Mei Walker
Mei Walker came to Australia in the late 1980s with her then husband. Mei's former husband had been invited by the proprietor of the Southern Cross Hotel, in Sydney, to assist him with the running of the hotel.
Mei grew up in Hangzhou, capital of the Zhejiang Province, China during the Cultural Revolution. Hangzhou is situated on West Lake and is known for its beautiful, natural scenery. Close parallels can be drawn between HAngzhou and Lake Macquarie; a beautiful lake with picturesque natural surroundings, and it is with these natural elements that Mei feels a close affinity.
When Mei moved to Lake Macquarie in recent years, she was instrumental in opening a local branch of the Australian - Chinese Friendship Association, of which she is the president. In 2015, the association hosted Chinese New Year Celebration Events in Speers Point Park, a successful event which she hopes to continue annually.
During her years in Sydney, Mei's parents came out to stay with her, but returned to China a few years later. Mei is in regular contact with her mother, who now lives in Shanghai and visits her regularly. During her visits back to China, she is able to catch up with childhood friends and extended family members. Her sisters live in London and Japan.
Although Mei still misses her family and friends, she enjoys life in Lake Macquarie
This work by Lake Macquarie City Library is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License