Issuu

DECEMBER 2007

W D! NE HEA T AS

REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST - PUBLICATION No. VBH 6369

y Meeting

On 19 September the Half-Yearly General Meeting took place at the club ringing in a new and refreshing approach to the running of the evening. The accent was on participation, reporting and entertainment. Members were greeted to a superbly arranged multimedia show with music showing off pictures from club events over the last six months. Patrick Rychner who is in charge of communications created a fascinating review of our activities which was much enjoyed. You will find the minutes of the Half-Yearly in the March 2008 issue.

THE

RO U CLU

Half-Yearly Meeting with a difference!

ABOU D N B

IS SW S

Trivia Night

Half-Yearl

Fun in th

e snow a

t Mt.Bull

Another highlight of the evening was the masthead design competition. The Masthead is the top part of the Newsletter which gives it a unique character and identity, just like the Masthead on the Age or the Herald Sun newspapers. The competition was open to all members and their families with

Roland Isler Wine & Cheese

Sybille Steiner

Colin Wilkinson

the only condition to incorporate the new Swiss Club logo and the old name ‘Edelweiss’. The aim was to involve members closely in the exciting design process and to help us determine the look and presentation of our newsletter. I am pleased to say we ended up with four fantastic entries listed here in alphabetical order: Roland Isler, Patrick Rychner, Sybille Steiner and Colin Wilkinson. Members voted with a show of hand which ended in a close call. In the end, the outcome was in favour of Patrick Rychner and the winning entry now adorns our newsletter ‘Edelweiss’. To all designers, thank you for participating! Eddie Muto, one of the directors of Terra Rossa Bar & Restaurant was invited to introduce himself and his marketing concept. Few were left in doubt of the success of his whirlwind presentation and proven strategies promising a prosperous outlook. He outlined his plan for the outdoors sitting area under a canopy which is still subject to council permit and completion of the streetscape project. We have confidence in doing business with this trustworthy professional and look forward to fostering a good working relationship. We were also able to portray the new faces of the Swiss Club signage which now are on illuminated display until late night outside the entrance of the restaurant together with signage on the side of Malthouse Lane. The request by members for better signage has been implemented. A huge 1.90m x 1.95m Swiss flag hanging on the wall as a backdrop reminded us of the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne where it flew proudly for a short while. The committee of the Swiss Club would like to acknowledge with gratitude the receipt of this beautiful flag. It was presented to the club by Primo Calabresi on behalf of our late member Richard Spieler. We will pay homage to Swiss athletes and their achievements throughout the ages by finding an appropriate place in the club to hang the flag again. Rolf Huber, President

89 Flinders Lane • Melbourne 3000 • Victoria • Australia • w w w.s w i s s .o r g.au/s w i s sc lu bv i c

SWISS CLUB OF VICTORIA Founded in 1899

89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Vic 3000 T: (03) 9650 1196, F: (03) 9650 3104 E: swissclubvic@swiss.org.au W: www.swiss.org.au/swissclubvic Club Opening Hours Bookings: T: (03) 9650 1196 Lunch - Monday to Friday from 12noon Dinner - Wednesday, Thursday & Friday from 6pm. Friday Happy Hour from 5pm to 6.30pm. Swiss Club Catering For Weddings, Corporate, Seminars, Parties, Private Functions contact Chef & Catering Manager Roger Moullet T: (03) 9650 1196, F: (03) 9650 3104 M: 0409 040 249 E: swissclub@hotmail.com

Urs Derrick Wildi Treasurer T/F (H): (03) 9824 7930 M: 0403 040 930 E: uwildi@swiss.org.au Oliver Altermatt Building Management /Functions M: 0410 684 263 E: oaltermatt@swiss.org.au Gerda Probst Membership Relations/Functions T (H): (03) 9748 8540 M: 0439 936 313 E: gerda@swiss.org.au Patrick Rychner Corporate Communications/ Web Administrator/Functions M: 0404 657 886 E: paddy@swiss.org.au

COMMITTEE

SWISS CLUB SUB-GROUPS

Rolf Huber President T/F (H): (03) 9807 0282 M (B): 0425 805 854 M (H): 0417 013 066 E: rhuber@swiss.org.au

Swiss Folk Dance Group Alpenrose President: Sylvia Hochuli T: (03) 9531 6575 E: hochuli@bigpond.com

Barbara Kündig Vice President/Secretary T/F (H): (03) 9813 8843 M: 0402 018 363 E: barbara@swiss.org.au

Newsletter ‘Edelweiss’ is the Newsletter of the Swiss Club of Victoria and is published quarterly in March, June, September and December. For all advertising enquiries and editorial contributions please contact: Roland Isler, Editor T/F (H): (03) 9558 3877 T (B): (03) 9524 6335 F (B): (03) 9528 4792 M: 0412 935 565 E: risler@swiss.org.au 67 St Georges Crescent Heatherton Vic 3202

Swiss Companion Singers Convenor: Heidy Giger T: (03) 9889 9321 E: gigi45@bigpond.com Ladies Luncheons Convenor: Heidy Giger For bookings T: (03) 9650 1196 For information: T: (03) 9889 9321 E: gigi45@bigpond.com Saturday Morning Swiss School Convenor: Andrea Pinch T: (03) 5331 6762 E: pinch@hotkey.net.au W: www.swiss.org.au/scvschool Swiss Playgroup Ingrid Preston T: (03) 9772 0516 Claudia Dahinden T: (03) 9347 6913 W: www.swiss.org.au/playgroup The Young Swiss Group Convenor: Amy Bohren 2/9 Grandview Grove, Bayswater Vic 3153 M: 0409 041 528 E: abohren@swiss.org.au

OTHER SWISS ORGANISATIONS Swiss Society of Victoria (Benevolent Society) President: Primo Calabresi T: (03) 9857 7427 W: www.swiss.org.au/swissclubvic Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess Australian/Swiss Cultural Society Vice President: Sylvia Hochuli T: (03) 9531 6575 E: hochuli@bigpond.com Groupe Romand du Victoria President: Marianne Puccinelli 7 Eric Court, Wheelers Hill Vic 3150 T: (03) 9561 9595 W: www.swiss.org.au/chfrvic Pro Ticino President: Claude Rossi 5 Falls Road, Hoddles Creek Vic 3139 T: (03) 5967 4542 E: marclas@hotkey.net.au Swiss-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) (Victorian Chapter) President: Thomas Schmocker 7A/17 Burgundy Street Heidelberg Vic 3084 T: (03) 9458 5800, F: (03) 9458 5877 E: victoria@sacci.com.au W: www.sacci.com.au Swiss Academic Network Melbourne (SANM) E: info@sanm.id.au W: www.sanm.id.au ETH Alumni Australia Convenor: Josef Koch 1/32 Bruce Street, Toorak Vic 3142 T/F: (03) 9827 0307 Swiss Yodel Choir Matterhorn President: Marco Unternährer 3 Bluegum Court, Upwey Vic 3158 T (B): (03) 9388 8777, (H) 9752 6996 W: www.swiss.org.au/matterhorn Hon. Consul for Victoria Erika Kimpton 697 Toorak Road, Kooyong Vic 3144 T: (03) 9824 7527, M: 0413 042 724 E: erikakimpton@optusnet.com.au

Unless otherwise stated, postal address for all the above is: 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Vic 3000

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President’s Message Dear members and friends of the Swiss Club, my committee and I are already 5 months into the new job. It has been a learning experience, often challenging yet very rewarding. I had the greatest pleasure of meeting many of you at various occasions and hopefully will get to know many more in the upcoming months. One of the committee members, Mark Weber has left us recently for reasons of a promotion and increased workloads. However he has agreed to work on a draft version of a new constitution. On behalf of the committee I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mark for his work for the good of the Swiss Club. To remain effective we again seek to fill the vacant position of minute taker combined with the role of a function coordinator. Please contact me or a member of the committee if you wish to join! We are also interested to hear from you if you could assist the committee with organising Bush Walking for the many keen walkers the club has. Terra Rossa, our new stylish Italian Restaurant has opened its doors for business on the ground floor. I am pleased to report that the Swiss Club now receives a monthly rent in addition to Roger Moullet’s rent from the Swiss Club Restaurant. The streetscape project as described in the last newsletter is behind schedule which is one of the reasons why Terra Rossa has to delay its works on the canopy which will eventually run around the corner Flinders Lane/Malthouse Lane. Another reason is the pending council approval for a wider canopy than originally granted. Dear members, over the next few weeks you will notice newly improved signage on the Swiss Club building such as an illuminated sign on Flinders Lane, a large sign advertising the Swiss Club on Malthouse Lane and a sign directly above the entrance of the Swiss Club. Together with the Swiss flag flying proudly on the face of the building I believe we have adequately addressed the concerns of members regarding signage. The newsletter has undergone a facelift thanks to our new editor, former president of the Swiss Club Roland Isler. We even went a step further and asked members to help us design a new masthead as part of a competition. The best results will be presented at the Half Yearly General Meeting and you, dear member can vote on the best design. To lighten things up and to entertain you we will put on a multimedia show with photos, music and a review of club life over the past eight months. If you have material such as digital photos taken at the Volksfest or other events you attended please do email them to us at swisslcubvic@swiss.org.au by latest Tuesday 4th of September. Patrick Rychner, our committee member for communications has developed a new and exciting logo which will take us into the future. Please find a sample in this newsletter. Our website swiss.org.au/swissclubvic has a new functionality – you are now able to RSVP online for functions. It is easy to

use, fast and convenient. Try it out next time you would like to sign up for an event or function! The last few months have been busy with many activities in and around the club and attracted members and friends alike such as the Billiard Competition, Swiss National Day celebration (Lantern Procession, dinner on 1st of August, bonﬁre in Gembrook and National Day Senior Members Luncheon), Ski trip to Mt. Buller, Wine & Cheese Tasting and the Ladies Luncheon. Looking ahead many more interesting functions are planned. On 19th of September I urge all members to attend the Half Yearly General Meeting and make their voices heard, on 12th of October another round of Billiard is on the program followed by the Swiss School Trivia Night on 13th of October and the Ladies Luncheon on 7th of November. For more information on the social calendar please consult the newsletter or our website. No shortages of action, no excuses, please support the club and attend the functions! Thank you for your letters and phone calls, it shows your interest and support for all matters Swiss. We always love to hear from you – it is your club, it is our club! To all those folks who are unwell, I wish you a speedy recovery. I look forward to seeing you at the club soon! Rolf Huber, President

From page 1

LEWIS: Below this ﬁeld is one of the most complicated machines ever built. A real lifetime machine buried hundreds of metres beneath the Swiss-French border. This machine will shoot beams of energy around a 27km long loop and smash those beams of energy together again at the end. This giant loop is the track for the world’s newest particle accelerator, the ‘Large Hadron Collider’ or LHC. It’s designed to peer into the origins of the universe and is the brain child of 6,000 of the world’s top scientiﬁc minds. Geoff Taylor is the head of physics at Melbourne University. But here in Switzerland, he is a key contributor to the LHC project. PROFESSOR GEOFF TAYLOR, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE: As we come into this new era with the Large Hadron Collider, we are going to be discovering aspects of nature which we couldn’t have dreamed of in the past. This is really the most exciting period for physicists, for scientists since the beginning of the 20th century. THORSTEN WENGLER, UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER: It’s been a long time coming. We have constructed this for many, many years and to suddenly go into this phase where everything starts to come together and starts to click into each other and to really work as a whole, is immensely exciting. LEWIS: Atlas is the name of the giant detector at the heart of the project. It is being built underground in a six-story deep construction pit. Filled with the world’s biggest magnets, Swiss Club of Victoria

Club restaurant again. The Wednesday ‘Round Table’ is just not the same without you!

The last farewell It is with great sadness that we say good-bye to the following members and friends, we shall miss them dearly:

Welcome to our new members Andre Becker, Eranthos Beretta, Jane Besley, Jacob Cherian, Chris Erb, Gunter Gerlach, Robert Heathershaw, Samantha Hinderling, Guia & Gerhard Keller, Peter Kronborg, Chris Le Marshall, Birgit and Michael Livesey, William Rimba, Johanna Rüdiger, Damian Schaller, William Walsh, James Young. A very warm welcome to all our new members. We hope you are enjoying the club restaurant, the functions and we will hopefully be meeting you soon in person at either the New Members Evening or the Half-Yearly meeting in September.

Get well We send our best wishes to Joe and Marie Schibli and hope that soon you will be well enough to meet up with us at the

From page 4

layered by 3,000km of wiring and all weighing 7,000 tonnes. All of this so that protons, the heaviest part of the atom, can be smashed at near the speed of light inside the machine, creating conditions that haven’t existed since a trillionth of a second after the birth of the universe. DR ALLAN CLARK, UNIVERSITY OF GENEVA: It is a machine which operates at a temperature of 1.9 degrees Kelvin. LEWIS: Which in Celsius terms? DR ALLAN CLARK: Minus 271 degrees. LEWIS: The collider lives at the CERN laboratory outside of Geneva. CERN buzzes. It requires its own relay station to power the collider and above that you will catch the intellectual hum of the world’s best scientists. PROFESSOR GEOFF TAYLOR: At the same cafeteria there are sometimes ﬁve Nobel Prize winners. It’s a very, very rich environment and it’s a very testing environment. The students work very, very hard but it’s very inspiring. LEWIS: At the cafeteria I meet the head of the at last project. Peter Jenni tells me when the machine gets turned on early next year, anything could happen. PETER JENNI, SPOKESPERSON, ATLAS PROJECT: We have pretty exciting ideas from what could happen but the most exciting for an experiment is that actually something which nobody has foreseen could be discovered. It’s really going into a new land in a way. Sometimes people say it’s like when people explored new territories. Columbus did ﬁnd something exciting, not India but something else and maybe something like that may happen. w w w. s w i s s .o r g.a u /s w i s sc lu bv i c

In early July we learned of the sudden passing of our dear Honorary Life Member Arnold Eugster. Arnold was 96 years of age, a gentleman, and witty true to his Appenzeller origin. We will miss him. After a fall and suffering ill health Fred Roth went to a better place on 7 August, aged 82. Fred and Wensley left cold Melbourne for the Gold Coast many years ago. Fred was part of the team responsible for the original ﬁt-out of the Swiss Club restaurant, he was an Honorary Life Member and member of the Yodelklub Edelwyss. We offer our sympathy to Wensley and family. Former President of the Swiss Club (1981-83) Richard Spieler passed away peacefully on 19 August, at the age of 82. Richard could be seen every Wednesday night at the club and his presence will be sorely missed, especially by his many friends of the ‘Round Table’. Our sincere condolences go to Eileen and daughters Louise and Gabrielle.

LEWIS: The biggest job of the collider is to sift the cosmic soup for a particle called the Higgs Boson, also dubbed the ‘God Particle’. PROFESSOR GEOFF TAYLOR: The particles, our basis for understanding what we are made of right now is missing some major ingredients and the Higgs is probably going to be the saviour of the standard. It is going to take us to the next layer of understanding. LEWIS: The Higgs Boson is a theoretical particle that has never been detected. It appears at energy levels that only this new machine can reach and even inside the Atlas, the Higgs Boson may only be visible every 10 trillion collisions. PROFESSOR GEOFF TAYLOR: We are looking for not a needle in a haystack, we are looking for a needle in about 10,000 hay stacks, probably even more like 100,000 hay stacks, depending on how big a needle you are looking for. The extraction of such a small signal from such a large amount of data has not been done before. LEWIS: What makes ﬁnding the Higgs particle a multi billion dollar investment, is the fact that it is thought to give everything in the universe its mass. After centuries of probing the big questions, physics still has no answer for where mass comes from. DR ALLAN CLARK: The Higgs is well described as a ﬁeld permeating the universe which slows everything down, effectively giving it the equivalent of a mass. LEWIS: Peter Higgs suggested that moments after the Big Bang, Continued next page

From page 5

a field was created which stretches across the entire universe, like a molasses and as particles wade through it, they become heavy. It’s taken two decades and $8 billion to design and build the machine capable of testing his theory. Dr Taylor tells me that these experiments are shaking our understanding of the universe to the core. PROFESSOR GEOFF TAYLOR: They are of a scale of Kapernicus, realising that we weren’t the centre of the solar system. On the scale of quantum physics brushing aside all the shortcomings of the classical physics that had been developed through the 17th and 18th centuries, we are on the verge of discovering an understanding of how our universe evolved from the very fundamental first few fraction of a second. LEWIS: This pixel detector is the centre of the Atlas experiment. The detector tracks the paths of all the new particles that veer off after every collision. High tech devices like this one lead to all sorts of practical spin-offs. The challenges posed by particle physics help create the silicon chips in computers, the x-ray and the medical MRI, even the World Wide Web was born at CERN to help physicists share massive amounts of information across the globe. PROFESSOR GEOFF TAYLOR: Back in the 90s when we were first talking about these detectors and their complexity, the data coming out of the Atlas experiment was equivalent to the entire telecommunications data rates of the world at the time. So there was absolutely no way, without massive technological development, it was ever going to work. LEWIS: Using this kind of cutting edge technology, Dr Taylor and his colleagues will do more than just look for the Higgs particle. They will search for dark matter, the stuff that we can’t see but that exerts a strong gravitational pull on everything in space. They will investigate a theory called super symmetry which suggests that for every particle we know of, there may be a twin particle somewhere that we have never found.

among some members of the public that the earth may be succeeded into an artificial void. DR ALLAN CLARK: I knew you would ask that and I purposely did not mention that. I have heard this concern. Of course people have studied such possibilities. The black hole which people talk about is not the same size as the black hole which we expect to have or which we know to have at the centre of the Galaxy. These are small black holes and they decay very quickly. LEWIS: The final touches are now being put on the Large Hadron Collider so it can come online early next year. These men are machining parts to move a 12,000 tonne magnet into place at the end of the Atlas pit. PROFESSOR GEOFF TAYLOR: It’s mind-boggling to see what has to be done. Those magnets are absolute feats themselves individually. They are the biggest cost of the whole accelerator but they took years and years and years of development and magnetic fields are greater than any industrial size object by a long, long way. LEWIS: This machine is so precise, that all it takes is for one screw to be loose and years of work can be lost. The proton beam can punch through 15 metres of solid copper if it’s misaligned and yet, the scientists here are all supremely confident that this machine is going to work. DR ALLAN CLARK: I would say the worst outcome would be the machine did not work. Now this is an impossible outcome. It will certainly work, although it will be a mammoth enterprise to make it work well. LEWIS: The success or failure of this project will seriously affect the future of big science world wide. PETER JENNI: With the LHC, I think the community must prove that we are actually able to master such complex detectors, such a complex program and I am personally convinced that this is absolutely necessary condition for big future projects.

The LHC will even create mini black holes. Raising concerns

SPRING SPECIALS: Cakes for all occasions, any size or shape – mixed fresh fruit flans Assortment of savouries, large and small – handmade fresh fruit jellies Traditional Swiss gourmet specialities

We cater for all your individual requirements! Open Tuesday to Sunday 232 Blackburn Road, Syndal 3150 6

☎ 9802 7265 Swiss Club of Victoria

Unveiling of the boards Wednesday, 18 July The two boards (Presidents & Honorary Life Members) above the restaurant entrance were in desperate need of a makeover. So Roland Isler took it upon him to oversee the freshening up of the boards and found a specialist to apply the ﬁne gold leaf lettering. But ﬁrst all entries needed to be checked for accuracy and new names had to be added. A very time consuming exercise! To maximize space the smaller board is now dedicated to presidents only, dating back to 1899 and the bigger board neatly lists all the names of the Honorary Life Members from 1942 onwards. The timing was important too, while the boards were in the workshop, the much needed stairway wall was repainted and damp spots treated. The updated boards were replaced on a Sunday afternoon by volunteers and were well hidden from sight until the unveiling ceremony.

Meanwhile the committee had decided to celebrate our most deserving members and invited all former Presidents and Honorary Life Members to the “Unveiling of the Boards” ceremony over ﬁnger food and drinks on the house. It was a truly special occasion to see so many of our most loyal members on this memorable afternoon, to listen to their stories of memories bygone. Then the big moment arrived, everyone gathered in the stairwell and watched the boards reappear in their new look, all gleaming and beautifully crafted. I would like to express my gratitude to all longstanding members for their loyalty to the club and especially to Roland Isler for his initiative to give the boards a new lease on live. Rolf Huber, President

Yodel Club Edelwyss on CD Hans Brunner, the man with the golden voice, tells us that a professionally produced CD of recordings by the Yodel Club Edelwyss is now available for sale. Three old vinyl recordings, spanning a period of 37 years, have been brought back to live onto CD. It contains a total of 23 tracks, mostly yodel songs, two solo yodels and two instrumental pieces. Our thanks go to Hans for saving an important part of our clubs history and making these wonderful songs available for everyone to listen to again. Hans will be at the ‘Kaffeeklatsch’ on Sunday 9 and also at the ‘Fahrt ins Blaue’ on November 14 and he will have CD’s available for purchase at a cost of $12. If you can’t make it to these events, you can order the CD by mail at a cost of $15 incl. postage. Hans Brunner, 9 Cooinda Court, Frankston Vic 3199 P: (03) 9783 7939

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Swiss National Day Celebrations Wednesday, 1 August Lampionumzug – Lantern Procession After weeks of almost continuous rain, we were very lucky to get a dry, albeit windy evening for our Lantern procession. We had 35 children and about as many parents and grandparents attending the occasion, which shows that this is one of the favourite winter events for many Swiss families. Everybody, but especially the children, was proudly carrying their Swiss ﬂags and lanterns, some of which had been self made. Gerd Schwärzler and his friend Chris have once more made the parade very special by leading us with their drums. We returned to the club’s 2nd ﬂoor venue, after the traditional “Ich gahn mit miner Laterne” song in the park and walk along Collins Street, much to the amusement and curiosity of passersby. The children were treated to delicious sausages (special thanks to Marlies & Sepp Krummenacher from Ormond Meat & Smallgoods for the donation), chips (thank you Roger for always making your chips so crunchy), cookies, jelly babies and cordial. A number of new families attended the event this year and we hope that everybody had a fantastic time and will join us again next year. If you have never come along to the Lantern procession, why not pencil it into your 2008 diary right now – or else risking on missing out on a fabulous event! Gerda Probst & Barbara Kündig National Day at the Club Following the Lantern Procession the festivities continued at the Swiss Club. Roger Moullet and his team served a delicious meal to the delight of the many guests. He had it all worked out and the service went like clock work despite it being fully booked. Entertainment was provided by John Wanner and his band ‘Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand’ who played many popular tunes. Later they performed the National Anthem with passion and inspiration.

National Day Senior Members’ Luncheon Monday, 13 August A friendly and happy group of our most senior members got together for our annual Seniors Luncheon sponsored by the Swiss Club. It was great to see so many smiling faces looking forward to seeing friends they hadn’t met for a while and to exchange old stories and to catch up. Many thanks to Roger and his team for a delicious lunch. After the main course, Beat Stuber, on the guitar, and Tom Webb, on the singing saw, played and sang well known Swiss songs. Everyone happily sang along. This event wasn’t possible without individuals generously giving their time to help out: Our thanks go to Beat Stuber for taking time off from work to come and entertain us – thank you also to Tom Webb for offering to play with Beat. Many thanks go to Sylvia Hochuli for helping out every year with organising the day. Thank you also to Ruth Plagge for helping us. Let the pictures taken on the day speak for themselves – we hope to see you all again next year.

The Honorary Consul of Switzerland was also present and addressed the people on an ofﬁcial note. How wonderful it was to meet with so many members and also see new faces on this Swiss National Day 2007! Rolf Huber, President

Swiss Club of Victoria

My remarkable Aunt Gert Gertrude Elsie Delmenico was born at Guildfort (between Castlemaine and Daylesford) on August 28, 1903. Gertrude (Gert) was the eldest of eight children by parents Walter and Violet Delmenico. Gert’s father Walter was the son of Giuseppe Delmenico who was born in Novaggio (west of Lugano, Ticino) in 1830. Giuseppe, Gert’s grandfather, came to Australia on the ship named ‘Gertrude’, arriving in Melbourne on May 21, 1855. Accompanying Giuseppe were three other Delmenico men from the same village, namely Carlo, Andrea and Giovanni. Carlo and Andrea (who was Carlo’s son) returned to Novaggio after four years in Australia. Giovanni stayed in Australia, married Angelina Quadri from Ponte Capriasca (north of Lugano, Ticino), together they had ﬁve sons. Giuseppe also stayed in Australia, married Margaret Scott and had eleven children, three of which died before reaching the age of two. Giuseppe and Margaret lived their lives at Guildford were Walter, Gert’s father was born in 1876 as their sixth child. As a child, Gert attended Yapeen State School, Castlemaine High School and then Melbourne Teacher’s College where she trained as a primary school teacher. Gert taught at a number of country primary schools before transferring to metropolitan Melbourne where she married Tom Colwill in 1948. After a long and distinguished career as a primary school teacher, Gert retired at Shepparton. Tom and Gert had no children of their own but she was much loved by her school pupils, her many nieces and nephews and her extended family. After her husband Tom passed away, Gert in her later years moved to an aged care facility at Mooroopna where she celebrated her 100th birthday amidst her family and friends. Gert passed away on 3 May , 2007 at 103 years of age. She was a remarkable woman, lovely and caring, and well aware of her Australian and Swiss origins. Terry Delmenico

Wednesday 5 September, 12 noon Guest Speaker: Pamela Wilson “Adventures on the Silk Road”

Wednesday 7 November, 12 noon With the promise of a interesting Guestspeaker plus good food and company! Come and join us! Price: $22 pp for members, $25 pp for non-members Includes 2-course meal, wine, soft drinks and coffee Non-members are also welcome, bring a friend or two. For information ring Heidy Giger on 9889 9321. For bookings please ring Roger at the Club on 9650 1196. See you there! Heidy Giger

Newsletter Deadlines 2007 December Issue: Covering Dec/Jan 08/Feb 08 Editorial Deadline: Monday, 5 November Packing: Wednesday, 21 November

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Have a Ball at the Swiss Club Tennis Tournament! Sunday, 25 November Kooyong Lawn & Tennis Club, 489 Glenferrie Road, Kooyong

Everyone is welcome to come along and enjoy a fun day playing tennis at the centre court of the former venue of the Australian Open. Let’s ﬁnd out if we have some undiscovered talents able to compete at the next Australian Open. All matches will be played as doubles in “Round Robin” format. Cost: $20.- Adults $25.- Non-members $15.- Juniors (under 14) Date: Sunday, 25 November Time: Start 12:00 RSVP by latest 23 November

Note: Please be advised that Kooyong Club rules require members and visitors to wear correct tennis attire at all times and that when visiting the club house men are required to wear shirts with collar. Personal insurance is the responsibility of the participants.

either with form below or register on our website: www.swiss.org.au/page.php?ID=228 Payment to be made on the day. Tournament organiser: Derrick Wildi Mobile 0403 040 930 or AH 9824 7930 Book early as numbers are limited. After the tournament there is also the opportunity to enjoy the evening at the club house with a BBQ or a light dinner at your own expense.

Tennis Tournament Registration Form Please indicate the the standard of play for each player. Please choose from the following: W = Worldclass R = Regular player S = Social player Contact phone:

Ranking

Category

Name Player 1:

Adult / Junior

Name Player 2:

Adult / Junior

Name Player 3:

Adult / Junior

Name Player 4:

Adult / Junior

Total payment:

Swiss Club of Victoria

From the

Editor’s Pen

Dear reader, The Bernard Sandoz Trophy Competition was held on Friday, 22 June on the top ﬂoor of the Swiss Club. 16 participants battled for the honors to have their name engraved on the trophy. The winner of the ﬁnal between Daniel Welsh & Paul Thornton was Paul for the 2nd year in a row! Thank you to all participants and congratulations to the winner and runner-up.

my wife Liz is an excellent cook, and I like to eat well. One of many reasons why we get along so well. Our mutual culinary dependency just got even better when I presented Liz a beautiful cookbook entitled ‘A Taste of Switzerland’. As the name suggests, it is written in English, which is great for all those hobby-chefs that have a connection to Switzerland, but haven’t quite mastered the ‘Schwizerdütsch’ yet. I will tell you more about this book in the next edition of the ‘Edelweiss’.

Come along, bring a friend and enjoy a night of fun!

The book contains recipes that you might remember or have heard of, simple dishes as well as some unusual gourmet treasures. In every newsletter edition I will reveal one of them to you, starting now with the most Swiss of Swiss dishes: Rösti!

Cost: Only $15 per person including dinner.

Roland Isler

Please book with Louis or contact Roger at the Swiss Club. For further details ring Louis Schneider on 9439 7593 or 0418 645 313

Rösti

Next competition: Friday, 12 October at 7:30pm: Swiss Club Championship at Swiss Club of Victoria, 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

The quintessential Swiss-German dish, a bit like hash browns but crustier: boiled potatoes are skinned, grated and pan-fried till golden. Firm, waxy potatoes are essential, as is a heavybased, preferably non-sticking frying pan. Boil the potatoes until just tender. Drain and leave overnight. Next day, peel and grate them coarsely and season with salt and pepper. Heat half the butter and oil and press the grated potatoes lightly into the frying pan to make a cake. Cook over moderate heat for about 20 minutes or until the bottom is golden and crusty. Invert the Rösti on to a plate. Heat the rest of the butter and oil and slide the Rösti back into the pan to cook the second side for around 10 minutes.

2nd Jass Night Results – Swiss Club, 16 June Singles

1. Fritz Hochuli .............................................3098 2. Peter Raschle ...........................................2949 3. Bruno Monti.............................................2940

Couples

1. Sylvia & Fritz Hochuli ...............................5877 2. Heidi & Bruno Monti ................................5530 3. Simone & Alex Baehler.............................5352

Serves 4 1kg ﬁrm waxy potatoes salt and pepper 50g/4 tbsp butter 2 tsp oil En guete!

3rd Jass Night Results – Swiss Club, 14 July Singles

1. Bruno Jenny .............................................2883 2. Doris Conrad ............................................2778 3. Ernie Hugli ...............................................2775

Couples

1. Doris Conrad & Hans Keller ......................5562 2. Simone & Alex Baehler.............................5358 3. Monika Hofmann & Walter Purtschert .....5206

Upcoming Jass Nights - 2007 8 September

Swiss Club (Finals)

Part of German Language program on Melbourne 93.1fm

Tune into news, music and information about everything that is Swiss in Switzerland and downunder. Ursula Schappi presents an entertaining half-hour program every Sunday from 8:30 to 9pm on 93.1fm To listen online visit www.sbs.com.au/radio

Contact (02) 9955 7628

Information supplied by Paul Eisenegger 9544 4681 w w w. s w i s s .o r g.a u /s w i s sc lu bv i c

Off Punt Rd on Pasley Street side

Fawkner Park, South Yarra Lawn 14 (Melways 2L/D6&7)

10.30am – 12.30pm

Sunday, 2 December 2007

Swiss Club Samichlaus Breakfast

The Club organises the breakfast. Please bring your own plates, tables & chairs. Breakfast starts at 10.30 am! Members: $10 / family, incl surprise for children Non-members: $20 / family (2 adults & children) plus $8 per child for surprise Inclement weather venue: Swiss Club of Victoria, 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

RSVP is a must, latest by Sunday, 25/11/07 – No late bookings accepted.

Please either go to www.swiss.org.au/events to RSVP online or use the form below and mail to: 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, VIC 3000. For further information call Gerda on 9748 8540 or email to gerda@swiss.org.au

�Samichlaus 2007 Registration Form Family Name:

__________________

Membership #: ________________________________

Contact No:

__________________

Email:

No of Adults:

__________________

Adult Names: ________________________________

No of children: __________________

Children names and ages: ___________________

________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

Method of payment (in advance!): � Cheque enclosed

� EFT (Bank: ANZ 409 High St Northcote VIC / BSB: 013-375, Account: 3536 82406

Name: Swiss Club of Victoria / **Please state your name in the Remarks Field!**)

� Cash at the Club restaurant � Credit Card No: ______________________Exp: ___________ Name on card: _______________________

Please note that parents are responsible for the supervision and safety of their own children at all times during the event. Personal insurance is the responsibility of the participants.

Swiss Club of Victoria

Special Presentation: Cloning - where do the eggs come from? The Swiss Academic Network Melbourne (SANM) extents an invitation to Swiss Club members to attend a special presentation at the Swiss Club by Dr Renate Klein*.

Thursday, 16 September, 7pm RSVP: 16 September, via events@sanm.id.au

Current debate both in the media and among politicians mostly centres around two angles: 1. Against embryonic stem cell research because it destroys embryos (the religious view); 2. For embryonic stem cell research because it offers hope for sufferers of genetic diseases (the pro-technology view). *Dr Renate Klein has a MA in natural sciences from Zürich University, a BA (Hons) from UC Berkeley in women’s studies and a PhD from London University in sociology of education and until August 2006 was Associate Professor in Women’s Studies at Deakin University, Melbourne. She has written extensively on reproductive technologies and feminist theory over the last twenty years and is the (co)author/(co)editor of fourteen books on this topic.

Nibbles will be provided, drinks at bar prices

Laughing Along with the Swiss ISBN: 3-905252-01-5 Published: 2004 Publisher: Bergli Books Binding: Hardbound Pages: 108 pages Price: CHF24.90 Synopsis You and your Swiss friends will love ’laughing along‘ with this book. If you think you know about the Swiss, you’ll smile and nod from cover to cover. If the Swiss are new to you, it’s got everything you need to know to endear the Swiss to you forever. And if you are Swiss and think you have nothing to laugh about, here’s an opportunity to stop worrying for a while. The original paperback version (Titled: Xenophobe’s Guide to the Swiss) was a runaway success from the ﬁrst edition in 1995. It is now in its 6th reprint with translations into many languages. Now with the addition of hardback, quality paper, and 42 cartoon illustrations, Bergli Books are proud to present ’Laughing Along with the Swiss‘. Paul Bilton takes a cheeky look at the land where he lives and weaves together English humour with helpful facts and information. Nothing is missed - from the Röstigraben to the rubbish sack. From Hudigääggeler to Hornussen and from Schwizerdütsch to Swinglish all corners of Swiss life come under the spotlight. Humorous, clever, extremely funny, ’Laughing Along with the Swiss‘ is 108 pages of pure entertainment. The book is best ordered directly from the publisher. Delivery around 10 days. Bergli Books, Rümelinsplatz 19, 4001 Basel, Switzerland W: www.bergli.ch E: info@bergli.ch w w w. s w i s s .o r g.a u /s w i s sc lu bv i c

Fahrt ins Blaue Mystery Trip Wednesday, 14 November The Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess / Australian Swiss Cultural Society would like to invite the retired Swiss/Australian Community (over sixty) to our mysterious and exiting ‘Fahrt ins Blaue - Mystery Trip’. Cost is $25.00 per person, which includes a hot lunch. If you like to join us, please complete the coupon below and mail it with your cheque to: Sylvia Hochuli, 92 Addison Street, Elwood Vic 3184, or call 9531 6575. See you there!

Yes, I would like to attend the ‘Fahrt ins Blaue - Mistery Trip Name(s):

Address:

Telephone: No. of persons @ $25.00: Cheque enclosed for total $: Please make your cheque payable to the Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess (ASCS)

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      

Swiss Club of Victoria

Terra Rossa Restaurant & Bar now open for business Our ground floor tenant, Terra Rossa Restaurant & Bar is now open for business. The extensive fit-out has resulted in an amazing transformation of the ground floor. Some exterior work still needs to be done due to the delay of the planned streetscape rejuvenation, however, guest can now enjoy the extensive menu in a stylish and inviting ambience. The Swiss Club congratulates Eddy Muto and Shane McCrohan and wishes them every success!

87 Flinders Lane Melbourne P: 9650 0900 E: ofﬁce@terrarossarb.com.au W: terrarossarb.com.au

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The Swiss Club Restaurant - the place to go! Great review in a recent edition of the Herald-Sun Sunday Magazine:

Open letter by Mr Georg Stucky, president of the Organisation for the Swiss Abroad (ASO)

Liebe Mitbürgerinnen und Mitbürger der Fünften Schweiz Im Hinblick auf die eidgenössischen Wahlen vom nächsten Oktober möchte ich Sie im Namen der AuslandschweizerOrganisation (ASO) daran erinnern, dass Ihre Teilnahme an diesem wichtigen demokratischen Vorgang für die Schweiz von grosser Bedeutung ist. Der Anteil der Auslandschweizerinnen und Auslandschweizer an der Gesamtzahl der Schweizer Stimmbürgerinnen und Stimmbürger beträgt knapp 10% und entspricht somit einem bedeutenden Segment der Wahlberechtigten. Einer Wahl ohne grosse Beteiligung der Auslandschweizerinnen und Auslandschweizer fehlte somit ein nicht zu vernachlässigendes Gewicht. Was die Zahl der Auslandschweizerinnen und Auslandschweizer anbelangt, die sich für die Ausübung ihrer politischen Rechte im Stimmregister eintragen liessen, wurde im letzten Jahr zum ersten Mal die Schwelle von 100’000 Stimm- und Wahlberechtigten überschritten. Ein sehr erfreulicher Meilenstein. Mittlerweile ist die Zahl auf über 111’000 gestiegen, was das zunehmende Interesse der Fünften Schweiz am politischen Geschehen in unserem Land belegt. Sie leben im Ausland und machen dabei viele bereichernde Erfahrungen. Was die Schweiz anbelangt, haben Sie eine Aussensicht entwickelt, die für unser Land in vielen Fällen von grossem Nutzen ist. Insbesondere aus diesen Gründen ist es besonders wichtig, dass Ihre Auffassungen in die politische Debatte in unserem Land einﬂiessen. Tragen Sie sich deshalb ins Stimmregister ein, und sorgen Sie dafür, dass sich auch Ihre Angehörigen, Ihre Freunde und die Mitglieder der Klubs und Vereine, denen Sie angehören, eintragen, damit die zahlenmässig bedeutende und einﬂussreiche Fünfte Schweiz durch eine starke Beteiligung der Auslandschweizerinnen und Auslandschweizer an den eidgenössischen Wahlen entsprechend zum Ausdruck kommt. Besuchen Sie zu diesem Zweck die folgende Website: www.aso.ch/deutsch/326.htm

Well done Roger Moullet and staff!

Found on a business advisory website for foreigners:

Informieren Sie sich über die Parteien und ihre Themen für den Wahlkampf 2007 im gemeinsamen Wahl-Blog von Swissinfo und der Auslandschweizer-Organisation: http:// wahlen.swissinfo.org. Schreiben Sie dort ihre Meinung und beteiligen Sie sich an der Diskussion. Wir freuen uns auf Ihre aktive Teilnahme und bitten Sie, auch Freunde und Bekannte auf den Wahl-Blog aufmerksam zu machen.

Humor in Swiss business meetings

Jede Stimme zählt!

Jokes are optional in Latin Switzerland (Italian-and Frenchspeaking parts), but they are better avoided in the Swiss German-speaking areas unless you are familiar with both culture and language.

Mit freundlichen Grüssen Georg Stucky Präsident der Auslandschweizer-Organisation (ASO)

Joke of the day!

Swiss Club of Victoria

NOTICE

2007 Half-Yearly General Meeting of the SCV Notice is hereby given that the Half-Yearly General Meeting of the Swiss Club of Victoria will be held at 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, on:

Wednesday, 19 September 2007, 8pm Agenda: 1. Adoption of Minutes of Annual General Meeting 2007 2. President’s Report 3. Accounts and Financial Statements 4. Election of Ofﬁce Bearers (only required if there are changes) 5. General Business Please note: No Accounts and Financial Statements are printed in this newsletter. However, a copy thereof can be obtained in person at the club restaurant from Wednesday, 5 September.

Start the Half-Yearly General Meeting with a delicious

‘Schüblig & Potato Salad’ Cost: $11.50 per person (for members attending the meeting) Bookings essential on 9650 1196. A la carte menu also available at regular prices.

1. Opening and Welcome The President of the Swiss Club of Victoria, Mr Roland Isler opened the Annual General Meeting at 8.05pm and welcomed, The Consul General of Switzerland, Mr Jürg Casserini, The Honorary Consul for Victoria, Ms Erika Kimpton, the Auditor of the Swiss Club of Victoria, Mr Bruce Legg, Honorary Life Members and Members of the Swiss Club. He thanked everyone for attending the AGM. A total of 41 voting members were present. 2. One Minute of Silence Roland invited all members to stand up and observe one minute of silence to remember our friends and members who have left us, in particular Brigitte Jukes, a member and president of the Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess. Brigitte is sadly missed and our sympathy goes to her family and friends

4. Adoption of Minutes of Half-Yearly General Meeting September 2006 The Minutes of the Half-Yearly General Meeting, held 27 September 2006, were published in the March 2007 Newsletter. The ﬁnancials were available to be viewed at the club restaurant from 14 March 2007. Copies of the audited ﬁnancial statements were distributed at the meeting.

ffe O e n i W Special 12,9 From $

Unser Yarra Valley Weinsortiment: • Chardonnay 2005 • Sauvignon Blanc 2006 • Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 • Pinot Noir 2004 • Shiraz 2004 • Cabernet Merlot Magnum 2001

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Held Wednesday, 28 March 2007 at 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

3. Apologies Marcel Seuret, Marie & Joe Schibli, Elenor & Sepp Schmidig, Marlies & Sepp Krummenacher, Ernst Hügli, Christian Schwärzler, Paul Kerss, Peter Graff, Monika & Fred Hoffmann, Kurt Rietmann, Yvonne & Tony Erb

Half-Yearly GM Special

) les only (case sa 0/bottle

Minutes of the 2007 Annual General Meeting of the SCV

Wir liefern zu Ihnen nach Hause! Wir freuen uns auf Ihre Bestellung via Bestellformular über unsere Webseite www.henkellvineyards.com.au oder rufen Sie uns an, faxen Sie uns bzw. schreiben Sie uns eine E-Mail. P.O.BOX 2160 M.D.C., Fitzroy 3065, Victoria Phone: (03) 9417 4144 Fax: (03) 9419 8873 sales@henkellvineyards.com.au

Amendments to Half-Yearly Meeting Minutes: The correct date of the Half-Yearly General Meeting was 27 September and not as printed 2 September. Point 4: first sentence: audited financial statements to be replaced by unaudited financial statements. The Minutes had been read and are a true record. They were moved by Primo Calabresi and seconded by Urs Marfurt, all in favour. 5. President’s Report “Dear Honorary Life Members and members of the Swiss Club. The most important item on the agenda of the Committee for the past six months was undoubtedly the tenancy downstairs. As expected, our former tenant the ‘Firery Stone’ did not survive and in fact vacated the premises late last year. We were extremely glad, that a repetition of the ‘Rostil’ experience did not occur; there was no lockout and no litigation. Our losses, including loss of two months of rental income, were $15,344. This is relatively low thanks to the security deposit of $22,825 that was held in a trust account and we were able to fall back on. Unfortunately though, the Swiss Club is obliged to take over a lease of kitchen equipment, such as stoves and fridges, which the Swiss Club helped to facilitate on behalf of the ‘Firery Stone’. It happened as gesture of goodwill and a sense of optimism at the time when the ‘Firery Stone’ was setting up businesses in 2004 and many kitchen items were missing after the ‘Rostil’ was out. As the ‘Firery Stone’ had no trading record, the leasing company insisted on a guarantee which the Swiss Club agreed to provide as we were eager to get the ‘Firery Stone’ operating as soon as possible. Payments under the lease were made by the ‘Firery Stone’ until such time when they got into financial difficulties. The total lease amount was $71,893 of which the Swiss Club is to pay $55,742. With the benefit of hindsight the Committee realises and acknowledges that providing such a guarantee was a costly mistake. It has now been decided that some of the equipment the Club is obliged to acquire will be used to replace old equipment in the Swiss Club Restaurant whilst some equipment will be left in the downstairs kitchen for the new tenant to use. Even before the ‘Firery Stone’ moved out, the Committee got contacted by Oliver Altermatt and Eddie Muto of ‘La Camera’ Restaurant, expressing their interest in establishing another restaurant in the style of the existing ‘La Camera’. Negotiations started as soon as the premises were vacant. Oliver then retracted from the joint-venture and the Club continued to negotiate with Eddie and his team consisting of another two directors. From the start the Committee was impressed by the professionalism of the ‘La Camera’ operation, the proven trackrecord and their intention to invest a very substantial amount of money into the building. All of this was in stark contrast to what we experienced in the past with previous tenants. Eddie and his team own and operate the ‘La Camera’ Restaurant in Chapel Street, World Restaurant Bar at Southgate and Veludo Restaurant Bar in Acland Street. It is their intention to apply their considerable knowledge and proven formula in setting-up another ‘La Camera’ style restaurant providing an extensive low-cost menu of Italian and International cuisine. That formula

For all your ﬁrst class selected meat, Swiss smallgoods and delicatessen Sepp & Marlies Krummenacher 634 North Road, Ormond, Tel: 9578 5049

extents not only to the menu and style of operation, but also to the fit-out, both internally and externally. Whilst we were talking to ‘La Camera’, the Committee has received a number of substantial and interesting proposals from other parties, all of which are still under consideration in case the deal with ‘La Camera’ should not go ahead. As mentioned in the March Newsletter, we have been notified by the City of Melbourne that Flinders Lane, between Russell and Spring Street, will be undergoing a substantial streetscape improvement this year. It will include the removal of parking on the northern side of Flinders Lane to make room for the widening of the footpath on our side. ‘La Camera’ intents to take advantage of this and open up the front of the building as well as the side of Malthouse Lane in order to provide a more inviting atmosphere as well as an outdoor space for smoking patrons. New legislation has come into force whereby a restaurant has to be either a totally non-smoking venue or provide a separate open area for smokers. ‘La Camera’ clearly intents to cater for both smoking and non-smoking patrons, it simply comes down to a commercial decision whether or not to exclude a substantial number of potential customers. Examples of this set-up are all around us, ‘Rosati’ and ‘The Italian’ in Malthouse Lane just to mention two. It is the proposed external alterations to the ground floor that have proven to be a problem in more than one way. It is also the reason why in four months since the premises were vacated, it still remains empty. The Committee was divided, whilst some felt that the proposed alteration went too far, were inappropriate or posed an unacceptable structural risk, others believed that it represented a great opportunity to improve the exterior of the building in line with the streetscape improvement, at no cost to the Swiss Club. Any changes to the exterior also requires building approval, council permits, engineers reports and so forth, all of which taking time to obtain. A sub-committee was formed headed by Rolf Huber to take charge and drive this project forward. Finally, a compromise on the major points was reached between all concerned, resulting in a less extensive change to the front Swiss Club of Victoria

of the building, yet still providing a substantial refurbishment and improvement and giving the incoming business the best possible start in life. When we come to number 8 of the agenda ‘General Business’, Rolf will talk to you in more detail about these changes and were we are at with this project. As a final note from me on this, I want to say that the position of the Committee was from the start that the most important objective is to get some long-term stability with the downstairs tenancy. It can only be achieved by getting a tenant that is an experienced operator with the necessary financial backing. If that should take a little longer to achieve then so be it, the Club is still better off in the long run. Rental income is the most important income source for the Club and it will greatly depend on the outcome of the tenancy situation. At present, the financial position of the Club remains steady and in a few minutes our Treasurer will explain to you in detail the current state of finances. The life of the Club is of course not only business, but just as importantly revolves around an extensive annual social calendar that offers something for young and old. I’d like to mention: • the regular first Thursday of the month entertainment provided by our popular ‘Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand’ • the monthly get-together of the Young Swiss • the Andacht-Picnic organised by the Companion Singers • Unterhaltungsabend organised by the Swiss Folk Dance Group Alpenrose • the Volksfest at the Austrian Club • Jass Evenings • Billiard Competition • Golf Day • Tennis Tournament • The Swiss School Trivia Night • Bushwalking •The Samichlaus Picnic • Ladies Luncheons organised by Heidy Giger • The Kaffeeklatsch and Fahrt ins Blaue organised by the Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess • the various National Day events such as the Gala Ball at the Hilton, Seniors Luncheon, the Lantern Procession at Treasury Gardens for the children, followed by a party at the Club for the grown-ups. Special events included theatre performance by the ‘Fairfax players in August and on the 2nd of March, the Club was the host of the Victorian Multicultural Commission Grants presentation. Representatives from over 50 Victorian community organisations were present, including Ministers Bronwyn Pike, Daniel Andrews and Richard Wynne. The Swiss Club incidentally received a grant of $2000 in support of the Volksfest. The Club is grateful to the many dedicated people that give up their time to organise these events and we also thank you, the many members for supporting them. Looking ahead, I’d like to remind members of the Volksfest this

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coming Sunday at the Austrian Club. It will again be a great family day and we hope that the weather will play its part. But, as stated in the Newsletter, we urgently need volunteer workers to help, particularly with set-up and cleaning up after the event. Please support this event and talk to Rolf if you can help in any way. The International Comedy Festival will once again be staging performances up here from April 4th to 29th. We realise that this is an imposition on the regular users of this upstairs ﬂoor and we apologise for the inconvenience caused. If we can assist with alternative solutions or reimbursement of extra cost please talk to us. A number of changes have occurred in the composition of the Committee: Simon Ochsenbein, a member of the Committee since 2004, has relocated to sunny Queensland for professional reasons and therefore has tendered his resignation. He agreed to remain as web administrator as this role can be done from far away Brisbane.

Proxy Form for the Half-Yearly General Meeting 2007 of the Swiss Club of Victoria To: the Secretary of the Swiss Club of Victoria (please use block letters) I being a member of the Swiss Club of Victoria, my address being:

hereby appoint:

his/her address being:

being another member of the Swiss Club of Victoria, to vote for me and on my behalf at the Half-Yearly General Meeting of the Swiss Club of Victoria to be held on Wednesday, 19 September 2007 and at every adjournment thereof. Signed by hand this

day of

2007

Signature: Note: Only members who are entitled to vote, having paid their subscription or being Honorary Life Members or Honorary Members, may represent other members as proxy. Proxy forms must be handed to the Secretary at least 48 hours before the meeting is to take place.

Erika Kimpton’s membership of the Committee was short as she has become the Honorary Consul for Victoria in January. The Committee congratulates Erika on this important role and look forward to a good cooperation for the benefit of the Club and the wider Swiss community. The Committee is very grateful for the contribution Simon and Erika have made and we thank them very much for their time and commitment! Roland presented Erika with a bunch of flowers. As of this AGM, three more resignations have been tendered. The first one is Ruth Plagge. Ruth has been a Committee member since 2002, when she took on the important Treasury portfolio. She has fulfilled this role diligently and competently and the Club has much to thank her for this. Roland presented Ruth with flowers and a present as a token of gratitude. After twelve years, our most senior Committee member and first lady president of the Swiss Club of Victoria Rita Schwärzler, has decided to take it a bit easier from now on and spend a bit more time with her husband Herbert and her many other interests. Rita’s contribution and commitment in time, effort, love and emotions is second to none. She has achieved so much for the benefit of this Club, too many to mention, that the Committee felt Rita deserves to be made an Honorary Life Member. Rita is a legend and she can be assured of all our gratitude and admiration for what she has done! Therefore I propose to you that we confer on Rita an Honorary Life Membership for her outstanding service to the Club. I’ll put this to a vote.” This was moved by Max Ammann and seconded by Hans Brunner, all in favour. Roland congratulated Rita and invited her to come forward to receive her certificate. “Lastly, it is also my time to say good-bye, not only as President but also as member of the Committee. After seven years, I too intend to take it a bit easier. I look back with some satisfaction to what I have been able to achieve and I am glad to leave knowing that the Club is in good shape. I’ll retire from the Committee, but not from the Swiss Club. I’ll still be around, taking on special assignments or working in sub-committees on occasions. In agreement with Patrick Rychner, I will take over the role as editor and producer of the newsletter. To Rolf Huber, my successor, I promised that I will always be willing to offer my help and advise if so required. Lastly, I thank everyone for their support and friendship that has come my way and I ask that you give the same to the incoming president and the new Committee. You may ask yourself, is there anyone left on the Committee? I’m glad to report that apart from Rolf, both Derrick and Barbara have agreed to stay on and furthermore we have been able to recruit Mark Weber, Patrick Rychner, Oliver Altermatt and Gerda Probst to join the Committee. We shall go through the proper election process when we get to point 7 of the agenda ‘Election of Office Bearers’. My thanks go to all of you for the commitment you have made. Before I ask our Treasurer Derrick Wildi to present to you his report, I’d like to say thank-you to our Auditor Bruce Legg for his work, Patrick Rychner for his role as newsletter editor and

of course my Committee for all the hard work and dedication throughout the year. Thank you.” 6. Treasurer’s Report Financials were available to be viewed at the club, audited copies distributed before AGM. Hightlights: Loss of $ 3,558 compared to loss of $ 65,049 in 2005 Balance Sheet: • Significant increase in cash on hand $ 35,608 vs. overdraft of $ 12,596 • Inventory value history book to be written off over the next two years. • Fixed Assests: Building insurance revaluation at $3.4 million vs. book value of $104,000.• Accounts payable with trade creditors of $905.- and year end estimates of $14,000.- for legal expenses accountancy work and locksmith work for ground floor. • Decrease of members funds to now $948,295 Income: • Subscriptions (Membership fees) $19,544 vs. $16,502 in 2005. Increase thanks to Rita’s efforts to attract new members and look after existing members. • Advertising / Miscellaneous: including $2,500 from Car Care for sign on Malthouse Lane. • Rent $91,410; 65% Ground floor, 28% from Roger and 7% from second floor with events like comedy festival which again is coming up in April 07. • Unpaid rent and outgoings by Firery Stone as at 30 November 2007 was $20,760.-. Payment of $5.416.- in error received in February 2007. Again loss was limited as corrective action was taken at all times by various committee members during all times. Expenses: • Depreciation steady at $41,400 or ~1% of building value incl. inventory. • Insurance dropped by little bit more than $3,000 due to better pricing by insurance company. Revaluation of building included as of December 06. • Legal fees: $13,141.- being a mix of final issues related to Rostil case, legal advice and work in relation to Grocon (damage to building of Swiss Club during construction phase of building next door and activities related to the termination of lease for the Firery Stone. • Newsletter: Increase mainly due to special color edition for the Swiss Ball last year and invoices rendered late from 2005. • Repairs and Maintenance: Significant decreased with payment of outgoings of $11,067.The Finances were moved by Gerda Probst and seconded by Patrick Rychner all in favour. 7. Election of Office Bearers With the retirement of Erika Kimpton, Roland Isler, Ruth Plagge and Rita Schwärzler, several new committee members were proposed and voted in:

Swiss Club of Victoria

Committee member: ..........................Oliver Altermatt Proposed: ...........................................Urs Marfurt Seconded: ..........................................Roger Moullet Moved:...............................................All in favour Committee member: ..........................Gerda Probst Proposed: ...........................................Martin Probst Seconded: ..........................................Primo Calabresi Moved:...............................................All in favour Committee member: ..........................Patrick Rychner Proposed: ...........................................Walter Purtschert Seconded: ..........................................Marcel Muntwyler Moved:...............................................All in favour Committee member: ..........................Mark Weber Proposed: ...........................................Herbert Schwärzler Seconded: ..........................................Urs Marfurt Moved:...............................................All in favour Election of President: Rolf Huber was proposed by Primo Calabresi, seconded by Urs Marfurt, all in favour. 8. General Business Roland welcomed the Consul General of Switzerland, Mr Jürg Casserini. Mr Casserini welcomed everyone and expressed his pleasure to be present at the AGM. He reported that the handover of consulates went smoothly but was hard work. At the end of June 2007 everything related to AHV and IV will move to Switzerland and handled in Geneva. Everybody registered with AHV/IV will receive a notification letter. The issuing of passports goes now smoothly. The Biometric passport is only issued in Sydney. Anyone wanting to renew their passport has to travel to Sydney. Exact procedures are yet to be finalised. The Consul General assured the members present that the consulate in Sydney will do their best to have a presence here in Victoria. Mr Casserini also spoke about the publication of a new book about Theodore Müller, a Swiss swagman who travelled in 1857 through NSW & Qld for 19 years. He then extended his apologies for the 1st of August. Swiss National Day has been scaled down everywhere around the globe due to budget constraints. Walter Purtschert asked Mr Casserini to share with the members the outcome of the AHV Social Security Agreement. Mr Casserini responded that the agreement was signed by Pascal Couchepin last year. However at this stage details have not been communicated from Switzerland. Australia and Switzerland have completely different tax and retirement systems. AHV and super can’t really be compared with each other. If the AHV contributions are going to be tax deductible has not been confirmed by Australia. At this stage, the AHV is a pension and therefore must be declared as income. If a dual citizen claims an Australian pension, Centrelink has a right to ask the Swiss AHV to confirm eventual AHV payments. In this case AHV will respond to the request. Mr Casserini urged all to regularly read the Swiss Review as it is an important communication tool for the 5th Switzerland. He concluded with thanking the outgoing members of the committee for their contribution and work and wishing the new committee good luck. w w w. s w i s s .o r g.a u /s w i s sc lu bv i c

Roland thanked the Consul General and also Walter Purtschert, as the Victorian representative for the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, for his initiative with regards to the AHV agreement. Rita addressed the members thanking them and the committee for all for their support over the years. Roland then passed the word to Rolf Huber to speak about the new tenant. Rolf spoke about La Camera and their intended work inside and outside. The building and planning permits have been applied, however are yet to be approved. The owner of La Camera also decided to rebrand and run this restaurant under the name of “Terra Rossa”. Pictures of the proposed alterations were distributed and elaborated on. Melbourne City Council plans to widen the existing footpath to 3 metres. Part of the alteration of the façade will be a new awning which, if approved by council, will cover the new footpath to allow outdoor seating. Marcel Muntwyler commented that the awning could become part of the building and therefore an asset. It should be included in the building’s inventor. There was general concern among the members present that with the changing of some aspects of the façade, the signage of the Swiss Club and Swiss flag might be compromised. Several members expressed the importance of clear and effective signage for the Swiss Club. The consensus was that signage needs to be clearly visible from all sides. The members also requested that the entrance to the Swiss Club remain the same but be clearly marked. Suggestions were made to hang the flag in a manner that it no longer can be tangled up as well as looking at an illuminate flag post as correct flag protocol dictates that a flag that is displayed at night should be properly illuminated. Rolf assured the members present that this is also of concern for the committee and it will address this as requested. In conclusion, Rolf asked the members if they agreed that the committee should continue the negotiations with Terra Rossa including any alterations to the building inside and out. There was no opposition and the members voted in favour. Honorary Life Membership Honorary Life Membership were conferred to the following members in recognition of 40 years of membership and being over 70 years of age: Ernest & Dorothy Bänziger , Diane Brunner, Pat Calabresi and Ernst & Rosmarie Fries. 9. Conclusion As there were no further questions from the members, Roland closed the Annual General Meeting by thanking all present for their continuous interest & support in the Swiss Club of Victoria. The meeting closed at 9.50pm and all members were invited to a drink. Minutes taken as a correct record by Barbara Kündig, Secretary.

Swiss Club Events Calendar September to December 2007 Please book all functions with Roger, phone 9650 1196 or fax 9650 3104. Check website for details of upcoming events.

SEPTEMBER Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Saturday Sunday Wednesday

5 5 6 8 9 19

New Members’ Welcome Ladies Luncheon Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand entertains at the Club Jass Night - Swiss Club (Finals) Kaffeeklatsch - Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess Half-Yearly General Meeting

Thursday Sunday Friday Saturday

4 6 12 13

Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand entertains at the Club John Wanner’s J.W. Swing Band at the Austrian Club Billiard Competition - Swiss Club Championship Swiss School Trivia Night

Thursday Monday Wednesday Thursday Sunday

1 5 7 15 25

Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand entertains at the Club Editorial Deadline - Newsletter December Issue Ladies Luncheon Fahrt ins Blaue (Mistery Trip) - Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess Tennis Tournament - Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER Sunday Thursday Saturday

2 6 8

Samichlaus Picnic Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand entertains at the Club Senior Christmas Afternoon Tea

OTHER REGULAR MEETINGS: Committee Meetings: Every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month Swiss Folk Dance Group Alpenrose: Practice every Tuesday evening at 8.15pm Swiss Companion Singers: Practice and social gathering every 2nd and 3rd Thursday of each month at 8pm Saturday Morning Swiss School: Every second Saturday Morning except school holidays, from 9.30am to 12.30pm Swiss German Playgroup: Meets every 1st Thursday of each month from 11am to 2pm Young Swiss: Get-together every 2nd Wednesday of each month from 7pm

Swiss Club of Victoria

DECEMBER 2007

W D! NE HEA T AS

REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST - PUBLICATION No. VBH 6369

y Meeting

THE

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Half-Yearly Meeting with a difference!

ABOU D N B

IS SW S

Trivia Night

Half-Yearl

Fun in th

e snow a

t Mt.Bull

Roland Isler Wine & Cheese

Sybille Steiner

Colin Wilkinson

89 Flinders Lane • Melbourne 3000 • Victoria • Australia • w w w.s w i s s .o r g.au/s w i s sc lu bv i c