HENG Ly, known affectionately by the town of Coleraine as ‘Cambo’, was recognised on Australia Day last week for a decade of serving the town from behind the counter of Cambo’s Milkbar and Takeaway.

For ten years now, he and his wife, Narot have raised their children Zara, 11, Victor, 8, and Rozena, 2.5 months in Coleraine, and have operated their business seven days a week, up to 13 hours a day.

“I have a newborn baby as well, so it makes it a super, super special year for my family,” he said.

“My family means the world to me. I came from Cambodia… you learn to work hard and learn to help the community, it’s what we do.

“It’s challenging but we love what we are doing. It means I must have done something right to be able to receive this.

“Thank you to the community, they’ve seen us work hard and I appreciate that.

“It’s a good thing to share the love around the community, that’s what I want my family to do down the track.”

30 years ago, Mr Ly’s family fled to Australia from the monstrous Khmer Rouge regime led by Marxist dictator Pol Pot.

His family began a new life in a new country, poor but free - Mr Ly remembers not knowing that the world outside was different to Cambodia.

Different looking people came as a shock to him, and it never crossed his mind that Australians would buy things with a different type of money.

“It shows how naïve I was,” he said.

“In Cambodia where I came from we didn’t have lots. We were using lamps to light up our home - when I came here it was heaven on earth.”

They might have started with nothing, but here they got a chance to fight for their future.

Mr Ly went to school in Melbourne and paid his way through university working jobs at McDonald’s, Luna Park and Crown Casino.

He studied business, accounting - and met his wife, Narot Phou, there in the city.

They had their first child, Zara, and moved their home ten years ago to start a family business in beautiful Coleraine.

“Here there is a lot of opportunity as long as you are willing to work hard,” he said.

And work hard they have.

“I put in 100 hours a week, not including behind the scenes where I share the responsibility with the little ones, with my baby,” Mr Ly said.

“Everything I do is for my family.”

He feels an enormous sense of responsibility to the town, and feels that in a sense that if he were to stop, the town would stop too.

“I do my job, I love what I do, I love my customers. I feel like they are a part of my family because they actually feel comfortable with me.”

Many people will order food and then sit in the store just to talk with Mr Ly, to involve him in their lives and connect with his family.

To some, he is Heng, but to most of these friends he is ‘Cambo’.

The family has sponsored junior football, the Pedal Car Competition and the Cricket Club in Coleraine.

Mr Ly has also given talks to different community groups about his experience building his family’s life in Australia.

No matter how impactful the Ly family’s presence is in the town, he knows his greatest legacy will always be to his children.

With consideration to how Zara, Victor and Rozena might in years to come see the award hanging in its frame, and this newspaper clipping pinned to the wall as well, he thoughtfully said, “I hope they look and see what we have done, what our family has done for the community.”

“Hopefully they look up to me and want to help the community the way we do now.”