Professor Tsebin Tchen was killed in a three-car collision on the Dukes Highway in South Australia on November 25. The news of his death was only announced after his funeral was held on Friday.
Tchen’s memorial service will be held at the Melbourne City Hall on Wednesday, December 18.
The Melbourne-based professor was born in Chungking, and arrived in Australia in the late 1950s on a study visa, at the age of 17.
He later received his masters in town planning from Sydney University.
In 1971, he received Australian citizenship and he joined the Liberal Party a year later as a volunteer on then-prime minister Billy McMahon's campaign.
He held the position of senator from 1999 to 2005 and was later appointed to the Victorian Multicultural Commission in 2015, under the government of Daniel Andrews.
In a speech to parliament in 1999, Tchen described Australia as "the world's most successful multicultural society".
Source: Tsebin Tchen
‘Chinese representative’
His death has been felt throughout Australia's Chinese community.
Raymond Chow, the publisher of Chinese-language magazine in Australia ‘Sameway’, said Tchen was a person who gave the community a deeper understanding of multiculturalism.
He said Tchen truly believed in multiculturalism and also encouraged the Chinese community to not characterise its individuals as Chinese, but rather Chinese-Australian.
"This is the attitude that Tsebin Tchen has always maintained."
Mr Chow said the professor never considered himself a "Chinese representative", but rather as a bridge between the Chinese and the mainstream community.
"Tsebin Tchen failed to be re-elected and left politics in the 2005 elections, but still made considerable contributions to the multicultural community through his former membership," Mr Chow said.
Current Liberal MP Gladys Liu recalled that Tchen often encouraged Chinese immigrants to not stay only in Chinese social circles but to participate in activities involving the wider Australian community.
"Mr Tchen has made considerable efforts in leading the multicultural community and the Chinese community to participate in mainstream Australian community activities," she said.
“He spared no effort to promote community integration before, during, and after his term as a senator.”
Victoria Ethnic Communities Secretary-General Marian Lau said Tchen strongly supported local Chinese community groups, assists them, and reflected their opinions onto the government.
Source: SBS
"After becoming a senator, Tsebin Tchen was active in participating in community activities,” she said.
“He not only supported the activities of Chinese communities but also attended other ethnic communities' activities more often to help them solve problems.”
‘Everyone admired him’
Mr Chow believes that Tchen’s appointment to the Victorian Multicultural Commission demonstrated his cross-party cooperation on the issues involving diversity.
"Although he was a Liberal Party member, the Labor government also had a good working relationship with him," Mr Chow said.
Ms Lau agreed: "He never minded what party you belonged to. As long as you have an opinion and want to put forward and discuss with him, even if he does not agree with you, but understands your situation, he would support you and help you.”
“He was really a humble gentleman,” Ms Lau added.
