Date1 February 2026DescriptionOn a peaceful Sunday morning at Wat Phrayortkeo Dhammayanaram Lao Buddhist Temple in Edensor Park, I was welcomed by a community shaped as much by generosity as by faith. In the kitchen, volunteers moved between pots and benches, preparing pho and shared dishes for the monks’ 11am breakfast, their offering an act of joy rather than obligation. I spent time speaking with Nith the public official who kindly hosted me and his wife Ramphay, with Savy who coordinates the temple’s many moving parts, and with lay people who have given years of their lives to sustaining this place. Together we spoke about leaving Laos, learning new languages, building families, and finding belonging in Australia. Long before monks were present, it was the community who first built the temple, believing that by creating a place for practice they were also creating a brighter future for their children. The temple stands not only as a spiritual refuge but as a centre of care, guidance, and harmony. In a neighbourhood where mosques, churches, and temples sit side by side, Wat Phrayortkeo Dhammayanaram vibrantly invites the world in, reminding all who enter that kindness, shared labour, and lived generosity are what truly hold a community together. I left with a full belly and a full heart.
- Chloë Nour, February 2026PhotographerChloë NourGeolocation[1] 711-715 Smithfield Rd, Edensor ParkNotesThese photographs are part of the 2025 City Photographer project.
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Image ColourColourTypeDigitalCopyrightPartial restriction. Please contact Fairfield City Heritage Services for image use.AcknowledgementChloë Nour 2025 Fairfield City Photographer. Image courtesy of Fairfield City Heritage Collection.
Lao Buddhist Temple (1 February 2026). Fairfield City Heritage Collection, accessed 01/05/2026, https://heritagecollection.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/7200
