Lee, Mr K.W.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:49): Over the past 15 years, I have had the honour to speak about unsung heroes, remarkable individuals, community leaders and exceptional organisations in this parliament. Today, however, I would like to speak about someone more personal to me. I would like to pay tribute to my beloved father, Sifu Lee Koon-Wah. On 3 November, in a few days' time, it will mark the fifth anniversary since the passing of my dad. He sadly passed away in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. His passing was very sudden and international borders were shut, so regrettably none of my family members in Australia were able to physically be there to bid our final farewell.

I want to place on record my deepest gratitude to family and friends of my dad's Buddhist association in Kepong for their love, respect and compassion in organising the most beautiful funeral services for Sifu. Everyone knows my dad as Sifu. Sifu is translated to mean teacher or mentor or master, a title of great respect for a highly skilled person with remarkable expertise and experience, responsible for passing down techniques, philosophy, values and moral principles. My father was a Sifu as a Buddhist monk as well as a Sifu in martial arts.

What prompted me to pay tribute to my dad in parliament today was a video shared with me by a dear friend, Master Craig Swingler, about a special tribute for my dad at a recent conference presented by Master Anthony Hockley, President of the Australasian Martial Arts Hall of Fame. I want to thank the vice-president, Master Steve Weston, for emailing me a transcript of the speech, and it is my privilege to quote a few paragraphs from that speech:

We acknowledge the passing of a remarkable man and celebrate the legacy of a true master Sifu Lee Koon-Wah. Sifu strived to be a living embodiment of martial virtue through humility, discipline, dedication, courage and compassion. His life was a path of mastery, not just merely of technique, but of the self. Born in a time when tradition was still passed quietly hand to hand, and often heart to heart, Sifu Lee was initiated into the world of martial arts as a young boy.

He trained under some of the most respected Grandmasters of his generation and it showed in his techniques and teachings. His knowledge was quite vast and rooted in the classical systems like Tai Chi and Qigong. He was not just a student of forms; he was a seeker of knowledge and wisdom in his understanding of forms. He taught thousands of students across the world. Some went on to become instructors themselves—others simply became better people, more grounded, more disciplined, more compassionate thanks to his guidance.

For every technique he passed on, he imparted a principle. For every movement there was meaning. His calm was his strength and he would often say, The mark of a true master is not in how many you defeat, but in how many you uplift. Sifu Lee taught his martial arts in community halls, temples and parks—anywhere and wherever there was room to teach and educate those with an interest in the arts. He offered free classes to youth at risk, seeing martial arts not as a tool of violence, but as a path away from it.

Not only was he just a teacher, but a surrogate father, a friend, a colleague and a healer to those around him. His own story was one of endurance and perseverance. He was not only respected—he was deeply loved by those who knew him. Sifu Lee Koon-Wah was more than a martial artist. He was a preserver of culture, a warrior poet, a man who reminded us that martial arts is not just about how you move, but how you live in this world. In every rising generation that bows before a teacher, each student and teacher that treats others with respect and tolerance. So today, as we say goodbye, we also say thank you. Thank you, Sifu, for your wisdom and tireless dedication…in every form, in every life you have touched.

With a heart full of gratitude today, thank you, Sifu—thank you, dad—for being our father. We love you, we miss you and forever in our hearts.