Pioneer journalist Helene Chung (He-LANE CHUNG as in HUNG) broke racist and sexist barriers in 1974 to become the first non-white reporter on Australian television and, as Beijing correspondent (1983-86), the first female posted abroad by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The Hobart-born fourth-generation Chinese Australian is author of Shouting from China, Gentle John My Love My Loss, Lazy Man in China and Ching Chong China Girl: From fruitshop to foreign correspondent.
From 2020-22 an Inaugural Board Member of the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, she is a former Adjunct Research Fellow of Monash Asia Institute, Council Member of the National Museum of Australia and Edward Wilson Memorial Fellow in Journalism at Deakin University. An honours graduate and master of arts in history of the University of Tasmania, Helene has reported from Australia, Hong Kong, Britain, Egypt and China and freelanced for BBC, CBS, NPR, NZBC and Hong Kong radio.
