Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017:
Nguyên Đuc Thu (Augustine)

Pastor; born Thach Bich, Hadong, Vietnam, 16 May 1934; died Melbourne, 26 June 2012, aged 78.

The life of Nguyên Đuc Thu, known by Australian Jesuits as Gus, was characterized by hospitality and encouragement to the Vietnamese people who came to Australia. He enabled people to feel at home.

He was probably educated at the minor seminaries in Bui Chu, North Viet Nam, and in Saigon, South Viet Nam, 1951-58, before being admitted to the major seminary in Dalat, 1958-1968, for philosophy and theology. He migrated from the North to the South in 1954 with the Bui Chu minor seminary.

In July of 1968 he entered the Society in Vietnam as a member of the China Province. He completed a diploma of religious education in Manila during 1974, and a diploma of audiovisual research and communication in Lyon, France, in 1975. Unable to return to South Vietnam after it fell to the Communists, he subsequently worked with Vietnamese refugees in Paris, 1975-78. During this latter time he completed his tertianship in St Beuno's, Wales, 1976-77.

Being well aware of what it was to be a refugee, he was invited by the Australian provincial to work with newly arrived Vietnamese in Adelaide, arriving in 1979. He was their first chaplain.

For 12 years he worked with Vietnamese communities across South Australia, helping families traumatised by war, and often marginalized by the community, adjust to life in a new country.

At his requiem Mass, fellow Jesuit, Nguyên Viet Huy, recalled that Thu built strong relationships with many families. He would tell parents that their children should become brothers, nuns or priests, because he believe that the heathens marry and have children, while the Catholic clergy would then convert and baptize them.

Thu's continuing legacy would be the establishment of the Vietnamese community in Adelaide. Since 1991, with the help of Brian Slack, Thu, and the community, acquired a block of land in Pooraka where they built a centre, officially opened in 1995. Nowadays, this centre is known as the Vietnamese Catholic community centre, or 'Our Lady of the Boat People' centre. Thu also opened an ethnic school attended by 500 children, a hall, a library, a youth centre and a sports field. He was, indeed, a significant leader of the Vietnamese community. His enthusiasm for fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life also bore fruit.

After completing a Masters degree in pastoral studies at Loyola University in Chicago in 1995, Thu worked with the Vietnamese community in Brisbane before returning to Norwood, 1997-2004. Subsequently he worked in Richmond, Melbourne, 2005-2012, being assistant priest and chaplain to various schools.

Thu visited Vietnam a few times in the latter part of his life, dreaming of being able to convert the Buddhists to Christianity, but he was not permitted to remain.

In 2009 Thu was given a Queen's Birthday Honour (AM) in recognition of 30 years of service to the Vietnamese community of South Australia through cultural, social welfare and educational projects.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)