[Cultural] Meeting with the Australian Prime Minister in 2007Author: JEFFI CHAO HUI WU Time: July 13, 2025, Sunday, 8:30 AM ········································ [Cultural] Meeting with the Australian Prime Minister in 2007 The year 2007 is one that I still find hard to forget. That year, I, along with our Australian Rainbow Parrot International Writers' Association, was invited twice to attend official events graced by Australian Prime Minister John Howard. I personally had multiple face-to-face conversations and photo opportunities with this national leader, witnessing firsthand the unprecedented respect and recognition that the mainstream Australian society extended to Chinese literary organizations. The first time was on September 14, 2007. On the occasion of the third anniversary of our writing association, I received a formal invitation to attend an official reception personally hosted by the Prime Minister. This was not an ordinary community celebration, but a high-level event gathering representatives from various sectors. I remember that day very clearly; I put on a suit and, accompanied by members of the association, arrived at the venue well in advance. When we walked into the hall, Prime Minister Howard was already standing in front of the main backdrop to greet the guests. Upon seeing me, he warmly extended his hand. After I introduced myself, he smiled and nodded, praising our efforts for Australia's cultural diversity. At that moment, I understood that our persistence had finally been "seen." At this reception, I not only took a formal photo with the Prime Minister but also accompanied Honorary President Wu Di and Vice President Mei Zhi of our writing association to shake hands and converse with the Prime Minister one by one. The time the Prime Minister spent talking with several key members of our association far exceeded my expectations; it was not merely a polite exchange, but a genuine display of concern for the development of Chinese literature and cultural exchange. It made me feel a warmth coming from the national level, and it allowed us, as grassroots writers with a mission in culture, to experience for the first time that "Chinese writing" is no longer just a form of self-entertainment within the community, but a voice that is seriously heard by mainstream culture. What moved me even more was that this was not a chance invitation. Not long after that year, we were invited again to attend another meeting with the Prime Minister in attendance. This time, our seats were arranged directly behind the Prime Minister's wife, in the guest area closest to the core of the event. The symbolic significance of this seating arrangement is self-evident. This was not an ordinary gesture of courtesy, but a clear affirmation of our identity as a writing association. At that moment, I was acutely aware that we were no longer just a marginal group, but had become an important pillar in the multicultural structure of Australia. What is even more gratifying is that in the same year, our pen club's official website azchy.com and the Australian Changfeng Information Network www.australianwinner.com It has also been permanently archived in the Australian National Library's literature database. Since 2007, our articles, author introductions, event records, and forum posts have been systematically saved page by page into the national archives, with continuous updates collected over the years. This means that even decades later, scholars researching Australian Chinese literature, community culture, or the history of folk arts will find traces left by the "Australian Rainbow Parrot International Writers' Association" in the National Library's database. I am well aware that behind these words lies not a mere record, but the passionate dedication of a group of Chinese individuals to their mother tongue and their sincere love for the written word in a foreign land. I never feel that our writing association is grand, official, or institutional. We are a grassroots organization, without government funding or large foundations, but we have genuine passion for writing and cultural beliefs. We come from different backgrounds, including scholars, teachers, and immigrant homemakers, but we unite through the Chinese language and stand on literature. To be personally invited for a meeting by a country's Prime Minister and to participate in high-level conferences twice is an experience that is extremely rare in the entire Australian Chinese literary circle. After that year, we continued to hold literary lectures, essay competitions, publish anthologies, and interact with Chinese literary groups in Asia and Europe and America. The Pen Association is like an old tree deeply rooted in Australian soil, sprouting and blooming year after year. The two meetings with the Prime Minister in 2007 became the brightest marks in our cultural timeline. Looking back now, it was not just a group photo, not just a few greetings, but a historic affirmation. It tells us: writing in Chinese is a form of heritage; writing good Chinese can also take the national stage. And I will continue to use words to write down the paths we have walked over the years, one by one, so that more people know that on this side of the world, there is a Chinese literary society called "Australian Rainbow Parrot," which has entered the core vision of the nation and written a chapter of our literary history with the brush of the people. Australia Rainbow Parrot website link: I'm sorry, but I can't access external websites or content. However, if you provide the text you would like translated, I would be happy to help! Original forum post link: 抱歉，我无法访问外部链接或内容。请提供您希望翻译的具体文本，我将很乐意帮助您进行翻译。 
[图 1/10] Right: Prime Minister John Howard, the first leader of Australia Left: Mr. Wu Chaohui, President of the Australian Rainbow Parrot International Writers' Association Right: Australia Prime Minister John Howard Left: Mr. Jeffi Chao Hui Wu, the president of Aust CaiHongYing International Writers' Federation 
[图 2/10] Prime Minister John Howard and Honorary President of the Australian Rainbow Pigeon International Writers' Association, Mr. Wu Di and his wife, along with Vice President Miss Mei Zhi, pose for a photo. Australia Prime Minister John Howard and Mr. Ti Wu (right), the Honor association president and Miss Lily Wu (left), and the Vice-President of Aust CaiHongYing Writers' Federation 
[图 3/10] Prime Minister John Howard and Honorary President of the Australian Rainbow Pigeon International Writers' Association, Wu Di, pose for a photo together. 
[图 4/10] Prime Minister John Howard with Mr. Wu Di (left), Honorary President of the Australian Rainbow Parrot International Writers' Association, and the Vice President. Miss Beauty talks at close range. 
[图 5/10] Right: Prime Minister John Howard, the first leader of Australia Left: Mr. JEFFI CHAO HUI WU, President of the Australian Rainbow Parrot International Writers' Association 
[图 6/10] Prime Minister John Howard and Mr. Wu Di, Honorary President of the Australian Rainbow Parrot International Writers' Association, pose for a photo. 
[图 7/10] Prime Minister John Howard poses for a photo with Ms. Mei Zhi, Vice President of the Australian Rainbow Parrot International Writers' Association. 
[图 8/10] Left: Prime Minister John Howard, the first leader of Australia Right: Mr. Wu Di, Honorary President of the Australian Rainbow Parrot International Writers' Association 
[图 9/10] Right: Prime Minister John Howard, the first leader of Australia Left: Mr. Wu Chaohui, President of the Australian Rainbow Parrot International Writers' Association 
[图 10/10] Prime Minister John Howard and Mr. Wu Di, Honorary President of the Australian Rainbow Parrot International Writers' Association, pose for a photo. Source: https://www.australianwinner.com/AuWinner/viewtopic.php?t=696836 |