Dung Khuu Story
Dung Khuu - General Hand Soft Landing Smithfield
Dung is a passionate Penrith Panthers supporter, a father of seven and a valued member of the Soft Landing Smithfield team who joined as a General Hand through the Compulsory Drug Treatment Program.
“I was born in Vietnam and came to Australia when I was about nine,” Dung says. “When I was younger, I worked in a fish shop and restaurants. Then I got in with the wrong crowd. Before I was doing crime to make money, but now I’m doing a job to earn my money, so that’s pretty good.”
“Soft Landing has given me an opportunity to work because it’s hard to get a job with a criminal record,” he says. “I’m trying to do the right thing and be a better role model for my kids.”
Dung started out dismantling mattresses by hand. More recently, he has taken on a new role operating our ground-breaking Pocket Spring Recycler.
He says, “Like every job, it’s always a little hurdle when you first start things. But it’s running really smoothly.”
“There are three guys running the machine,” he explains. “I’m the one feeding the mattress through. One guy pushes the materials through, and one guy cleans up the scraps so we get it as clean as we can.”
Here, if you need help, you just put your hand up, and someone comes to help you straight away. The people are willing to give you a chance and talk to you. I really appreciate it.”
Dung Khuu – General Hand Soft Landing Smithfield
“While he enjoys the work, he says, “To me, it doesn’t matter where you work as long as you’ve got a good environment and good support. Here, if you need help, you just put your hand up, and someone comes to help you straight away. The people are willing to give you a chance and talk to you. I really appreciate it.”
That support has helped him grow in ways he didn’t expect.
“I was a very shy person. I didn’t like to talk at all,” he says. “Since I started working here, I’ve started to come out of my shell. I’ve opened myself up and learned new skills. Before, I would have said, ‘No, I’ll just do my own thing.’ But now I’m actually giving myself a go.”
Dung Khuu – General Hand Soft Landing Smithfield
Dung is quick to encourage others experiencing barriers to work to give Soft Landing a chance too. “Come and give it your best shot,” he says. “It’s a really warm environment. Everyone cares for each other. It’s a good place.”
Asked what being part of the Soft Landing team means to him, his answer is simple: “I feel like I belong somewhere,” he says. “I feel safe and good here. It’s like a family away from home.”
