Our Team at Wat Buddharangsi Melbourne
Many Hands, One Community
Our Khmer Buddhist temple Melbourne team is much more than one person, one committee or one generation.
What we see today is the result of many hands, many sacrifices and many acts of generosity over many years.
From the monks who have provided spiritual guidance, to the elders and community members who helped establish and sustain the temple; from those who donated money, knowledge and resources, to the volunteers who cooked, cleaned, organised ceremonies, maintained the grounds and quietly helped wherever they were needed — each has contributed to the story of Wat Buddharangsi.
Some names are well remembered.
Others may never appear on a plaque or in a history book.
But their contribution is no less important.
This page is our way of recognising the people who came before us, introducing those who serve the temple today, and reminding ourselves that Wat Buddharangsi belongs to the whole community.
Our Monks
Spiritual Guidance and Service
At the heart of a Buddhist temple is the Sangha.
Our monks dedicate their lives to studying, practising and sharing the teachings of the Buddha. They conduct ceremonies, lead chanting and meditation, offer blessings and provide spiritual guidance to individuals and families during some of life’s happiest and most difficult moments.
Their contribution extends beyond religious ceremonies.
For many members of our community, particularly those who rebuilt their lives in Australia, the monks have been teachers, advisers and a source of comfort and stability.
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Remembering Those Who Came Before Us
Built on Their Foundations
Every generation inherits something from the generation before it.
Wat Buddharangsi exists today because people before us believed that the Khmer community in Australia needed a place where our Buddhist faith, culture, traditions and community could continue.
Many gave years of their lives to that vision.
They attended meetings, raised funds, organised ceremonies, supported the monks, maintained the temple and helped families when help was needed.
People such as Mr. Yi In, Mr. Heang Kean and Venerable Kun Bee, Mr Thong Tel (more names to be supply by Don Thong) together with many monks, elders, committee members, families and volunteers, form part of this continuing story.
Their contributions took different forms.
Some helped preserve Buddhist knowledge and teachings.
Some provided leadership.
Some supported the establishment and development of the temple.
Some worked quietly behind the scenes.
And many simply turned up whenever something needed to be done.
It would be impossible to measure the contribution of our community only by titles or positions.
A temple is not built by names on a committee list. It is built by people who care enough to give something of themselves.
We offer our sincere gratitude and respect to all those who have served Wat Buddharangsi and the Khmer community over the years — including those whose names may no longer be recorded.
What we have today stands upon what they helped build.
Our Committee
Serving the Community Today
The current committee has been entrusted with the responsibility of helping manage and support Wat Buddharangsi for the present generation.
Their role is not ownership.
It is stewardship.
They have been asked to care for something that was built before them, serve the community today, and help ensure that it can be passed safely and respectfully to those who come after them.
The committee works alongside the Sangha, volunteers and members of the community to support temple activities, administration, events, maintenance, finances, communication and the long-term needs of Wat Buddharangsi.
Cambodian Buddhist Association of Victoria Incorporated Committee of Management
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President / Chairperson
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Secretary
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Treasurer
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Names and positions shown above are placeholders and will be updated.
More Than a Committee
It is easy to look at an organisation and think that the people whose names appear on a committee are the people who make everything happen.
But anyone who has been part of Wat Buddharangsi knows that this is only a small part of the story.
Behind every major celebration are volunteers arriving early and leaving late.
There are people preparing food.
People arranging tables and chairs.
People cleaning.
People decorating.
People helping elderly visitors.
People welcoming newcomers.
People taking photographs and preserving memories.
People translating.
People maintaining buildings and gardens.
People donating food, equipment, money and countless hours of their time.
Many of these people have no official title.
They are still part of our team.
Our Volunteers
The Hands and Hearts of Our Temple
Volunteering has always been one of the strongest foundations of Wat Buddharangsi.
For some, volunteering means helping during Khmer New Year, Vesak, Pchum Ben or Kathin.
For others, it means helping quietly throughout the year.
There is no contribution too small.
An hour of someone’s time matters.
Preparing one dish matters.
Helping an elderly person matters.
Teaching a child matters.
Cleaning after everyone has gone home matters.
Sharing a skill matters.
Welcoming someone who has never visited the temple before matters.
Every act of service helps create the community we share.
Different Generations, One Responsibility
The people serving Wat Buddharangsi today will not be here forever.
Just as today’s generation inherited the temple from those who came before us, one day we will pass it to another generation.
That is why our team is not only about who holds a position today.
It is about preparing tomorrow’s community.
Our elders carry knowledge and experience that should be preserved.
Our monks carry Buddhist teachings and traditions that should continue.
Our current leaders have a responsibility to serve with integrity and transparency.
And our younger generation should be encouraged to participate, contribute ideas, learn from those before them and eventually take their own place in the life of the temple.
They may do things differently.
They may use different technology.
They may communicate differently.
They may even see the role of the temple differently.
That should not be something we fear.
A community survives not because every generation remains the same, but because every generation cares enough to continue.
This Is Our Community
There will always be people whose contributions are more visible than others.
There will be monks, presidents, committee members, donors and community leaders whose names become part of the recorded history of Wat Buddharangsi.
But the story of this temple is much larger than any list of names.
It belongs to the grandmother who prepares food for a ceremony.
The grandfather who shares a story with a younger generation.
The family who makes a donation.
The volunteer who stays behind to clean.
The young person who helps an elder with technology.
The child who comes to the temple and begins asking questions about Buddhism and Khmer culture.
And the person who walks through our doors for the first time and is welcomed as a friend.
Every generation receives something from those before it.
Every generation adds something of its own.
And every generation has a responsibility to leave something meaningful for those who follow.
To all the monks, elders, committee members, families, donors, supporters and volunteers — past and present — who have contributed to Wat Buddharangsi:
We remember your contribution.
We value your service.
And we thank you.
Wat Buddharangsi is not the achievement of one person.
It is the achievement of a community.