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Clip description
While Greg (Mark Kounnas) and Jackie (Mouche Phillips) Wilson enjoy the freedoms of island life by taking the boat to the mainland for an appointment, a spot grass fire throws Vo Diem (Phu An Chiem) back to memories of war-torn Vietnam.
Curator’s notes
This sequence, unusually confronting for children’s television drama, contrasts the carefree and independent life of the Wilson children, whose biggest fear is going to the dentist, with the past of Vo Diem. Triggered by the sounds, smells and sight of a brush fire, he experiences a graphic flashback to the violent destruction of his Vietnamese village.
The story of non-English speaking Vo Diem and the other characters’ confused and conflicting reactions to him is a feature of the series. Although Vo Diem appears in the opening credits and throughout the episode, he continues to be a mysterious presence viewed from the perspective of others. The only character seemingly sympathetic to his plight is the youngest Wilson, Jackie. This general mistrust of the young stranger is reflective of Australian ignorance of Vietnamese refugees arriving in Australia at this time.
Phu An Chiem, who plays Vo Diem, himself arrived in Australia as a refugee in 1978. At the age of 14, he became the first Asian actor to gain a leading role on mainstream Australian television. He has since played roles in film, television, theatre and radio, including episodes of Sons and Daughters (1982–87). In collaboration with Brian Caswell, Phu An Chiem has written about the experience of Vietnamese Australians in the young adult novel Only the Heart (1997).
