Our Speakers’ Corner spotlight shines on a Uxbridge, Ont., man who is giving back to the very community he says saved his family from the depths of despair.

Optometrist Dr. Vi Tu Banh’s journey to get to where he is today spanned decades and oceans.

“I was 11 years old when my family left South Vietnam shortly after the war,” he said. “Most people think that when the Vietnam War ended there was peace, but it wasn’t.”

Thousands of families have fled the country due to economic hardship and political persecution.

“My parents liquidated literally everything, their life savings and put us on a boat.”

Banh said the small fishing boat was their only vessel to escape.

“Ours was made of wood, with holes all over it, it was risky, but we headed south,” he said. “We were at sea for five days and then we got to Malaysia, but because it was overcrowded with other refugees, they kicked us out.”

Banh said the family re-boarded the ship, floating the ocean, when they were given a lifeline.

“A German cargo ship rescued us and took us to an island where we spent nine months.”

They were dropped off at Air Raya, a refugee camp set up for other Vietnamese refugees on Jemayah Island in Indonesia. Conditions were less than desirable. Houses were made of sticks and disease was rampant. In 1979, when Banh’s family was staying on the island, a CBC News crew traveled there to report on the camp’s conditions, and the story caught the attention of a group of people in Uxbridge.

“During that report, in the corner of the screen, they had a number for people to call to help.”

A man from Uxbridge dialed the number.

“She was told that no one else from Durham Region had contacted her. So that started the ball rolling,” Banh said.

The call mobilized a group of other Uxbridge residents to come together and sponsor Banh’s family to come to Uxbridge.

“If it wasn’t for this community and the five people, my family would have starved or been sent back to Vietnam.”

“We call them the ‘magnificent five,'” Banh said.

Made up of two couples, Barb and Ted Murphy and Lloyd and Mary Ball, along with another woman, Doris Muckle. They were strangers, but they came together after collectively agreeing to help the Banh, each doing so in different ways. Muckle gave the family money, allowing them to buy their first home once they were settled.

“Doris gives us a check for $20,000, no interest for the advance,” Banh said. “It was remarkable. They showed so much kindness to complete strangers like us.”

The family built a life, Banh moved to school, eventually becoming an optometrist, at which point he could have settled anywhere.

“But I knew I had to go back to Uxbridge,” he said. “If it wasn’t for this community and the five people, my family would have starved or been sent back to Vietnam. My calling was to go back to where it all started and give back.”

He opened a clinic and gave back in various ways. From helping sponsor charities to establishing a high school scholarship in honor of the late Ted Murphy, one of the “magnificent five” who helped his family. To be considered, students must write an essay about how they overcame adversity — something Banh knows all about.

“You have choices, you become a victim or you try to make changes for the better,” he said.

“My calling was to go back to where it all started and give back.”

Now, embark on a new adventure.

“I still remember pointing to the island when I left. I told my dad, “One day I’ll write a book about this,” which he did. his book 12 Elephants and a Dragon: A Memoir of Survival and the Kindness of Strangers will be officially released later this month.

The book dives into Banh’s story and shows how people who show acts of kindness – like the Uxbridge ‘magnificent five’ – can lead to positive change.

“We wouldn’t be where we are without them,” he said. “They helped me, so I have to help their community. Kindness spreads and everything starts with a vibration.”

A portion of the proceeds from Banh’s book will go to support Uxbridge Hospital.

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