which allowed him to learn more about himself.
David has been with his partner Trevor for 13 years. Source: Supplied
“Like any gay man, I’ve had to learn to repudiate that internalised homophobia, there’s that internal devaluation,” he said.
“My focus has always been, how can I support people to develop their voices? How can I support people to use their story not as victims, but to empower them?”
For this reason, Dr Chong has stressed the importance of in-language psychology services, to improve the mental health of communities where it may not be considered a cultural norm to discuss such topics.
“Language specific services should not be seen as secondary, they need to be primary, and relevant,” he said.
“Services have to be integrated so they don’t become closed in.”
Dr Chong came to Victoria alone, but it would come as no surprise that a man who exemplifies multiculturalism would quickly feel at home in a country which aspires to do the same.
“I was so shocked that the shops closed at 5, but I learned so much, I discovered other cultures, food, and the first time I saw bhangra dancing, I thought it was amazing,” he said.
In his next project, he hopes to work more closely with international students, and help them with mental health issues.
