Humans of City North: Jason Ngam
Jason Ngam is a governance specialist with over 20 years of experience in dual-sector university and public service governance, approaching 10 years at RMIT–from the College of Business to the Elections office and Council Secretariat to the Office of the Vice-Chancellor. But there’s more to Jason’s story and his connection to Melbourne than his job title.
Jason is also a proud Melburnian, having been born in the south-east to Malaysian-Thai emigrant parents, working in the great City of Melbourne, and now living in the southwest on the surf coast.
Jason’s parents emigrated from Malaysia and Thailand to study at university—partly at RMIT in the 1970s. Twenty-eight years ago, he was born at Frances Perry House at what was then the Royal Women’s Hospital and is now Melbourne Connect.
Jason’s formative years in the south-east led him to the University of Melbourne, where he met his (now-)husband Graeme in the late 90s, whose ancestors were amongst the first settlers of Melbourne in the early 19th century (and are interred in the Melbourne General Cemetery).
Jason has spent 80% of his working life over the past 25 years in jobs around the City of Melbourne—from environmental protection to tech support for dial-up internet to the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government and now at RMIT.
Jason has devoted his life to service and enhancing the lives of others–in work, life, and play, including as a Justice of the Peace, volunteering for the Melbourne Queer Film Festival (where he is a Life Member and Sweetheart), Oz Comic-Con (where Xena smiled at him, Atreyu hugged him, and Megatron squealed when Jason gave him a cookie), and PAX Australia (where Jason checked cosplayers for weaponised goats).
Jason is an active donor through kiva.org (hit him up for a donation voucher if you’re interested in microfinance), RMIT, and through membership of cultural institutions such as our neighbours, the State Library of Victoria, the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, and the Royal Honorary Justices Association of Victoria.
Jason’s greatest joys are people watching. He enjoys the solitude of watching people go about their day, imagining their complex stories and the potential interaction of sliding doors. This is made all the more enjoyable by the fact that Melbourne is so walkable yet supported by an accessible public network system.
Melbourne’s rich history and connectedness—connection in time and space, similar urban features, people (and how they engage), and their beautiful differences—are what make it special for Jason.
His earliest memory of Melbourne is enjoying the big water feature that ran down the Collins St side of the City Square—jumping through the waterfalls and almost falling in. He also remembers open spaces and picnics in the Bot, the excitement of his first proper job on Bourke and Queen for an environmental engineering company, and our magnificent architecture, with a sense of history (and loss, through demolition).
As for the future of our great city and its thriving community, Jason believes the idea of Libraries of Humans—’borrowing’ people to hear their stories—will continue to play a critical role in how Melbourne continues to evolve and flourish.
And, of course, more open spaces–Jason reflects on the painted circles in parks that popped up as we emerged from COVID and the popularity of picnic spaces. He comments on how good it would be to have some open pedestrian and green plaza-type spaces come together informally.
Jason’s idyllic Melbourne looks like many vibrant spaces that inspire creative thought and unite people in socially structured and unstructured ways. The key to achieving this is remembering and reminding ourselves how to have fun. As someone who commutes from the regions, Jason adds that there has to be a strong reason to dwell – whether social through hobbies and connectedness or through the organised chaos of opportunity.
This is Jason’s story.
