WORLD REFUGEE DAY: Tam Dang of SSS Strawberries shares his story
about being a refugee. Photo: Mike Knott / NewsMail

TAM Dang was just three years old when he and his six brothers and sisters were pulled from their beds in the middle of the night and placed on a boat for a one-way trip to a new country and a new life.

Tam’s parents took the ultimate gamble, making the choice to immigrate to Australia from Vietnam in the ’80s but it’s one that has paid off by the punnet-full.

“In the middle of the night they put all us kids in a little boat and our uncle took us out to a bigger boat,” Mr Dang said.

“That was the end of Vietnam for us.

“When we left they were going to leave my brother behind because if you all leave, they confiscate everything you own and if we were caught by the Viet Cong, then we would have had something to go back to, but because no one was there, they took everything we had.”

“It was quite a big decision to all go but for her (my mum), if we died, we died together.”

Mr Dang and his family are known around Bundaberg as the people responsible for the hugely successful SSS Strawberries.

After fleeing Vietnam, the family faced a four-year wait at the Galang Refugee Camp in Indonesia while their applications to move to Australia went through the correct channels.

“We were in barracks and we slept on the floors and it got so crowded,” Mr Dang said.

“We were let out and they said, ‘you’ll be here for a long time so build your own houses and farm your own crops’.

“We kept one of the monkeys as a pet, which was really cool.”

Four years later, the family stepped foot on Australian soil for the first time.

“That was huge for me, coming to Australia, because I felt there was hope,” he said.

“Coming to Australia I felt anything and everything is possible.”

Mr Dang said his family made the gamble to start their strawberry farm despite there being only one other farm of its type in the area.

“It was another huge gamble but I think it was the best decision,” he said.

“Bundaberg has been huge in making us a success and we really thank the community for that.”

Mr Dang said no matter where the family was, they would have strived for success.

“Life is a gamble – you don’t know what the future will hold,” he said.

“We have that mentality to battle on and I think that would be the same whether we were living here or in Vietnam.

“We’re very very traditional and we stick together like glue.”

Mr Dang said he couldn’t imagine living elsewhere.

“I have been extremely blessed,” he said.

“I grew to love this place and I am full of gratitude every day.”

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Original articl was written by the Bundaberg Newsmail. article can be found here… http://www.news-mail.com.au/news/refugee-finds-success-bundaberg-after-long-journey/1917063/

The post Refugee finds success in Bundaberg after long journey appeared first on SSS Strawberries - Australia's Favourite Strawberries.

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UPDATE: SSS Strawberries has had their development application to build a giant strawberry building approved.

EARLIER: The fate of a giant strawberry that could herald a delicious new era of tourism in Bundaberg will be decided at a council meeting tomorrow.

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SSS Strawberries has proposed to build a big strawberry which will act as a shop, cafe, education tour and offices and tomorrow’s planning committee meeting is D-Day for the big decision.

Toan Nguyen, whose family owns and runs SSS, said the family was excited to find out the project’s fate after a year-long planning and application process.

“It’s been a long process but we should know very soon,” Mr Nguyen said.

“We have been in Bundaberg for six years and the Bundaberg community has helped us a lot and we want to give back.”

Bundaberg and North Burnett Tourism manager general manager Rick Matkowski said the big strawberry would be a great way to promote the region as a fresh food destination.

“I think it would become a good landmark that people could go and visit,” he said.

“Certainly the region is known as one of the food bowls of Australia.

“We’ve got some great fresh food here, particularly the horticulture and seafood.”

Mr Matkowski said as long as the strawberry was done tastefully, it would be a great asset.

“It’s a great place to have it because that area there is the working SSS farm,” he said.

“There’s not a lot of big things north of New South Wales and Southern Queensland.”

Mr Matkowski said the proposed cafe would also be a plus for the Bundaberg community.

“These are the sorts of amenities people are looking for,” he said.

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Original written by the Bundaberg Newsmail; Article can be found here: http://www.news-mail.com.au/news/giant-strawberry-plan-decision-by-tomorrow/1638763/

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If we’ve got you curious about the goodness of strawberries read on-

The health benefits of strawberries are easy to identify, in fact the fruit contains a whole lot of nutrients that help the human body in staying healthy. Some of the vitamins to be found in strawberries are-

– vitamin C
– vitamin B5
– vitamin K
– vitamin B6

Health benefits of strawberries also include rich nutrition. The fruit contains significant amounts of phytonutrients and antioxidants. This if taken helps our body in fighting free radicals, which have often known to lead to cancerous growths.

The health benefits of strawberries, is of course not restricted to that of vitamins. The fruit is also a great source of folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids, manganese, copper, potassium, riboflavin and magnesium.

Many of you who might not be inclined to agree with the health benefits of strawberries might question its benefits as a health fruit in comparison to other fruits. Most of us are under the impression that fruits like apples and oranges are the best of health fruits. You’ll be surprised to know however that, if you compare the Vitamin C levels in a 100g of strawberries to that of a 100g of oranges, the strawberries exceed the oranges by at least 10mg. moreover strawberries are totally fat free and very low in calories too.

Did you know?

– Eating strawberries can help you in fighting heart diseases
– Strawberries help in prevention of Cancer by helping the body fight against Free radicals.
– Strawberries are great teeth whiteners
– Strawberry is a great enhancer for your beauty regime
– Also Potassium, present in strawberries helps significantly lower the blood pressure levels in people.

Health benefits of the strawberry also extend to skincare. Most beauticians will tell you of the benefits of eating strawberries on the skin. Not only that the fruit is also great one for reducing weight too. Regular intake of strawberries helps improve skin and hair.

Looking at this gorgeous fruit, you wouldn’t believe the amazing health benefits of the strawberry. In fact it has been proved that the fruit is also beneficial in improving the immune system of the body.

So whether it is fighting infections or removing damaged an malfunctioning cells, consumption of strawberries on a regular basis can help your combat all of this and more.

While understanding the health benefits of strawberries, it is also fun to know that the fruit is not only a health fruit but also great in taste and ads dimension to many a recipe. The benefits of this beautiful fruit are many, so add them to your daily diet for a healthy and beautiful you in more ways than one!

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