DRAGON BOAT KING WINS CHANCE TO LEAD THE CITY

In 1965 an ambitious 17-year-old Chinese student looked around the desolate
job market in his home town, Hong Kong, and decided to build his future in
Melbourne.

And build a future he did.

The young John So, a graduate of Aberdeen Technical College in Hong Kong,
followed the example of friends and emigrated to Australia.

Now, 36 years later, Mr So, 54, is Melbourne's first directly elected lord
mayor and the city's first leader of Chinese descent in the Town Hall.

Mr So did a year at University High in Parkville before going on to
Melbourne University, where he got a science degree.

He earned enough to support himself by working in a friend's restaurant.

After graduating, he worked as a science teacher at Fitzroy High School for
eight years before becoming a full-time restaurateur. A friend asked him to
manage his Chinese restaurant in Blackburn in the early 1970s. He taught
during the day and managed the restaurant at night.

In 1976 Mr So bought his own restaurant and decided to leave teaching. John
So's Chinese Kitchen in Flinders Lane was born.

He was in Flinders Lane for 10 years. Then he moved to Little Bourke Street
and opened the first of his Dragon Boat restaurants.

It was then, when Mr So was working in Chinatown, that he saw how city
office and retail vacancies were adversely affecting the city's traders and
its appeal to visitors.

"The city was in a really bad shape. That was the reason I decided to run
for council, so I could have a say," he said.

Since 1991 he has been elected four times, including yesterday, and
effectively sacked twice - once by Jeff Kennett and once by Steve Bracks.

During his time on council Mr So has had a role in giving Melburnians the
free city circle tram service. As Lord Mayor he intends to extend the
service down Swanston Street and provide a free tram between Melbourne
University and the Arts Centre.

He also intends to declare war on drugs, proposing to extend council
officers' powers so they can detain suspected drug dealers until police arrive.

He says he supports a safe injecting facility, but is opposed to a
stand-alone premises in the CBD. It should be attached to a public hospital
such as the Royal Melbourne or St Vincent's, he says.

Drugs have had an impact on the So family. In 1999 Mr So's son, Alex, was
fined without conviction for possession of heroin. Mr So has four children
and lives in Kew with his partner Wendy.