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The Tzu Chi Melbourne Office was officially established on June 13, 1996. The journey began in March of that year when Sister Weng Chien-hui from Taipei invited Sister Wu Chao-fung from Brisbane, alongside Brother Lin Mao-zheng and Sister Ji Ya-ying from Sydney, to host the first tea gathering in Melbourne, sharing the Tzu Chi spirit and its Four Missions. Subsequently, through the introduction of Sister Angela Mary from Mater Hospital in Brisbane, volunteers entered Mercy Hospital to establish the first volunteer service point, marking the official founding of the liaison office.

For thirty years, Melbourne Tzu Chi volunteers have upheld the spirit of "taking one solid step at a time," serving steadily across various local institutions, including:

• • Healthcare & Aged Care Facilities: Mercy Hospital, Box Hill Hospital, Harcourt Nursing Home, and On Luck Chinese Nursing Home.
  • Educational & Community Centres: Canterbury Centre, Glenallen Special School, and Belmore Special School.

Services encompass administrative assistance, hot meal preparation, elderly companionship, educational support for children with special needs, long-term case care, and emergency assistance for overseas students and working holidaymakers.

While volunteer access was paused during the 2020 pandemic and faced regulatory adjustments during the post-pandemic recovery in 2023, volunteers have kept Master Cheng Yen’s teaching close to heart: "Living under other people's sky and standing on other people's ground, we must serve their community." Volunteers continue to give back quietly and adaptively throughout the community.

To nurture sound character in the younger generation, the liaison office has conducted humanistic education programs since 2002, establishing the Tzu You, Tzu Shao, and Tzu Ching classes using Jing Si Aphorisms as core curriculum material.

In response to climate change, volunteers actively promote vegetarianism, environmental protection, and plastic reduction. The monthly "Vegetarian Vow" gathering (on the 1st and 15th days of the lunar month) has fully resumed, alongside tree planting, recycling, street cleanups, water conservation education, fresh produce distributions, and Jing Si Dharma Study Groups, fostering seeds of wisdom and goodness in the community.

Since 2008, the chapter has promoted "Jing Si Aphorisms on Every Street" across the Box Hill commercial precinct, inviting local business owners to display aphorism posters to purify minds and warm the neighbourhood. In 2026, the chapter launched the Bamboo Bank Era initiative, "Love Lives Here," encouraging small, daily acts of giving that accumulate into rivers of compassion throughout the community.

When natural disasters strike, Melbourne Tzu Chi volunteers act swiftly:

• • 2009 "Black Saturday" Bushfires: Volunteers entered disaster zones to provide emergency relief funds, care packs, eco-friendly blankets, essential supplies, and structural rebuilding assistance.
  • 2019–2020 Bushfires and Floods: Deploying over 200 volunteer shifts, the team supported over 100 affected households (nearly 400 residents), distributing over AUD $225,600 in emergency aid while physically assisting with home cleanups and emotional support.

From March 2020 to June 2021, the liaison office mobilised nearly 250 volunteer shifts to prepare pandemic relief supplies. Volunteers hand-sewed over 1,000 cloth masks, hundreds of face shields, and protective hoods, while procuring 24,000 medical masks and over 100 blankets.

These supplies benefited 60 local organisations, including public and private hospitals, nursing homes, care facilities, police stations, homeless shelters, special schools, food banks, community health centres, and temples.

Since 1997, Tzu Ching has served as a vital youthful engine for the liaison office. These young volunteers participate in street cleanups, tree planting, nursing home visits, beach cleanups, blood drives, and disaster relief. They also host "Spiritual Refreshment" sessions for peer support, advocate vegetarianism on campuses, and mentor younger children in character classes.

For thirty years, the Tzu Chi Melbourne Liaison Office has stood alongside the local community, dedicated to safeguarding this land with compassion and wisdom for generations to come.