Pedro Chan

“I am proof that curiosity, community, and consistent effort can turn one year abroad into a life well lived”

Pedro Chan

Occupation: Director and principal consultant at DS PRIMA Pty Ltd.

State of Residency: Victoria

Favourite place in Australia: Anything by a coast

Upon Arrival: Surprised by how beautiful Sydney is

Story edited by Johany

Pedro Chan is a community builder, technologist and percussionist. As the Owner and Director of DS PRIMA Pty Ltd, he leads the development of tailored software solutions for large Australian corporates. A proud father of two daughters, he balances work with a love of music and a lifelong habit of turning friendships into networks that support culture and community. Best known for his leadership in Victoria’s Mexican community, Pedro brings people together with practical energy and a warm, inclusive style.

As Founder and first President, now Co-President, of the Mexican Social and Cultural Association of Victoria (MEXVIC), Pedro has helped grow a vibrant cultural presence in Melbourne. He also founded and performs with the Mexbourne Dance Company, established the Association of Mexican Engineers (currently on pause), and co-founded the Spanish rock band Los Mas Altos. Across all these roles, he champions connection, collaboration and celebration of Mexican heritage in Australia.

TELL US YOUR STORY

I left Mexico in the late eighties and the time I was starting a software development business and living happily with my mother and siblings. Emigration was not on my mind until close friends who had moved to New Zealand urged me to visit. One offered me a job “for a year” so I could see the country and spend time with them. With my mother’s blessing “you are young and must see the world” I came to New Zealand.

I sold my computers and car, left my drumkit in my bedroom, and left for New Zealand with hardly any English or planning, but with the assurance that I had a job offer and friends to stay with at first. I quickly fell in love with Wellington and with the feeling of being new and a little exotic in a windy yet welcoming city. Soon after, I enrolled in group English lessons, I moved into a share house with friendly Kiwis, found a girlfriend, and began what I thought would be a one-year adventure. It has since become 35 years.

Back then, migration to Oceania was a very different story. Turning a tourist visa into permanent residence was easy.  However, staying in touch with your family was hard. At that time, there was no email, Skype, WhatsApp or Facebook and phone calls were expensive, so we wrote letters. I missed my family, but I threw myself into local culture, food, music and life, and that helped.

Pedro with daughter Carla 2014.

I joined Reuters, a global provider of news and financial information and stayed far longer than I expected to work for anyone other than myself, nearly fifteen years, with stints in Wellington, Hong Kong, Singapore and then Sydney. Limited communications also meant extensive business travel, which I loved. For example, I would fly to London for a one-day meeting or spend a month on secondment in New York. During this period my daughter Laura was born in Singapore. She often travelled with me; by day she stayed with friends while I worked, and by night we explored and ate together. Those rhythms helped forge our closeness.

Cooking with my Daugther

I moved to Australia in the late nineties and keeping in touch was easier with better technology, yet Mexicans were still few and meeting one another felt special. In Sydney I worked hard and socialised within a small circle of Mexican and local friends. Later I discovered Melbourne and decided it would be home. In the early 2000s I started my own business, went through a divorce, and made more time to connect with Mexicans. Without social media, restaurants became our informal embassies. Owners like Arturo Morales of Los Amates and Tom Stevens of Mexicali Rose collected names and passed them to me so I could organise gatherings. With encouragement from community leaders Telmo Languiller and Cesar Piperno, we founded the Social and Cultural Association of Victoria (MEXVIC) and the Mexbourne Dance Company about twenty-two years ago.

I served as MEXVIC’s first president for ten years. Others have led since, and in 2024 I returned as Co-President with my colleague and friend Faby Robledo. Together we connect and support Mexicans in Victoria, share our culture with the wider public, and keep our community’s profile high for professionalism, hard work, ethics, family values and artistic spirit. Under MEXVIC we formed the Club de Damas Mexicanas de Melbourne for young-at-heart grandmothers, and MEXVIC Joven for people aged 18 to 35. We are proud to see many Latin and Mexican groups thrive. LSA is one of the longest running and most successful ones, but there are many others.

Eighteen years ago, my second child, Carla, was born. Since then, life has revolved around her. Fatherhood is one of my greatest joys and watching her grow into an artist has been the highlight of recent years.

These days I visit Mexico every year, sometimes twice, to see my mum and siblings. My business is portable, so I can work from a hotel lobby in Cancun, a living room in Queretaro, or the bar at the Arts Centre. That flexibility lets me organise MEXVIC events, rehearse with Mexbourne, explore Melbourne with my daughter, play music, ride horses and dance salsa. And if you need help tasting a tequila you brought from Mexico, tell me when and I’ll be there.

I don’t envisage making huge changes in my life in the next few years. I do a lot already, and that keeps me busy and happy. If the new cumbia band I’ve started with some friends succeeds, then I might tour Australia or South America, but I think we still have some way to go.

MEXICANS IN vICTORIA

Every September, Pedro and MEXVIC make sure the Mexican flag is in Fedsquare for the community to celebrate and commemorate the Mexican Independence.

CHALLENGES

Distance from Family - The first and main challenge was being away from my family. I am very close to them, and communication technology at the time was poor. I coped by visiting every year, and now we chat on messaging apps almost hourly.

Celebrating Día de los Muertos with a Parade departing State Library, November 2024.

Learning English - Language was and wasn’t a challenge. My English was poor when I arrived in Wellington, but my Mexican boss translated what I needed to say and understand. Computing was already in English, so work was fine. What really improved my English was taking a class with no Spanish speakers and sharing a house with Kiwis. I still have a strong Mexican accent, but people don’t mind now, and some even find it interesting.

Engaging a Diverse Community - I’m finding it challenging to keep everyone interested in MEXVIC’s activities. We’re so many and so diverse now that it’s hard to make everyone happy. I aim for events that people twenty years younger and ten years older than me might enjoy, and hope for the best. Social media is everywhere, yet many people ignore it. What helps is that I still know a lot of people, so I can make invitations personal.

Contrasts and simmilarities

Family Values - Latin family values are, I believe, our greatest strength. Seeing friends as family is common. It happens in Australia and elsewhere too, but it is especially noticeable in Latin communities. Children grow close to their parents and siblings. My friends’ children see me as an uncle, which means a lot when my only close family here are my daughters.

Trust - Something I admire about Australians, and hope we Latins embrace, is that your word is as good as a contract. Even with large companies, a handshake seals a deal, they trust you will deliver, and you trust you will be paid.

Melbourne’s Latin Pulse - Although I have lived away from Mexico for most of my life, I am still VERY Mexican and very Latin. I moved from Sydney to Melbourne largely because Melbourne had, and still has, a much stronger Latin presence. The Harbour Bridge and Opera House are wonderful, but nothing beats leaving the Night Cat in the early hours of a Monday after dancing salsa to one of the regular bands.

PIECE OF ADVICE 

Do your homework - Learn the ins and outs of living here BEFORE you come. Do not rely only on social media. Visit if you can. Talk to people who settled and to some who returned. Above all, arrive with an open mind and remember this is not your homeland, so it will not be the same. Embrace the differences and broaden your ideas about how things can be done.

Start your business idea - If you have a solid business idea, start it. In Australia, setting up a company is straightforward and there are many government incentives. Just do not do it to work less or to “be your own boss”. You will work harder, and your customers will feel like many bosses. Even so, it is worth it.

Ask for help - There is nothing embarrassing about it, especially if you have good friends and you are willing to do the same for them. The government provides many tools and resources for people in difficulty, whether financial stress, family issues or violence, even if you are on a student visa. Do not suffer in silence. And if the worst comes to the worst, go back if you need to. There is no shame in trying and then deciding it is not for you. Do not give up too easily, but sometimes we must recognise when things are not working or are unlikely to work, and it may be better to try something different.

Performing with Mexbourne Dance Company is one of his greatests joys. Pedro with Susy and Faby 2023.

IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS

In the next 5 to 10 years, I would like to grow MEXVIC in new directions. Mexbourne is already in very good hands, so while I still take part, I am not the key to its next stage. I also want to diversify how I earn a living. I love my work, but my business relies too much on me, and it may not give me the lifestyle I enjoy when I “retire” at 95.

Another goal is to spend two or three solid months each year in Mexico. I picture a small place in the country or by the beach, and a home base in Australia as well.

I have been divorced twice and engaged twice. Love is not a goal for me; I believe it is a matter of fortune and mutual choice. I do not need someone to keep me company or to change my nappies when I turn 100. But if I meet a well-rounded, fun, Spanish-speaking lady that is as energetic as I am, I’ll be honoured to share my tortillas with her.

Do you want to follow Pedro’s journey? Connect with him on Linkedin, Facebook or Instagram.

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With love and gratitude - The Latin Stories Australia team