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Community leaders on Brisbane’s southside recently joined Federal Member for Moreton Graham Perrett to plan a southside memorial to Australian Defence Force personnel of Chinese descent.

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Mr Perrett said the project would honour the past and present involvement of Chinese Australians in the Australian Defence Forces.

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“This is not just about erecting a monument. It’s about educating school children and the broader community about the stories of service and sacrifice of Australian Chinese in the armed forces,” he said.

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“There is already strong support for the memorial and for its location at Sunnybank RSL in Gager Street.”

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Mr Perrett said the meeting on Tuesday 19 May 2009 marked the 66th anniversary of the death of one of Australia’s most famed Chinese‐Australian war‐time heroes, Billy Sing.

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“Billy was born to a Chinese father and English mother,” he said.

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“Known to his fellow diggers as “The Assassin”, Billy was a sniper with the Australian Fifth Light Horse Regiment and is conservatively credited with more than 150 kills in Gallipoli.

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A mini-series about his life is currently in production.

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Mr Perrett said the memorial steering committee is seeking further community input and will meet again in July.

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