Wednesday, 13 May 2026

 Nick STAIKOS (Bentleigh – Minister for Housing and Building, Minister for the Suburban Rail Loop) (10:09): For at least 65 years, until just a few weeks ago, Fongs Chinese Restaurant stood prominently on Centre Road, East Bentleigh. For all that time Fongs has been owned by the same family, and owner Betty Yung has been a well-known local figure in the local area for many years.

Fongs was started by Betty’s uncle and aunty, who arrived in Australia in the 1950s. Betty once showed me a menu from that time, and the first thing I noticed was that it was in pounds and shillings, but the second thing I noticed was that one side read ‘Chinese menu’ and the other side read ‘Australian menu’, and had things on it like pies, steak and chips and lamb’s fry. It showed that Fongs was around when Chinese cuisine was still considered pretty exotic, but all these years later Chinese cuisine is typical Aussie fare. In fact my family over the years have taken our relatives visiting from Greece to Fongs to enjoy a succulent Chinese Aussie meal.

Fongs opened in East Bentleigh at a pivotal time for our community. It was when the market gardens that for many years fed the rest of Melbourne were becoming housing, bought off the plan by young families. In the many years since our Chinese community has contributed immeasurably to the cultural and economic life of our state. Fongs has been a fixture in our community for that entire time, hosting countless celebrations of birthdays and wedding anniversaries, creating precious memories. In fact my electorate office has been located next it to for the last 21 years – handy for staff lunches. All the best to Betty and her husband for their retirement.