CHANGES | Fr Nelson Po
It is very humbling to be asked to provide a column for my thoughts in a publication like this one. It is equally a privilege to be able to write for this maiden issue which I am greatly honoured to be a part of. I take my hat off to the individuals who make this publication a reality and to the number of our kababayans who, despite the demands of their profession and commitment towards faith and family, never gave up on making our voices heard and our presence felt by the bigger society.
I am particularly enthused by the fact that again, we have come up with something that Filipino West Australians can well and try to call our own. I am one with very high hopes that this medium can boost our efforts toward the much-needed involvement and the much-desired unity among Filipino circles in this place. Ultimately, it is hoped that this worthwhile initiative would serve as another catalyst through which we can improve the image of the Filipino people in WA.
After living more than a decade in Perth, my second home, I have seen people come and go; groups formed and deformed, flourished and branched out. I have witnessed how groups really tried their best to reach out to our individual brothers and sisters through events and functions that remind them of their heritage, values, and aspirations as Filipinos. I have met countless of our Pinoy kababayans and have heard their stories of struggles and resilience as well as their joys and triumphs in their respective circumstances as new migrants. I have watched and have been undeniably entertained by artists and performers from back home trying to make us feel in a home away from home. All these efforts have actually done a great service to our community.
But there are still plenty of things to do and a lot of goals to achieve, a lot of communal reflection and brainstorming to undertake before we can reach that aim of raising the image of the Filipino in this part of the world. With this fi rst issue, we can say to ourselves that we have made another step forward into the future. Let us continue trying and hoping. Let us continue to dare mighty things.
Editor’s Note: Fr Nelson Po is currently parish priest of Notre Dame Catholic Church in Cloverdale WA. Previously, he was a chaplain at the Royal Perth Hospital in Perth City. Fr Nelson attended St Charles Seminary in Guildford WA. He was an industrial engineer by profession before being called to the priestly vocation. Fr Nelson is a straightforward preacher, pragmatic in his approach to changes needed around the sheepfold. It is simple for Fr Nelson to be spiritual and scientific at the same time. He sees things as a combination of progress and tradition.
Aside from being an effective member of the clergy of the Archdiocese of Perth, Fr Nelson is in a unique position to communicate with Filipino individuals and groups on matters of community significance, other than church-related. Fr Nelson is one of the prime movers and convenors of The First Perth Filipino Community Symposium, which seeks to elevate the status of the Filipino community as a force to reckon with in the wider multicultural society of WA.
