Russell Goldfield Jack AM 雷揚名 will be remembered as one of Bendigo’s most beloved and remarkable community leaders.
Beginning in the 1960s, Russell’s vision and hard work helped breathe new life into the Bendigo Chinese Association (BCA) and the Bendigo Easter Festival, including fundraising to replace the iconic procession dragon.
Together with his late wife Joan, he founded the Golden Dragon Museum in 1991 as a place to share and celebrate the stories, treasures and traditions of the Chinese community in Bendigo.
Following years of tireless work, the Golden Dragon Museum is a much-loved cultural institution, attracting more than 80,000 visitors to Bendigo every year. It is home to the world’s longest imperial dragon - Dai Gum Loong - as well as the world’s oldest imperial dragon, Loong, and a collection of other dragons.
For 32 years, Russell guided the BCA as president, a role in which his warmth and generosity became as well-known as his dedication. For many years through to Easter 2026, he remained closely involved in the Easter Festival, leading the procession of Dai Gum Loong throughout the city.
Russell’s decades of service were honoured when he was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 1993 and named Victorian Senior Citizen of the Year in 1998.
Russell’s legacy lives on within a grateful community that will continue to treasure the contributions he made throughout his long life and remember him with great fondness.
Cantonese Mourning Lion Ceremony and State Funeral Service
Ceremonial altar on stage at Russell Goldfield Jack AM's State Funeral Service
White mourning lion performers pay tribute to Russell with joss sticks before accompanying him on his final journey
Russell's daughter Anita and his granddaughters Stellina and Amelita take part in a cultural ceremony before the State Funeral Service
Russell's family pay tribute to him in front of the Golden Dragon Museum's oldest dragon, Loong
White mourning lion accompanies Russell at the Golden Dragon Museum
The white mourning lion accompanies Russell through Bendigo's streets
A white mourning lion accompanies Russell on his journey through Bendigo's Chinese precinct
Russell's daughter Anita is greeted by Hon Jacinta Allan MP
Russell's daughter and granddaughter take part in a Smoking Ceremony before the State Funeral Service
Russell's daughter, granddaughters and son-in-law offer joss
Hon Jacinta Allan MP spoke on behalf of the people of Victoria at the State Funeral Service and shared some personal memories of Russell
Richard Louey speaks about Russell's connection with the Chinese community
Golden Dragon Museum Chair Doug Lougoon speaks about Russell's contribution to Bendigo's Chinese legacy
Anita Jack speaks at the State Funeral Service of her father
Russell's granddaughter Amelita pays tribute
Lai Fong Low and Fay White perform The Pomelo Tree
Mourners watch as Russell's hearse leaves the State Funeral Service, accompanied by his white mourning lion, and heads to Bendigo Cemetery
A Cantonese white mourning lion formed part of the funeral ceremony for Russell Goldfield Jack AM 雷揚名, in one of the oldest and most solemn traditions of southern Chinese culture. The lion’s inclusion in the funeral ceremony is believed to be the first of its kind in the region within living memory.
The white mourning lion was beside Russell on his final journey, to watch over him and pay its final respects. It accompanied Russell during the ceremonial journey through Bendigo's historic Chinese precinct to his State Funeral Service at Ulumbarra Theatre, where family, friends and the wider community gathered to farewell him and pay tribute to his remarkable life and lifelong contribution to Bendigo’s Chinese heritage. Following the service, the lion continued with Russell to Bendigo Cemetery for the final rites.
This lion has a special connection to the Jack family. It was made in Hong Kong by master traditional dragon maker Hui Ka Hung, whose family workshop was also involved in the creation of Bendigo’s Dai Gum Loong. It was given to Russell as a gift and was brought to Bendigo by Russell’s daughter Anita.
The white lion is different to the brilliantly coloured lions familiar in Bendigo during Easter celebrations. It is not a celebration lion, but is instead associated with mourning, filial piety and the final farewell to the deceased. It moves slowly to an accompaniment of sounds that create a solemn rhythm of grief, respect and farewell. Its appearance at Russell’s funeral therefore represents an act of respect as opposed to a celebratory, public performance.
At Bendigo Cemetery, members of the public were invited to gather respectfully as the mourning lion completed its final duty. Mourners were invited to light a joss stick and offer it in Russell’s memory in a collective farewell. As established in Cantonese funeral custom, those attending also received a small white mourning envelope bearing Russell’s name, containing a coin and a sweet. For Russell’s family, the small gift was also a way of saying thank you to the people of Bendigo.
At the conclusion of Russell’s funeral rites, the white mourning lion itself was ceremonially burned, together with traditional paper offerings. The burning of the lion therefore brought its own journey to an end at the same place that Russell’s earthly journey came to an end. Russell spent much of his life sharing Chinese culture with the people of Bendigo, and his family appreciated the community sharing in this final tradition with him.
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