REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST - PUBLICATION No. VBH 6369
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Mystery Trip
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Samichlaus Breakfast
Looking back to 2009 – what made headlines in Switzerland For a country that otherwise relishes in flying under the global media radar, Switzerland made headlines worldwide on a number of issues in 2009.
Hostage situation in Libya continues The Swiss foreign minister Micheline Calmy-Rey has described the situation of two Swiss businessmen prevented from leaving Libya for 18 months as a ‘humanitarian drama’. She has accused Libya of ‘kidnapping’ the two men and committing a ‘flagrant violation of international conventions’. They were taken into custody in July 2008 shortly after Geneva police arrested Hannibal Gaddafi, a son of Libyan ruler Moammar Gaddafi, and his wife on charges that they abused their domestic staff at a city hotel. The servants later received compensation and the charges were withdrawn. Federal councillor Hans-Rudolf Merz, who met with the Libyan prime minister (but not Gaddafi), apologised in Tripoli for the arrest in return for the release of the hostages - a move that was widely condemned in Switzerland. Libya has broken the promise made to Merz that they would be free to return to Switzerland before September 2009.
The Tax Headache Senior Christmas
MARCH 2010
Switzerland has been under continuous attack since the start of 2009 for helping foreign tax evaders hide their assets. In February 2009, the Swiss Financial and Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) ordered UBS to hand over the details of 285 clients to the US authorities after the bank was fined $780 million for helping US citizens to dodge taxes. A Swiss court ruled this data transfer to be illegal 11 months later, although
FINMA may appeal the decision. Some political parties have called for a full blown parliamentary investigation into the affair. The OECD placed Switzerland on a grey list of uncooperative tax havens in April last year. The Swiss were removed in September after renegotiating several double taxation treaties, but they have refused to automatically transfer information to tax investigators without proof of crimes. In September, the Swiss government was forced to hand over the details of 4,450 UBS clients to the US – in effect violating Swiss banking secrecy to prevent a ruinous court case for UBS.
The ‘Minaret Referendum’ At the referendum on 29 November 57% of Swiss voters voted in favour of a rightwing party’s initiative to ban the construction of minarets in Switzerland. This outcome made headlines around the world and opinions and comments of support and condemnation were a plenty.
Polanski arrested Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski (76) has been granted $4.5 million bail to wait it out in his chalet in Gstaad while the Swiss authorities decide whether or not to extradite him back to the US on a charge of drugging and raping a 13-year-old child back in the 1970s.
Riots at the World Trade Organisation Conference in Geneva The Seventh Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva took place from 30 November to 2 December. A group of hooligans made a rather bad name for themselves by hijacking an otherwise peaceful anti-globalisation demonstration, setting cars on fire and smashing rows of store windows. Pictures of cars ablaze and of police firing off tear gas made their rounds through international media outlets and more or less took attention away from the issue around why protests were happening in the first place.
Walking tall A sculptured saunter worth more than its weight in bronze. ‘L’Homme qui marche I.’ or ‘Walking Man I.’ by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti sold at Sotheby’s on 3 February for A$118.5 million, setting a world record for the most expensive work ever sold at auction. The previous record was held by a Picasso painting, ‘Garçon à la Pipe’.
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
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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 Lunch - Monday to Friday from 12noon Dinner - Wednesday, Thursday & Friday from 6pm. Bookings T: (03) 9650 1196 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
COMMITTEE Barbara Kündig President T/F (H): (03) 9813 8843 M: 0402 018 363 E: barbara@swiss.org.au Rolf Huber Immediate Past President T/F (H): (03) 9807 0282 M (B): 0425 805 854 E: rhuber@swiss.org.au Gerda Probst Secretary M: 0439 936 313 E: gerda@swiss.org.au Urs Derrick Wildi Treasurer T/F (H): (03) 9824 7930 M: 0403 040 930 E: uwildi@swiss.org.au Sigrid de Castella Membership Relations M: 0416 088 000 E: sigrid@swiss.org.au Antony Anderson Building Management M: 0416 069 666 E: antony@swiss.org.au Patrick Rychner Corporate Communications/ Web Administrator M: 0404 657 886 E: paddy@swiss.org.au Damian Schaller Event Manager M: 0410 461 364 E: damianschaller@swiss.org.au w w w.s w i s s .o r g.au/s w i s sc lu bv i c
SWISS CLUB SUB-GROUPS Swiss Folk Dance Group Alpenrose President: Sylvia Hochuli T: (03) 9531 6575 E: hochuli@tpg.com.au Swiss Companion Singers Convenor: Heidy Giger T: (03) 9889 9321 E: adelheid1@bigpond.com Ladies Luncheons Convenor: Heidy Giger For bookings T: (03) 9650 1196 For information: T: (03) 9889 9321 E: adelheid1@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 Chantal Imbach T: (03) 8407 3766 W: www.swiss.org.au/playgroup The Young Swiss Group Convenor: Amy Bohren M: 0410 037 095 E: abohren@swiss.org.au Swiss Festival Chairman: Rolf Huber T/F (H): (03) 9807 0282 M (B): 0425 805 854 E: rhuber@swiss.org.au
Pro Ticino President: Claude Rossi 5 Falls Road, Hoddles Creek Vic 3139 T: (03) 5967 4542 E: marclas@dcsi.net.au Swiss Yodel Choir Matterhorn President: Marco Unternährer 3 Bluegum Court, Upwey Vic 3158 T: (03) 9388 8777, (03) 9752 6996 (H) W: www.swiss.org.au/matterhorn Swiss-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) General Manager: Marcel Svatos Level 5, 23-25 O’Connell Street Sydney NSW 2000 T: (02) 9223 7222, F: (02) 9223 7211 E: support@sacci.com.au W: www.sacci.com.au Swiss-Australian Academic Network (SAAN) E: info@sanm.id.au W: www.saan.id.au Honorary Consul of Switzerland (Victoria): Erika Kimpton 697 Toorak Road, Kooyong Vic 3144 T: (03) 9824 7527, M: 0413 042 728 E: erikakimpton@optusnet.com.au Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (Auslandschweizer-Organisation) Council Delegate: Roland Isler Contact details: see below under Editor W: www.aso.ch W: www.swiss.org.au/csa
OTHER SWISS ORGANISATIONS Swiss Society of Victoria (Benevolent Society) Treasurer: Basil Jenkins T: 0419 335 889 W: www.swiss.org.au/swissclubvic Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess Australian/Swiss Cultural Society President: Sylvia Hochuli T: (03) 9531 6575 E: hochuli@tpg.com.au Groupe Romand du Victoria President: Marianne Puccinelli 7 Eric Court, Wheelers Hill Vic 3150 T: (03) 9561 9595 W: www.swiss.org.au/chfrvic
Impressum News and Views published by the Swiss Club of Victoria. ‘Edelweiss’ appears quarterly in March, June, September and December. Circulation 500. For all enquiries contact: Roland Isler, Editor T/F: (03) 9558 3877 (H) T: (03) 9524 6335 (B) M: 0412 935 565 E: risler@swiss.org.au 67 St Georges Crescent Heatherton Vic 3202
Unless otherwise stated, postal address for all is: 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Vic 3000
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President’s Message Dear members and friends of the Swiss Club, Welcome to a new decade of Swiss Club life! We trust you had a lovely summer break. While we enjoyed some relaxing summer days, the work on the 2/F has started and is progressing nicely. Antony put together a progress report below with pictures for you to get an idea how it is shaping up. We cross our fingers that our AGM, which will take place on Wednesday, 17 March, will be our first event on our new 2/F. We certainly intend celebrating the new floor with some special opening functions, but we are still in the planning stage and will advise you of the details a bit later. During the closure of the restaurant, the entire room received a new coat of paint. It looks again neat and fresh.
who dared to cut the old glass door for fear of it splitting into pieces. They restored it and gave it a new lease of live. We would love to hear from members that can make a positive identification and tell us with certainty from which previous club this glass comes from. With autumn almost around the corner, we are starting a fresh cycle in the Swiss Club social calendar; all the favourite events are taking place again such as the Jass evenings, Movie nights, Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand and many more. The annual Swiss Festival will be held on Sunday, 21 March at the Austrian Club. We hope to see you there. If you are going, why not volunteer some of your time to help on the day? The organising committee is looking for volunteers for all kind of jobs. Please put up your hand (contact Chantal Imbach T: 8407 3766, E: abcj.imbach@gmx.ch) – it is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the event from a different angle and get to know others. May 2010 be a prosperous and happy year for us all and our club. The committee is looking forward to seeing you at one of our events. Barbara Kündig, President
Renovation update As you may be aware in October last year the members voted in favour of a proposal from the full committee to redevelop the 2nd floor of the Swiss Club. When you come to the club next time, please pay attention to the row of bells now hanging on the wall. It took us quite a while to find a solution but I think it was worth the wait.
The 2nd Floor Redevelopment is well under way and I thought it would be a good opportunity to give you an update on the progress.
At the entrance you will find a new welcome glass sign. It is cut from a glass door from either the old Spring Street or George Parade club. It has the words ‘Swiss Club of Victoria’ and the Swiss Cross etched into the glass and we added the word ‘Welcome’ in five languages. It was difficult to find a company
The old toilet area has been removed as well as the wall to the meeting room. It is now possible to see light from the front windows coming into the room (Picture 1). The old kitchen area and rooms behind it has also been demolished (Picture 2) in preparation for the new Kitchen, Store Room and Toilets. The grid for the ceiling tiles has been installed and the fire sprinklers extended to poke though the new ceiling tiles (Picture 3). Extensive plumbing work has been done including moving the existing fire hydrant outlet so it is now closer to the wall near the entry (Picture 4). The holes for the new windows have been opened which will increase the amount of light into the room. The work is proceeding well with no major problems to date
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Swiss Club of Victoria
Get well Rina Wanner broke her hip recently, we wish her a speedy recovery.
Thanks Hannes and Jessica Black have left Australia to return back to Switzerland. We thank you and send our best wishes, hope to see you again some time.
Welcome to our new members We welcome Robert Jermyn and David & Margaret de Castella. We are looking forward to meeting you at one of our forthcoming functions.
Congratulations Two members were celebrating their milestone birthdays over the past months: Natalia Hartmann could commemorate her 90th, while Adolf Bohren was celebrating his 80th. We would like to congratulate them and wish them good health in many years to come. Congratulations to Paula Preisig who has become a greatgrandmother!
and we are currently on track to have it finished on schedule before the Comedy Festival moves into the space in March.
The last farewell Gretli Cole-Stahli passed away on 8 October 2009 at the age of 91. Our condolences go to her family. We mourn the loss of our Past President and Honorary Life Member and President of the Swiss Benevolent Society of Victoria, Primo Calabresi who passed away on 13 December 2009, aged 81 years. We honour Primo’s lifelong contribution to the Swiss Community and deeply appreciate its lasting legacy. Our sympathies go to his wife Pat and family. We will remember him always. Please see also page 10. Dear members, if your partner, your friends or fellow members have a reason to celebrate, are unwell or have left for a better place, please let us know so that others know too. Please contact Sigrid de Castella (Committee) or the Editor.
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Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Antony Anderson, Building Management
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Picture 3 Picture 1
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Fahrt ins Blaue Mystery Trip, 11 November 2009 Dear Sylvia and Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess-team, most likely you get many of these notes, but we owe you and the Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess a big thank-you for a well organised ‘Fahrt ins Blaue’. The unexpected heat wave did not affect our itinerary. Comfortable, airconditioned buses brought all the guests to the first highlight of the journey near Healesville. A cool drink and biscuits were welcomed by all, followed by a guided tour of Australia’s premier Gerbera flower farm and on the same property a professionally run Alpaca enterprise.
Lunch was enjoyed at a large motel complex with restaurant facility near Badgers Creek. The menu was well selected and we all enjoyed it. The traditional raffle made the crowd dig deep into their pockets, and many nice prizes were enjoyed by the winners. Only too soon the time had come to say farewell to people that one only meets at gatherings like this. So, to you and your wonderful team of helpers thank you for the effort of organising this event and the enjoyment you presented to all the participants. Ruedi & Marlyse Birmele
A rainy Swiss Club Tennis Championship Sunday, 22 November 2009 For the first time, the weather gods have not been kind to us. It was bucketing! On short notice, the alternative was ‘Wii Tennis’. It was quite obvious that the younger participants were a lot more in tune with the computer game than the adults. While the adults were enjoying the famous ‘Nussgipfel’ and ‘Crème Schnitte’ (Vanilla slice) with coffee, the youngsters fought a hard battle in front of the TV to claim top spot. Despite the poor weather, everyone was enjoying a nice afternoon and hopefully the weather will be better again next year. Derrick Wildi
Newsletter Deadlines 2010 June Issue: Covering June/July/August Editorial Deadline: Monday, 3 May Packing: Wednesday, 19 May September Issue: Covering Sept/Oct/ Nov Editorial Deadline: Monday, 9 August Packing: Wednesday, 25 August December Issue: Covering Dec 09/Jan/Feb 2010 Editorial Deadline: Monday, 1 November Packing: Wednesday, 17 November
Smile! A Swiss and an Austrian watch the 8 o’clock News on TV. Pictures are shown of a desperate man standing on top of a roof. Says the Swiss to the Austrian: “ He’ll jump!’ ‘We’ll see’, says the Austrian. “I am telling you, he will jump’, replies the Swiss. The Austrian slightly annoyed: ”No one can say this for certain, sometimes they jump, sometimes they reconsider!” “I’ll bet you anything in the world, he will jump!’ insists the Swiss. That very second the man on the roof jumps to his death. Astonished the Austrian turns to the Swiss and says: ”How could you be so sure that he will jump?” The Swiss laughs and says: “You know, I saw it already on the 6 o’clock News”. “So did I”, replies the Austrian, “but I never thought he is going to jump again!”
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Swiss Club of Victoria
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Senior Christmas Afternoon Tea 5 December 2009 Although Christmas seems quite a while ago, we still think about the beautiful Senior Christmas Afternoon Tea we were able to experience in December. We are most grateful to the Swiss Society for supporting the event financially. Our subgroups were willing to perform and the Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess took charge of the catering. It is a tradition, that the Seniors are presented with a bag of homemade traditional Christmas Guetzli to take home. However, it has become difficult to gather a good selection, as many of the regular bakers have become too old or ill or have moved to Christkindli’s headquarter in heaven. So through word of mouth we were able to recruit a new generation of bakers among the Swiss community. The response was fantastic! The most wonderful Guetzli were delivered and we thank these fabulous women from the bottom of our heart (and we like to ask you again this year for the very same favour).
I would like to thank all the lovely hard working ladies for a very pleasant afternoon. We really enjoyed the dancing, singing and musical presentations and full credit goes for the efforts put in by all. I hope that when the time comes for all you people to be the ‘old ones’ that you will receive the same as we have. It was enjoyed by all those around us and everybody would have nice memories. Pat & Bob Wernli
The Swiss Club Restaurant. It’s where you meet your friends.
Samichlaus Breakfast 13 December 2009 It was a pleasant Sunday morning for our annual Samichlaus Breakfast in Fawkner Park. It is lovely to see the same families come along year after year and to see their children growing and changing. It is of course also great to welcome new families and we hope they had a good time and felt welcome.
And I hope we see the very same faces Christmas 2010 in good health and fine spirit.
The still warm freshly baked Zopf from Tanner’s Patisserie is always one of the very welcome highlights of the breakfast. After the delicious z’Morge, it was time for the arrival of Samichlaus and Schmutzli, who once again made the long trip from Switzerland on their ute. The children and parents sang some songs for Samichlaus, and then it was time for the presents. Thank you Samichlaus & Schmutzli and all the other helpers who made this event once again possible! We look forward to seeing you all again at the next Samichlaus this December.
Rita Schwärzler-Abbt
Barbara Kündig
As for me, and I say this every year, I am most honoured, that I am trusted with organising this party and that I can work with a marvellous team of helpers and may use Roger’s beautiful Restaurant.
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Swiss Club of Victoria
Master of the ‘Silly Season’ On his arrival in Australia on 24 December, I had the chance to obtain an exclusive interview with arguably the most famous person in the world – Santa Clause! The ultimate toy boy discusses Swiss gun laws, bilateral relations and global warming. Editor: Welcome to Australia Santa Clause! You look a little flushed. Bad journey? Santa Claus: I just finished Europe, America, Africa and Asia on a very hectic world tour. Flying has become such a nightmare due to increased security everywhere. Is it my imagination or is border security in Australia even tougher this year? I had to answer all sorts of questions on the purpose of my visit: are you fleeing political persecution in Lapland? Have you come here on a working visa? It didn’t help of course that they found four IDs on me: Santa Claus, Father Christmas, St. Nikolaus and Samichlaus. Also had trouble persuading them not to quarantine my reindeers. Editor: You said you finished Europe. How was working in Switzerland? Santa: Flying in from France I got a shock over Geneva when I forgot about the Jet d’Eau! Had to make a quick pit stop – ‘Grounding’, I think the Swiss call it – but fortunately I’d signed a deal with Alinghi for this year’s sleigh, so the water wasn’t a major problem. What’s more, Schmutzli – my Swiss sidekick – still finds it hard coming to grips with the Santa/Father Christmas thing. He is used to a donkey and has a problem flying in a sleigh. Editor: Schmutzli flying in the sleigh? Driving in a ute perhaps but I’ve yet to see a flying Schmutzli! I think you’re mixing up your myths – ehh, I mean facts. Santa: Local solutions to global problems. In the old days, of course, my role in Switzerland was limited to handing out mandarins and nuts on 6 December with Schmutzli – we were happy to leave 24 December to the Christkindli – but now, with political and cultural borders disappearing like melting glaciers, commercial forces mean Swiss children also expect my presence – and indeed presents – on Christmas Eve. The good news however is that it looks as though I’ll soon be able to do some last-minute Sunday shopping in Switzerland. It was a long time coming! Never had much time for unions – the elves tried to pull that “better working conditions” stunt on me last year. Fortunately direct democracy has yet to reach the North Pole. Editor: It sounds as though you’ve been following Swiss politics closely? Santa: Anything to make my job easier – plus I have to keep an eye on some favourable financial arrangements I have with the gnomes – ehh, I mean elves of Zürich. In fact the Swiss economics minister visited me in the grotto w w w.s w i s s .o r g.au/s w i s sc lu bv i c
earlier in the year trying to get me to sign a bilateral trade accord. Doris, I said, the Lapp economy is export heavy – always has been, always will be – and frankly the elves get very protectionist when they see ‘Made in Switzerland’. Editor: How are relations between Switzerland and Lapland in general? Santa: Frosty. Lapland is yet to negotiate a double taxation treaty with Switzerland – short legs, elves have, but long memories. Editor: Getting back into the Christmas spirit – what is your opinion of Swiss and Aussie children? Is there a difference between them? Santa: Children are children. The only difference is language. My elves do speak English as well as German, French, Italian and a smattering of Romansh. But I do have a problem with this new trend of kids texting me their wish lists on the mobile phone in a strange abbreviated gobbledygook – or in the case of Swiss kids insisting on writing letters in that impossible ‘Bärndütsch’ – it’s not my fault if they get a make-up set instead of an iPod. Editor: What about Aussie and Swiss adults? Santa: No problem with Aussies in general, unless they had too much eggnog. Swiss adults, however, are a real challenge. Swiss gun laws are pushing my life insurance through the roof. You try breaking into and creeping round three million households, most of which contain at least one army rifle and ammunition! Editor: Personalised service sounds very last century. Have you considered streamlining your global operation? Santa: We recently took the radical step of launching elfBay. I saw the potential of the internet from the start, but I tell you, it’s easier to eat nothing but cheese fondue for 30 days than to convince the board of elves to move with the times! The problem is that all seven of them have to agree on a position – and even then the rank-and-file elves can overrule them. It’s a miracle anything gets done at all! Bit like Swiss politics, actually. Editor: You’ve been visiting Switzerland and Australia for centuries. Has anything changed over the years? Santa: The climate for a start. In the old days I used to be able to land on snow in the centre of every Swiss city, now I’m lucky to find a flake below 1,000 metres. And in Australia, well, with that ozone hole right above the continent I now have to slip-slop-slap my reindeers to stop them getting sunburned! In addition to that, I now have to use recyclable packaging and I’m also being pressured to reduce my carbon hoofprints… Change happens – some days the piste of life is smooth and others it is strewn with moguls – but as I was telling the Tooth Fairy the other day, sometimes you just have to roll up your sleeves and say: “Want to buy a Swiss watch?” Editor: Indeed Santa, but don’t let them catch you doing this in Australia, the ACCC will get you! On behalf of the Swiss Club kids I have to give you a big thank-you for sending your deputies to Falkner Park on 13 December, they had a great time. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule and good luck with your Australian tour! Santa: You’re welcome son.
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In memoriam Primo Calabresi 1928-2009 The following is the Eulogy written by Walter Purtschert and read by him at the funeral of Primo on Thursday, 17 December 2009. “Primo Calabresi lived a full life and as he would say ‘it was fantastic’. If you knew Primo you could not help but like him and admire his positive approach to life, his humour, his eloquence and sound knowledge on a wide range of subjects. He was also genuinely interested in what people had to say and was generous with compliments if something good happened to you. He was good company. The journey to distant Australia was just the adventure and challenge this charismatic young man from Adliswil near Zürich, equipped with a sound education and full of confidence was looking for. As a keen sports fan the prospects of being in Melbourne for the Olympic Games was an added bonus. Primo adjusted well to this new and different lifestyle and as you would expect made friends easily. His genuine love and respect for Australia and its people was returned with warmth and acceptance. It was here he met his wonderful partner for life Pat. Primo spent most of his working life with Ciba, a leading Swiss Speciality Chemicals Company where he started in a Technical Sales/Marketing role. He enjoyed his work using his communication skills and technical ability to great effect. His area of work was in the complex segment of formulating epoxy resins for specific applications in major projects such as the Sydney Opera House, West Gate Bridge, Centre Point, Submarines for the Navy etc. as well as developing concepts for the sale of epoxy resins through retail outlets. His promotion to a senior management position with Ciba in Australia was a just reward for his outstanding contribution. Now located in Sydney, an important part of his new job was to communicate and negotiate Budgets and marketing strategies with Head Office in Basel. Given the clear cultural differences between Basel and Zürich, negotiations in an eloquent Zürich dialect with bosses from Basel would have been a real challenge. Primo not only succeeded but ended up being highly regarded and respected by top management in Basel. After retiring in 1988 Primo continued his association with the Plastics Industry as a respected member of the Plastics Pioneers. For his services on committee and tenure as President, Primo was honoured with a life membership. Primo was interested in all aspects of sport starting in his early
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years with the ‘Turnverein Adliswil’ an involvement which lasted throughout his life and was rewarded with an Honorary Life Membership. He enjoyed exceptional performances and was naturally fond of the achievements of Martina Hingis and Roger Federer. They were just fantastic. Having actively participated in athletics, fencing, and golf, he later in life developed a passion for lawn bowls, a sport and interest he shared with Pat. He would often talk about the wonderful camaraderie at his club and was particularly proud of Pat’s bowling achievements. Even his beloved card game with friends at the Swiss Club came second, if a date clashed with a Bowls Club commitment. Primo has always maintained a strong connection with the Swiss Community in Australia and family and friends in Switzerland. His service to the Swiss Club and Swiss Community has been extraordinary and included: – Two terms and a total of 7 years as President – Member of the 100 year history book working committee – Chairing of 700th Anniversary of Switzerland and Switzerland at Expo Brisbane organising committees Primo enjoyed the Wednesday night at the Swiss Club, which would include Dinner with Pat and friends at the round table (Stammtisch) followed by a serious game of Jass. Primo was a very skilful player and enjoyed the game (win or lose) if played well. If you failed to meet his high standard, he would not hesitate to comment on your short comings and offer hints on how you might improve your game. He will be missed by the card playing group, but no doubt Hanspeter Frei has already organised a game for him. Primo, an honorary life member of the Swiss Club was up until his passing the President of the Swiss Society of Victoria (a Benevolent Society) established in 1879. One of the key objectives of the Society was to ‘Promote the National spirit and good fellowship amongst the Swiss residents in Victoria’. Just as envisaged by the founders of the Swiss Society 130 years ago, Primo since arriving from Adliswil in 1950, has used his wonderful communication skills, his charisma, his natural leadership, the humour, the smile and that twinkle in his eyes to promote the National spirit and good fellowship among the Swiss Community. He was a role model and a wonderful friend. Primo, we will miss you.”
Thank you… I would like to convey my sincere thanks to the Swiss Club and the many members and friends that attended the funeral of Primo, and for the many expressions of kindness and sympathy that was afforded to me and my family. It is deeply appreciated. Pat Calabresi
Swiss Club of Victoria
Romansh revels in language status Why is Romansh - spoken by 0.5% of the Swiss population - considered a language, whereas Swiss German, spoken by almost 64%, is classed as a dialect? The answer lies not only in linguistics, but also in issues of culture, identity and politics. Swiss German is a German dialect used on an everyday basis by the majority of people in Switzerland. High, or standard, German is learned in schools and used as a written language. But it is so different to Swiss dialect that many pupils find it almost like learning a foreign language. It therefore seems strange that Romansh, which is only spoken in the southeastern canton of Graubünden, is classified a national and official language, while Swiss German is not. Romansh has a long history and has been considered a language by linguists since the mid 19th century. “Romansh kept the use of ‘s’ in the plural, which is not the case in any Italian dialect,” says Romansh expert Chasper Pult. “This also applied in France and Spain, but Romansh was not in contact with these regions. So the linguistic criterion is pretty convincing here.”
Opposition Nevertheless, there was some opposition to Romansh being considered a language, and this came to a peak during the First World War and the fascist era in Italy. At the time Italian linguists regarded Romansh as a dialect close to Alpine Lombard, and therefore a relation of Italian. But even Italy found it hard to place Dolomitic Ladin and Friulian, Rhaeto-Romance variants from the north of the country and sister languages to Romansh. Yet linguistics alone was not enough to give Romansh its language status.
Ein kleines Lächeln Ein kleines Lächeln - ein freundlicher Blick, verschenken wir´s - es kommt wieder zurück. Verschenken wir´s - wo immer wir sind, es breitet sich aus - wie ein Feuer im Wind. Ein Lächeln, die Sprache die jeder versteht, die über alle Grenzen geht. Ein Lächeln, die Sprache die jedem gefällt, erfasst alle Augen und strahlt in die Welt Ein Lächeln, das die Herzen erfrischt, es kostet kein Geld und verschönt das Gesicht ... und wenn mal jemand nicht reagiert verschenken wir zwei, damit er´s kapiert. Helmut Gebhard
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“Once linguists had prepared the ground by noting the linguistic specifics of Romansh, there was a cultural renaissance, a movement which led to the recognition of Romansh as the fourth national language in 1938,” says Pult. Added to this was the fact that the five different variants of Romansh that developed in Graubünden were already standardised through translations of the Bible, literature and schoolbooks, says Georges Lüdi, a professor of languages at Basel University. “The problem was that these standardised variants covered a territory that was far too small to be really viable. Therefore the variants were recognised as one whole language, but it was accepted that each variant had its own spelling and pronunciation.”
Swiss German Could not these criteria also be applied to Swiss German, especially as the differences between Germany and Switzerland are not only linguistic but also cultural? “In the German-speaking area, the standardisation process started during the Reformation. Luther and Zwingli were the driving forces behind this, so that everyone could read the Bible,” says Lüdi. “There was therefore a movement towards a homogenisation of written German. German-speaking Switzerland participated in this and a consensus was established from north to south. “In the 17th century, the Germans started speaking this variant but Switzerland did not. This effectively means the Germans started to speak as they wrote, while the Swiss started to speak and write differently.” Dutch is essentially a German dialect which has become the national language of the Netherlands. Could a similar thing happen with the Swiss German dialects? “The Swiss German identity comes from the fact that people from Lucerne or Bern speak differently and that therefore there is a Lucerne or Bern identity but not really a Swiss German one,” says Lüdi. “To have something like Dutch, you’d have to standardise these dialects, and nobody wants that.” Lüdi added that Swiss German dialects were in no way comparable to the Romansh idioms. “There used to be five standard Romansh languages, but no standard written form, whereas for Swiss Germans, German is the standard written version.” In this context, the recent creation of a standardised Romansh - Rumantsch Grischun - may prove to be for the five Romansh variants what German is to the Swiss German dialects. Romansh is made up of five idioms linked to an area of Graubünden: Sursilvan (anterior Rhine), Sutsilvan (posterior Rhine), Sumiran (central Graubünden), Puter (Upper Engadine) and Vallader (Lower Engadine and Val Müstair). A standard version, Rumantsch Grischun, has existed since 1982. Swiss German dialects are divided into three groups: Low Alemannic (Basel), High Alemannic (Swiss lowlands) and Highest Alemannic (Alps). Unlike most other dialects, they are spoken in all levels of society and are used in both cities and countryside.
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Movie documentary about the Swiss Club of Victoria A year in the making, this is a very professionally made movie from a technical point of view, fit to be broadcasted on TV. But what strikes most, is that it is a very true and very human snapshot of what our club is today. It talks about the many different activities and sub-groups. It talks about the history of the past century of how our club became what it is today. It talks about individual people and their experiences in leaving Switzerland and settling here in Australia and how the club became a part of their life. It’s not played by actors but by real people that we know. We are very fortunate that director Roman Meyer has chosen our Swiss Club as subject of a documentary that he produced as part of a university project. Watching it makes you feel that you are a part of it and proud to belong to this club. This movie is very highly recommended, an absolute must for every club member! To order, please use the coupon below.
Documentary: “The Swiss Club of Victoria”
DVD Order Form
Number of DVDs required _____ DVDs at $20 each (incl. GST) ... $_____________ Postage & Handling ($5 for 1 DVD, $8 for 2 or more) ......... $_____________ Total Payment ..................................... $_____________ Please send cheque/money order with this form to: Roman Meyer, 4 / 32 Vale Street, St Kilda Vic 3182 To pay by bank transfer (you will still need to post this form) BSB 083333 Account no. 753993254 Please include your name in the bank transfer. The DVD will be posted after payment has cleared. Mailing Address (please write your details here) Name: Address:
Phone: Email: Signature:
Update on the Atlas Project See also Edelweiss September 2007 and December 2008 The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), buried about 100m beneath the Swiss-French border near Geneva, which operates under the auspices of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, known by its French acronym, CERN, is an almost unimaginably long-term project. It was conceived a quarter of a century ago, was given the green light in 1994, and has been under construction for the last 13 years, the product of tens of millions of man-hours. It’s also gargantuan: a circular tunnel 27km round, punctuated by shopping-mall-size subterranean caverns, and fitted out with more than $10 billion worth of steel and pipe and cable more reminiscent of Jules Verne than Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple Computer Inc). The believe-it-or-not superlatives are so extreme they seem to be the stuff science fiction is made of. The LHC is not merely the world’s largest particle accelerator but the largest machine ever built. At the centre of just one of the four main experimental stations installed around its circumference, and not even the biggest of the four, is a magnet that generates a magnetic field 100,000 times as strong as Earth’s. And because the superconducting, super-colliding guts of the collider must be cooled by 120 tons of liquid helium, inside the machine it’s one degree colder than outer space, thus making the LHC the coldest place in the universe. Half the particle physicists on earth are on the LHC team, about 7,200 in all.
Major setback after successful start The LHC became operational on 10 September 2008 but soon after suffered a major setback as an electrical malfunction triggered a helium leak in one of the sectors of the LHC.
Back on track After more than a year of repair work, CERN reported on 30 November: “The LHC has today become the world’s highest energy particle accelerator, having accelerated its twin beams of protons to an energy of 1.18 TeV (tera-electron volt*) in the early hours of the morning. This exceeds the previous world record of 0.98 TeV set in 2001. It marks another important milestone on the road to first physics at the LHC in 2010.” “We are still coming to terms with just how smoothly the LHC commissioning is going,” said CERN Director-General Rolf Heuer. “It is fantastic. However, we are continuing to take it step by step, and there is still a lot to do before we start physics in 2010. I’m keeping my champagne on ice until then.” These developments come just 10 days after the LHC restart, demonstrating the excellent performance of the machine. First beams were injected into the LHC on Friday 20 November. Over the following days, the machine’s operators circulated beams around the ring alternately in one direction and then the other at the injection energy of 450 GeV (giga-electron volt*), gradually increasing the beam lifetime to around 10 hours. On Monday 23 November, two beams circulated together for the first time, and the four big LHC detectors recorded their first collision data. * a unit for measuring the energy of subatomic particles
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Swiss Club of Victoria
Test your Swiss Knowledge 2
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A Swiss Comedy Thriller:
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‘Undercover’
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Across What city in canton St. Gallen is called ‘City of Roses’? French name for Neuenburg First name of the Swiss Club Events Coordinator Figure of speech referring to the asserted difference in mentality between Swiss-Germans and Swiss-French 10. Last name of the newest member of the Swiss Federal Council 1. 4. 7. 9.
2. 3. 5. 6. 8.
SWISS CLUB MOVIE
Down What significant Swiss battle took place in 1386? Which country hosts the 2010 FIFA World Cup (soccer)? German name of the lake bordering Switzerland, Germany and Austria What town lies close to ‘Dörfli’ where ‘Heidi’ grew up? According to our constitution, in what month does the AGM take place?
Wednesday, 12 May 2010, 8pm Swiss Club, 2nd floor CH 2005. Comedy. Directed by Sabine Boss. With Viktor Giacobbo, Mike Muller, Nana Kruger, Anna Schinz. Duration: 85 mins. Swiss German/Italian, German Subtitles Boris Ruf is an undercover Swiss police force agent on a highly secretive mission in Italy. His brief is to solve a money laundering case, which Ruf’s boss and secret lover Christa Oberholzer has been racking her brains over. Ruf soon picks up vital clues. Will he manage to expose the money laundering ring around Raoul Furrer without endangering his daughter Anna’s life? Free for members, non-members gold coin donation. Enjoy dinner at the club, before or after the movie. Please book with the restaurant on 9650 1196.
Gala Dinner The Gala Dinner was a fine affair, sprinkled with memories, showing snippets of film going back in history, wonderful food, great entertainment, laughter galore. One hundred and ten years is a long time. But sixty years of dancing makes your feet very tired!!! A great night to remember. Thank you. Max & Inge Kulmanis
For answers go to page 18
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facilities. As a result proper marketing and promotion would be required. Another idea is to modernise the existing area as aHere multipurpose room theyear. upstairs and we are again at i.e. themembers beginningcan of ause new I hope to meetings could be held as well. What do members want see all the familiar faces and many more new ones at oura place for in the city? Perhaps a place for celebrations (birthday forthcoming Luncheons in 2010. We might be lucky enough to parties, weddings etc.) perhaps a club lounge, a gym, a movie enjoy the new renovated ‘Upstairs’ by May. theatre? Dear member, tell us what you have in mind! We • Wednesday, March would like to hear from 3 you! On another note the many Swiss groups of Victoria have been • Wednesday, 5 May regularly meeting at the club for building closer relationships Price pp for members, $25 after pp for and not$22 to loose sight of each other thenon-members. brick and mortar Includes 2-course meal, wine, soft and coffee. Swiss Consulate in Melbourne closed its drinks doors last year. In the course of these meetings the idea was born of a joint event Everyone welcome! Bring a friend or two! For information and of Swiss Victorian 2008. ItRoger was decided to use bookings ring me groups on 9889in9321or at the Club on the 9650 Volksfest as the most promising model for success. To realise 1196. Bookings are essential! this project the Swiss Club has again applied for a grant with Heidy Giger Multicultural Commission (VMC). The date for the Victorian next year’s Volksfest will be the 6 April 2008 which will take place at the Austrian Club. I suggest you put it in your agenda now so you will not forget! Also please note that the club restaurant closes for the period Friday, 21 December after lunch and reopens for business on Monday, 7 January 2008 for a well deserved break. As this is the forth and last edition of the ‘Edelweiss’ in 2007 on behalf of the committee I would like to take this opportunity Upcoming Nightsfor- 2010 to thank all of our readersJass and members their support and continuedSwiss involvement with the club! Wishing you all a happy Club 1st 20 March Festive Season and good health for the New Year! 2nd 5 June See you at the club in 2008! 3rd 10 July Rolf Huber, President
Matterhorn
4th & Final
4 September
1st 2nd 3rd
27 February 15 May 7 August
Swiss Festival – Call for Volunteers Sunday, 21 March 2010 The Swiss Festival committee proudly presents the eighth edition of the hugely successful open air festival and would like to extend an invitation to all members to enjoy a taste of Switzerland in the beautiful gardens of the Austrian Club on Sunday 21st March 2010. Come join us and celebrate Swiss culture and folklore at its best with modern and traditional music, dance and yodelling. The ever popular Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess and Yodel Choir Matterhorn will perform as well as Melbourne based modern folk band Houlette and many more. Swiss delights, beverages and a range of products will be available for sale from all regions across Switzerland. Everyone is welcome to enjoy the various activities and entertainment offered on the day. The children can enjoy a jumping castle and a mini farm with a milking cow, and for adults, demonstrations of typical Swiss skills and customs will be on show. The event is free and will commence at 11am, parking is available nearby. Over the past three years more than 3,600 visitors have attended the festival. The event has attracted guests from a broad spectrum including the Ambassador of Switzerland, many Swiss companies and associations. All Swiss community groups and organisations in Victoria including the Swiss Club and all our subgroups will be participating. We call on your support either as a volunteer (parking wardens, kitchen, kiosk, setting up and cleaning up, cash register, drinks, raffle, etc) or by donating much needed funds for the various attractions (e.g. $700 sponsors for the popular jumping castle). Volunteers will be compensated with a food and beverage voucher. For more information please contact the Swiss Festival committee:
n on om
Rolf Huber, Sponsorship/Donations & chairperson, M: 0425 805 854 Amy Bohren, Entertainment coordinator, M: 0410 037 095 Bruno Giger, Treasurer, M: 0425 718 784 Chantal Imbach, Volunteers, T: 03 8407 3766 Damian Schaller, Marketing, M: 0410 461 364 Erika Kimpton, Food & Beverage, M: 0413 042 728
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Email: swissfestival@me.com
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Spread the word and see you at the Swiss Festival!
Want a taste of Switzerland? Visit the Swiss Club Restaurant
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Swiss Club of Victoria
Swiss Club of Victoria
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We are in…! Join us to watch and support the Swiss and Australian Soccer team’s matches on the big screen at the Swiss Club Restaurant Times show Melbourne time. Please check for correct show times closer to the event by ringing the club. If we make it to the next round…more matches will be shown. Switzerland 17/06 00:00 22/06 00:00 26/06 04:30
Switzerland vs Spain Switzerland vs Chile Switzerland vs Honduras
Australia 13/6 04:30 19/6 00:00 23/06 04:30
Australia vs Germany Australia vs Ghana Australia vs Serbia
Part of German Language program on Melbourne 93.1fm
Tune into news, information and entertainment about everything that is Swiss in Switzerland and downunder. Ursula Schappi presents an informative half-hour program in Swiss-German. Every Sunday from 8:30 to 9pm on 93.1fm Hope that everyone had a pleasant holiday and a good start in the New Year.
To listen online visit: www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/german To contact Ursula: leave a message on (02) 9955 7628 or ring 0407 995 578
Herewith are the dates for 2010: • 17 May - Swiss Club Doubles Championship • 25 June - Bernard Sandoz Trophy • 15 October - Swiss Club Singles Championship Cost: Only $15 per person which includes dinner. Start is 7:30pm Bookings are essential, please ring Roger (Swiss Club) or Louis on 9439 7593 or 0418 645 313
Louis Schneider
The Companion Singers are still practicing on the second and third Thursday of the month. We are looking forward to perform at the Swiss Festival in March together with all the other groups. If you like to sing and enjoy good fellowship come along and join us.
Support those that support your Club. Consider our Advertisers
For more information phone our Convenor Heidy Giger on 9889 9321.
Let’s keep up the good attendance during 2009, I hope to see you all again in 2010.
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Swiss Club of Victoria
Swiss Cycling, be part of the success! The Swiss cycling athletes are calling for local support from the Swiss community Swiss cyclists are world class - they have been and still are! In cycling history, Switzerland celebrated international success in the past and our athletes belong to the best in the world still today. The two current World Champions, Nino Schurter in Mountain Bike Cross Country and Fabian Cancellara in Road Time Trial, are ample proof of that.
assistance by Swiss individuals. We would gratefully accept any kind of support – logistics, financial, supply of i.e. massage tables, warm up rollers, tents, lodging etc. Are you living in the Melbourne/Geelong area and interested to get involved with Fabian Cancellara (Team Saxo Bank), Michael Albasini (Team Columbia-HTC) and their colleagues? Please do not hesitate to contact us! Any type of assistance / sponsorship is welcome. Of course we will provide you with counter services and benefits from our side which we will be happy to negotiate. Swiss Cycling works in a family friendly and informal atmosphere with good and positive spirit. You are gladly invited to become part of our team! Every little bit of fan support will contribute to the goal of keeping the World Championship title in Swiss hands. Everybody knows – nothing is more temporary than success. A gold medal today is no guarantee for a gold medal tomorrow. Are you interested? For more information please contact Jonas Leib, discipline coordinator - road, on: Email: jonas.leib@swiss-cycling.ch, Tel. 0011 41 31 359 72 91 or visit www.swiss-cycling.ch
King Roger rules again! 2008 and 2009 were the most successful years in history, with highlights in Beijing at the Olympic Games and a year later at home at the Road Cycling World Championships in Mendrisio. Not only Cancellara on the road and Schurter in the dirt brought home medals, but Swiss athletes in other disciplines like Downhill MTB, Trial, Track cycling and Cycle-ball were also successful, winning international titles in various age categories. Swiss Cycling has become a powerful force in the world of cycling and the future for our athletes looks bright.
Road Cycling World Championships, Melbourne from 29 September to 3 October Australia has always been kind to the Swiss team. Success at 2000 Olympics in Sydney by Christoph Sauser and Barbara Blatter and last year by Nino Schurter at the MTB World Championships in Canberra, made us smile. Swiss Cycling has fond memories of Australia: support, sporting culture, celebrations and a promising outlook for the coming Road Cycling World Championships in Melbourne from 29 September to 3 October! Swiss Cycling is looking forward to this next opportunity to visit your country and the possibility to experience your hospitality again. And, of course, we hope that history repeats itself, because that would mean we will celebrate together again! However, there are always two sides to the medal. Before one can celebrate a lot of planning and organising has to be done first, especially if the tournaments happen to be on the other side of the globe. Swiss Cycling is calling upon the Swiss community of Victoria to rally behind the Swiss cycling athletes and be part of their success! We are looking for local partnerships with Swiss businesses and organisations and w w w.s w i s s .o r g.au/s w i s sc lu bv i c
Swiss champion Roger Federer is wearing the Australian tennis crown again after winning his fourth Australian Open on Sunday, 31 January, his triumph adding to victories in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Federer’s remarkable level of consistency continued when he defeated Scottish sixth-seed Andy Murray in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) on Rod Laver Arena. The world number one clinched victory in a gripping tiebreaker, 13 points to 11, after Murray missed five set point opportunities. “I’m over the moon winning this title again,” he said. “I played some of the best tennis in my life again over the last two weeks. It’s very special to win my first grand slam as a father.” Murray says while he was desperate to win the championship for his country, he didn’t feel under any extra pressure to take the title. British fans had hope Murray could become the country‘s first male grand slam winner since 1936. Federer has now won a record 16 grand slams.
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Die etwas andere Menüplanung… by Martin Probst Publisher: Books on Demand ISBN: 978-3-83707-406-2 Published: 2009 Language: German Binding: Paperback, 252 pages Price: $35 + mailing It gives me great pleasure to be able to present to you a book written by an author hailing from amidst our own club membership. Martin is husband to club Secretary Gerda Probst. Martin is a qualified chef with 20 years experience in different areas of hospitality and the book offers advise primarily to people working in that industry. However, I found the book to be interesting and easy to read even though my knowledge of hospitality is limited to the fact that I like to eat well. The book provided me with an insight of what happens behind the kitchen door, as well as many morsels of wisdom that are not limited to the hospitality industry but are applicable to any profession where one deals and works with people and indeed to life in general. Here is what Martin says about his book: “Not only readers with hospitality background but any area of customer service will profit from this guide. In today’s hectic world, we experience more and more poor or non-existent customer service. But one has to ask how high our own level of service is. Are we confident and handle difficult situations professionally when dealing with other people such as work colleagues and customers? How well do we work in a team? Are we tolerant? How do others view us? The book goes back to basics and provides educational information about work ethic, team work, successful communication, interpersonal skills, stress management, conflict situations, on job training etc. In short: it is THE book for business success and personal achievements. Different ‘Menus’ (chapters), easy to read language and appealing illustration guarantee reading pleasure.” This is Martin’s first book and in the next edition of the ‘Edelweiss’ I will talk to him about himself, his family, his work and his experience in writing this book. If you can’t wait until then, some interesting information regarding the book and the author can be found under: www.martinp.bodautor.de. The book is available directly from the author via email probstbooks@gmail.com or numerous online shops i.e. www. amazon.de.
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Involtini with Tilsiter Filling An easy dish from the southern part of Switzerland. It is best served with thin linguini pasta or risotto. Serves 2 (2 involtini per person depending on size) 1 tbs olive oil 4 veal schnitzels, 120g each 4 smoked bacon rashers 4 basil leaves 100g Tilsiter, cut into sticks Black pepper Herbal salt 2 tbsp pine kernels 2 garlic cloves, sliced 10 pieces of dried tomatoes 50ml of white wine 4 tbsp gravy 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1. Tenderise veal schnitzels until thin and season with pepper. Roll Tilsiter sticks and basil leaves in bacon rashers. Lay on top schnitzels, roll up tightly and fasten with toothpicks. Season with salt and pepper and fry briefly in hot olive oil. Cook in preheated oven at 200°C for about 15 minutes. 2. Roast pine kernels in non-stick frying pan until they are a light brown colour. Then add garlic and dried tomatoes and continue roasting briefly. Add white wine, gravy and balsamic vinegar. Pour into small saucepan and simmer until it is reduced by half. 3. Arrange on pre-warmed plates and pour jus over. Squisito! Adapted from the book ’Swiss Cheese‘ by Lucas Rosenblatt & Judith Meyer, FONA Publishing. Tilsiter, bacon and veal schnitzels are available from Ormond Meat and Smallgoods
If you like to share your favourite Swiss recipe, don’t hesitate to contact me, I would love to hear from you! Editor
Test your Swiss Knowledge - Answers Across: 1. RAPPERSWIL; 4. NEUCHATEL; 7.DAMIAN; 9. ROSTIGRABEN; 10.BURKHALTER. Across: 2. SEMPACH; 3. SOUTHAFRICA; 5. BODENSEE; 6. MAIENFELD; 8. MARCH Swiss Club of Victoria
Many of you might be familiar with the SBS TV series “Who do you think you are” wherein celebrities with the help of a team of experts research their ancestry. As immigrants to this beautiful country we sometimes wonder where our roots roots lie. I myself was interested to see whether I could draw my own family tree. Starting with pen and paper I soon found out how difficult it was to plot down the information I had previously gathered and how to share my findings with my family. This is until I found www.verwandt.ch which allows anyone to create their own family tree on the web for free. This Swiss webpage offers a secure and easy platform in which you can research your family history online. It also has fantastic tools that allow you to add in as much or as little information as you might find about your ancestors. When I started my research I only had the names of about 30 members of my family, such as uncles and aunts, my grandparents and cousins. After a call to my parents in Switzerland I received more names, such as brothers and sisters of their parents, which gave me a starting point for my purely web based family research. One of my first steps was to use several search engines such as www.google.ch, www.search.ch, and www.bing.ch to see what I could find by simply typing in the first and last names. This already yelled great results and I was able to add the information I tracked down very easily into the verwandt. ch homepage. I then stumbled across a search engine which takes out the hassle of looking in various spots even more, www.123people.ch, which is a dedicated ‘people searcher’ that displays on one page all results such as phone numbers, addresses, blog entries, documents and weblinks. Knowing that my grandfather Alfred Schaller had been a politician for many years in the Nationalrat, I also had a look at the ‘Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz’ (www.hls-dhs-dss. ch) where people and events that are of significance in any way to Switzerland are listed. This fantastic webpage offers many great services, including the Familiennamenbuch der Schweiz (www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/famn/), which lists every single Swiss family name including their town of citizenship and the origin of the name itself. In my case this proved my mothers suspicion that her great-grandmother came from the canton of Graubünden. Already I was adding more and more names, dates and events to my online family tree when after a conversation with some friends back home the idea came up that every Swiss canton must have its own online archive. This was a very important point as data within such archives is not displayed in regular search engines, such as Google. I therefore started my research on the Staatsarchiv Basel-Stadt (www.staatsarchiv.bs.ch) as this is where my father and his siblings were born. Such archives exist in every state, which means as long as you know where someone was either born, married or has died you w w w.s w i s s .o r g.au/s w i s sc lu bv i c
will be likely to find something. A good source of information regarding employment or any commercial ventures your relatives have started is the Handelsamtsblatt, the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce, which can be found at www. sogc.ch Without visiting a single government office in Switzerland or requesting any kind of documents from a birth registry, I have so far with the help of the internet extended my family tree from 30 to 139 members. Even better, the verwandt.ch page offers a cross referencing function which checks the data you have entered against over 100 Million other genealogy profiles in the web. Any matches will be displayed for you which has allowed me to contact distant relatives that have started an online family tree of their own. I trust that their research will help me expand my knowledge of my family name ancestry for Schaller, Rittiner, Kamm, Stuessi, Valaulta, Donauer, Kueng and Merz. Damian Schaller Disclaimer: I’m not associated in any way with the internet sites featured in my column. I’m not endorsing any content on these homepages.
Required urgently: Teacher at the Saturday Morning Swiss School We require an enthusiastic and Swiss-German-speaking teacher to join us every second Saturday at the Swiss Club. We teach the children about the traditions, culture, language and history of Switzerland. We would prefer a qualified teacher, but would welcome interest from people who enjoy working with children so that we can provide playful and educational activities to make the Swiss School fun and exciting for the children.
A modest remuneration is on offer Details: Every other Saturday Morning (except school holidays) from 10:00am to 1:00pm at the Swiss Club, 2nd Floor. Contact for any information and interest: Visit: http://www.swiss.org.au/home.php?ID=29 Andrea Pinch, Convenor T: 5331 6762, E: pinch@hotkey.net.au
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Dear compatriots, I wish you and your families a happy New Year, good health and plenty of success. Coming from Amman (Jordan), I have taken over the direction of the Swiss Consulate General in Sydney from Mr. Jürg Casserini in August 2009. I am very happy that due to important anniversary events of several Swiss organisations in Melbourne, I was already able to establish some essential contacts with the Swiss community in Victoria. 2010 will be an important year for all Swiss diplomatic and consular representations. As from March 2010 a new Swiss passport, called E-passport, will be issued to Swiss citizens. This new passport is equipped with a biometric system which can recognise for example fingerprints, iris pattern, ear shape
and vein structure. A person’s biometric data can be compared with the information contained in the passport for verification purposes. In the case of the Swiss E-passport the photograph, fingerprints and the electronic signature are stored on a datamedium which is integrated into the cover of the identification documents. From March 2010 onwards everybody wishing to apply for a Swiss passport must travel to Sydney in person. It will no longer be possible to apply for a passport by mail. A new enrolment station for the biometric passports has already been installed at the Consulate General in Sydney. Unfortunately it will not be possible to apply for this new passport in Switzerland. In exceptional cases there is an option to register your biometric data at a Swiss diplomatic representation for example in Asia like Singapore or Hong Kong. Please contact an officer at the Swiss Consulate General in Sydney well in advance for further information.
We have been supplying the Australian and international trade with our locally manufactured jewellery for over 30 years. Our opals are cut and polished and our jewellery is designed and crafted in our own Melbourne workshop. For the first time you can now view our exquisite collection in our own showroom at 55 ELIZABETH STREET, MELBOURNE. Buy direct from your Swiss Goldsmith – buy Australian Made From inexpensive gifts to exclusive handmade pieces to your own custom made design. For expert advice and great service ask for Paul Kramer or Hansruedi Gassmann Phone us on (03) 8611 2222 or visit us online on www.artofopal.com Our showroom is open Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm and Sat-Sun 10am-4pm Special discounts to members, families and friends Also in our showroom:
Extensive collection of Aboriginal Fine Art, Paintings, Artifacts, unique Craft-Giftware www.malleeart.com
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The new E-passport will be valid for 10 years and costs CHF 140.00 for adults. The validity of the document for minors will be 5 years at a cost of CHF 60.00. Those applying for an E-passport and an identity card at the same time can still profit from a discount. The combined document application is CHF 148.00 for adults and CHF 68.00 for children and teenagers. Further information regarding the new Swiss passports is available in German, French or Italian on the official website of the Federal Department of Justice and Police, Berne/Switzerland (www.ejpd.admin.ch) “Switzerland Tourism”, the national marketing and sales organisation for Switzerland is back in Australia again. Having a national organisation for tourism with an own office in Sydney CBD will give a real boost to the Swiss presence in Australia and will certainly complete the diplomatic efforts of the Swiss Embassy in Canberra and the Swiss Consulate General in Sydney to enhance the “Swissness” on the fifth continent. The new office will be directed by Mrs. Evelyn Lafone who worked before as country director for “Switzerland Tourism” in Great Britain. My team at the Swiss Consulate General in Sydney and myself are looking forward to having fruitful contacts with all Swiss citizens, living here or discovering this fantastic country as a tourist. The Swiss consular representation is a service centre for all Swiss, please stay in touch. Markus Meli, Consul General
Unterhaltungsabend Saturday 8 May, 7.30pm • Three course dinner • Music: Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand • Tombola with lots of prizes • Cost: $40 p.p. Bookings must be made with the Swiss Club. It is always a fun night. Please come and join in the fun and support the group at the same time. We look forward to see you at the Unterhaltungsabend. Sylvia Hochuli
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Another step towards e-voting The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) is an independent, non-governmental and politically neutral organisation, committed to providing support and services to Swiss expatriates and representing their interests in Switzerland. This includes supporting the right of Swiss citizen outside of Switzerland to exercise their voting rights in their home country. Worldwide, around 24% of all Swiss abroad have registered to vote, but in Australia it is significantly less with only a little over 14%. Could it be that Australia is just too far away from Switzerland for people to take an active interest in the political process in Switzerland? The OSA encourages more Swiss citizens in Australia to enroll to vote. Registering is quite simple: either you contact your place of origin in Switzerland (Heimatort), or the local council (Gemeinde) in Switzerland where you have been registered (it does not necessarily has to be the last place of residence). The voting process will soon become easier and faster as the introduction of electronic voting gathers momentum. Mid last year, the cantons of Geneva and Basel-City signed a hosting agreement, which will enable Basel’s Swiss citizens abroad to vote via the internet using the Geneva system. The OSA welcomes this agreement, which will send out a signal to the other cantons and represents an important step towards enabling Swiss citizens abroad to participate in federal referenda via the internet. The OSA has campaigned for many years for the cantons to introduce e-voting for their voters abroad as soon as possible. The aim is to make it easier for the 125,000 Swiss people living abroad registered in the electoral rolls to exercise their political rights via the Internet. No fewer than 13 referenda have been held this way since 2003 in the cantons of Neuchâtel, Zürich and Geneva. Only the three pilot cantons currently possess the technology required. The agreement between the cantons of Basel-City and Geneva is therefore symbolic and will undoubtedly pave the way for other cantons to sign a hosting agreement with Geneva, Zürich or Neuchâtel. Federal government welcomes and supports the introduction of e-voting. This is why the signing of the hosting agreement by the cantonal chancellors of Geneva and Basel-City took place in Bern and was attended by Federal Chancellor Corina Casanova. OSA Director, Rudolf Wyder, was also present at the signing. This is a strong signal that the political weight of the Swiss abroad and the need for rapid introduction of e-voting for citizens outside of Switzerland are being recognised. The OSA is delighted and hopes other cantons will follow the example set by Basel-City. Roland Isler Delegate, Council of the Swiss Abroad
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NOTICE
2010 Annual General Meeting of the SCV Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Swiss Club of Victoria will be held at 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, on:
Wednesday, 17 March 2010, 8pm Agenda: 1. Opening and Welcome 2. One Minute of Silence 3. Attendance, Apologies, Proxies 4. Adoption of Minutes of Half-Yearly General Meeting 2009 5. President’s Report 6. Accounts and Financial Statements 7. Election of Office Bearers 8. General Business: – Question Time 9. Conclusion
Minutes of the 2009 HalfYearly General Meeting of the SCV Held Wednesday, 16 September 2009 at 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne 1. Opening and Welcome The President of the Swiss Club of Victoria, Mrs Barbara Kündig opened the Half-Yearly Meeting at 8:05pm and welcomed Honorary Life Members and Members of the Swiss Club. She thanked everyone for attending the meeting. A total of 26 voting members were present. 2. One Minute of Silence Barbara invited all members to stand up and observe one minute of silence to remember our friends and members who have left us, in particular Max Ammann, Diane Brunner, Ansley Kowalik, Otto Krumm and Marcel Seuret. Our sympathies go to their families. We will remember them. 3. Apologies Verena Asher, Peter Aulich, Tony Boll, Pat & Primo Calabresi, Claudia Dahinden-Apostoloff, Sigrid de Castella, John Francis, Chantal & Bernhard Imbach, Rita & Basil Jenkins, Erika Kimpton, Marlies & Sepp Krummenacher, Kurt Langenegger, Margret Meier, Martin Probst, Kurt Rietmann, Sue & Franz Schnellmann, Christian Schwärzler, Sybille Steiner, Irma & Chris
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Thalmann, Hans Wanner. Proxy Forms received from: John Francis, Margrit Meier 4. Adoption of Minutes of Annual General Meeting March 2009 The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting, held Wednesday, 4 March 2009, were published in the September 2009 newsletter. The minutes had been read and are a true record. Moved by Greg Bowles and seconded by Walter Purtschert. All in favour. 5. President’s Report “Dear Honorary Life Members, Honorary Members and members of the Swiss Club. Thank you for taking the time to come along to today’s Half-Yearly Meeting. This meeting is for you to keep in the loop what is happening and to learn in what direction the club is moving. We appreciate your interest. The past six months have gone quickly. The committee has been busy with taking care of the day to day operational issues and maintenance of the building as well as working on the Second Floor proposal we will present to you a bit later. The International Comedy Festival dominated the club’s activities in April. The Festival is not only a welcome additional income source for our club and for Roger and Terra Rossa, but also a great marketing opportunity. It has increased the exposure and interest of our club and facilities to different demographics. This can only be positive. We thank our interest groups for being tolerant and understanding and making other arrangements during that time. During the past six months our interest groups have continued to be active with their regular meetings and organising functions. In the name of the committee, I would like to thank all the convenors and their members for their continuous support and work. Thank you to Sylvia Hochuli from the Dance Group Alpenrose, Heidy Giger and Herbert Schwärzler from the Swiss Companion Singers, Andrea Pinch, Saturday Morning Swiss School, Chantal Imbach, Swiss Playgroup and Amy Bohren, Young Swiss. We certainly appreciate all you do for your groups and the club. I would also like to extend our thanks to the Convenor of the Ladies Luncheon, Heidy Giger, to Louis Schneider for organising the Billiard Group and to Rita Schwärzler for taking care of the club’s senior events. We are grateful for your involvement and initiative. Please continue with your great work. Thank you to the Dance Group Alpenrose, to Sylvia Hochuli and Paul Eisenegger for organising the Jass evenings for the Swiss Club. I extend a special thank you to the members of your group, who actually don’t Jass, but come along and take their turns to run the evening for us. In true Swiss Club tradition before the Annual General Meeting, Roger Moullet and his team serve
‘Schüblig & Potato Salad’ Cost: $11.50 p. p. (for members attending the AGM) Bookings essential on 9650 1196. A la carte menu also available at regular prices.
Swiss Club of Victoria
In April 2002 the Swiss Club organised the first Volksfest in Flagstaff Gardens. The idea of the event always was to move beyond the Swiss Club groups but have all Victorian Swiss groups participate and come together to celebrate and showcase Swiss culture and food. In the second year, the event moved to the Austrian Club where it has been held ever since. In 2008 the Volksfest notched up another gear and evolved into the Swiss Festival. For the first time it was run by an organising committee of five. It has gone from strength to strength and brought the various Swiss groups closer together. The event has now gone full circle. The participating Swiss groups, the Swiss Festival Committee and the Swiss Club all have agreed that the Swiss Festival is to become an interest group of the Swiss Club of Victoria and that the Festival will be organised under the banner of the Swiss Club of Victoria. The committee is pleased with this outcome. As you probably know, there is a container with items left over from the Oktoberfest. The container has been standing on the grounds of the Salvotelli and Schwärzler families for the past several years. The Swiss Club of Victoria thanks them very much for letting us park the container on their properties for so long. In May, the Salvotelli family asked the Committee to remove the items as they require the space. We have informed the membership and the German and Austrian Clubs via email that items are available for purchase. However, there has been no response whatsoever. We have now removed all the disposable plastic items for the Swiss Festival Committee to use at the next Swiss Festival in March 2010. The big Cantons’ flags are presently stored with Derrick Wildi. The intention is to find them a permanent storage space on the second floor. This way, the flags will be easier accessible and therefore, hopefully, they will be used more often. All other items are in the process of being disposed of. We hope you noticed the frames adorning the hallway up to the restaurant and maybe even the frames on the toilet stall doors. They not only make the hallway look better but also are a great advertisement tool for our various future and past events. On the financial side, thanks to steady rental income from our ground floor tenant, Terra Rossa, and 1st floor, Roger Moullet, the Swiss Club has been doing comfortably. At this point I just would like to say thank you to both operators for being good tenants. It is appreciated. That the building is old and needs regular repair work and items suddenly break down is kind of obvious to all. Unfortunately, it is a factor which is a bit hard for us to really plan for and potentially may be a sudden strain on our finances. Our treasurer, Derrick Wildi, will elaborate further during the Treasurer’s Report about our finances. Until the end of the year, the social calendar is quite full and I just would like to highlight a few events: We kick off with the Swiss Club Trivia Night on the 3rd of October. Trivia nights are fun and interactive events to get all involved. However, it is also intended to be a fundraiser for our club. Therefore, we appeal to all our interest groups and members to get tables together and support us in making this a successful evening from all angles. Please come along. On Wednesday, 14 October we invite you to the Premiere Screening of the Swiss Club Documentary. The film was produced by Roman Meyer. The screening of the movies is followed by a presentation of the ‘making of the movie’ and also an opportunity to meet w w w.s w i s s .o r g.au/s w i s sc lu bv i c
the director and cast. As you all could read in the September edition of the ‘Edelweiss’, we are celebrating a very special birthday this year: 110 years Swiss Club of Victoria. Such a round birthday does not happen every year. We are proud of it and the committee decided not to let it pass without a celebration; so on Saturday, 14 November we ask you all to come along to our special Anniversary Gala evening, where else, but in the Swiss Club restaurant. 2009 also marks the 60th birthday of the Dance Group Alpenrose and 130 years of the Swiss Society of Victoria – a triple reason to celebrate. You might have seen the posters on the way up, but we will send out personal invitations to all the members shortly. While anyone is welcome, we certainly hope, that most will be Swiss Club members – it is after all our birthday! There are many more functions planned, please refer to our website for details or our newsletter, the ‘Edelweiss’. I would like to say a big thank you to Roland Isler, our editor, for doing a wonderful job with the newsletter. On the committee front, we have to say farewell to Oliver Altermatt who has tendered his resignation. Oliver has been on the committee for the past 2½ years and he has been taking
Swiss Club of Victoria
Nomination Form for Office Bearers for 2010 We, being Honorary Life Members, Honorary Members or Ordinary Members of the Swiss Club of Victoria hereby nominate (please use block letters) Name of person nominated:
for election as a member of the Committee. 1. Name of Member: Signature: 2. Name of Member: Signature: I, (name of candidate) being a member of the Swiss Club of Victoria, hereby, consent to act as a member of the Committee, if elected. Signature: Note: Any two Ordinary Members, Honorary Life Members or Honorary Members of the Swiss Club of Victoria may nominate other members for election to the Committee. To be valid, this Nomination form must reach the Secretary no later than 3 March 2010.
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care of the important portfolio of Building Management. Many thanks to Oliver for all his work and support during his time on the committee. Please don’t become a stranger! I am at the end of my report for the past six months and I would like to close by saying thank you to the members for your support and many thanks to my fellow committee members for all their time, effort, initiative and friendship.” 6. Treasurer’s Report Derrick Wildi presented facts and figures for the financial year 2009: Assets Cash / Bank Account ........................$ 70,778.16 Trade Debtors / others ......................$ 3,248.81 Land & Building ...............................$ 881,772.58 Total Assets ......................................$ 955,799.55 Liabilities Accounts payable .............................$ Kitchen equipment ...........................$ GST payable .....................................$
861.75 10,168.82 99.42
Total Liabilities .................................$
11,130.27
Equity Members Fund .................................$ 935,660.42 Current Earnings ..............................$ 9,008.86 Total Equities ...................................$ 944,669.28 Operating Result Total Income ....................................$ 91,049.22 Total Expenses .................................$ $ 82,040.36 Operating Result ..............................$
9,008.86
Outlook The budgeted profit of $5k should be achievable, however the age of the building and equipment as well as compliance issues with legislative requirements make expenses very difficult to predict. 7. Election of Office Bearers Oliver Altermatt stood down from his position after 2½ years on the committee. Antony Anderson has been nominated as a new committee member and the nomination form has reached the secretary in time. Nominated by Greg Bowles, seconded by Urs Marfurt. All in favour. 8. Second Floor Refurbishment Barbara Kündig firstly quoted from page 58 of the Swiss Club History Book: “The financial security of the club was another concern that the committee felt needed to be addressed…and improved so that it can be hired out as an event venue…”. She pointed out that the committee has done lots of research and evaluations over the past two years and has come up with a proposal that is supported by the entire committee. The main aim was for the club to keep in control of the second floor (2F) and to keep the facilities available for sub-groups, interest groups and members.
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• Refurbishment Project Presentation The members were given a full presentation of the proposed refurbishment, in particular: – SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats). – Purpose of the redevelopment (create modern multipurpose room, 3rd income stream, improved recognition in the market place). – Activities that have already been undertaken by the committee and sub-committee. – Proposed Floor Layout and indicative concept drawings (main changes are the different toilet location and opening of bricked-in windows facing Duckboard Lane). – Proposed timetable (renovation 10/09 to 03/10, Comedy Festival 04/10, launch 05/10). – Marketing (target groups, competitive landscape, marketing channels). – Cash Flow analysis (change cash-on-hand $12,700 as per 31/8/09). – Projected income ($24,500/year as a highly conservative figure).
Proxy Form for the Annual General Meeting 2010 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 Annual General Meeting of the Swiss Club of Victoria to be held on Wednesday, 17 March 2010 and at every adjournment thereof. Signed by hand this
day of
2010
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.
Swiss Club of Victoria
– Project costs ($260k project quote ‘A1 Office Fit-out’, $25k additional furniture, $50k kitchen, $15k contingency – total cost $350,000). – Financing (ANZ loan available immediately, additional funding options i.e. grants, member debentures etc., expected yearly operating expenses $42,500).
contractor, they have their own liability insurance of $20m and the SCV does not need a special insurance.
• Questions Herbert Schwärzler thanked the committee for the comprehensive proposal. He also asked who will take on the additional work with increased 2F hiring. The committee replied that an external cleaning company would need to be assigned, but the opening/closing of premises would initially be handled by the committee. An external person/company might be considered at a later stage. Take note that projected incomes are net figures and a cleaning allocation would need to be charged additionally.
Another concern of Roland Isler’s was that $15k contingency allowance was not enough, given the age of the building. Derrick reassured that we currently have $70k cash on hand and that we will be signing a fixed price contract (naturally with a fixed price contract though, things like asbestos or floor underlay are excluded). Also, if we can seal the kitchen company deal, we will not need the full $50k for the kitchen. The committee believes that the contingency amount is adequate.
Marcel Muntwyler questioned how the extra costing will be covered, or if the club will be running at a loss for several years. Derrick explained that the projected 2F income was calculated very conservatively. The committee was hoping for a steady income growth and did not expect losses over too longer time period. Heidy Giger wanted to ensure that the piano was being kept and also that the regular sub-group bookings would be given priority. Both were confirmed by the committee. However, last minute booking requests by sub-groups might not always be successful. Greg Bowles asked if the current power supply will be sufficient to allow for the increased usage. Tony responded that the new floor does not need more electricity. More efficient appliances will compensate for increased utilization. Greg also pointed out that during the renovation, the committee needed to ensure that regular patrons were not inconvenienced with the builders accessing the building via the front entrance and stairway. Tony responded that it has been agreed with ‘A1’ that most of the material would be delivered on weekends (also due to high workweek traffic).
Roland asked if the committee had already approached the Swiss Society of Victoria re financing. Derrick confirmed that he has spoken to Primo Calabresi, but they only provide assistance privately and not for commercial cases like ours.
The committee has placed an ‘expression of interest’ ad in the September newsletter for Swiss tradespeople (‘A1’ had to be prepared to consider competitive quotes). Roland wanted to know if the committee has been approached by anybody, but nothing has been received yet. • Motion The committee recommends to approve the project as per proposal incl. financing and approve a loan application for A$350,000. Supported by Marcel Muntwyler. All in favour. 9. General Business There were no further questions from the members. 10. Conclusion Barbara closed the Half-Yearly General Meeting by thanking all present for their continuous interest and support in the Swiss Club of Victoria. The meeting closed at 10.10pm and all members were invited for a drink. Minutes taken by Gerda Probst, Secretary
From a 1952 Tourist Map of Switzerland
Hans Keller suggested opening the ceiling and installing highlights for better lighting. The committee explained that this was not a financially viable option at this point. Colin Wilkinson asked whether the current structure was enough for the proposed purpose. Derrick informed the members that the club had done several loading evaluations a few years back which confirmed sufficient loading capacity. In addition a building structure report has been completed and everything appears adequate. Fred Dumar asked what LVR (ratio of loan amount to property market value) we were looking at. Derrick confirmed that the book value of our building was $860k, but the insurance value was $4.1m (8.5% LVR). Roland Isler inquired about the benefits for the kitchen company with the proposed partnership. Barbara responded that negotiations were still ongoing, but basically a free installation of a domestic kitchen would allow them to use it as a show kitchen for a given amount of times. Roland was also concerned in regards to liability during the renovations. Tony confirmed that because ‘A1’ will be the lead w w w.s w i s s .o r g.au/s w i s sc lu bv i c
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Swiss Events & Functions February to May 2010 Please note that this calendar also list events other than those organised by the Swiss Club of Victoria and its subgroups. Please book all Swiss Club functions (bold entries) with Roger, phone 9650 1196 or fax 9650 3104 and check website for latest information and details of upcoming events. For all other events please contact the relevant organisation (see page 3 for contact details).
FEBRUARY
Saturday
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Jass Night - Matterhorn
MARCH
Wednesday Thursday Wednesday Saturday Sunday Sunday
APRIL
Thursday 02 Wednesday 21
Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand entertains at the Club Comedy Festival ends
MAY
Monday Wednesday Thursday Saturday Wednesday Friday Saturday
Editorial Deadline - Newsletter June issue Ladies’ Luncheon Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand entertains at the Club Unterhaltungsabend Swiss Folk Dance Group Alpenrose Movie Night at the Club - ‘Undercover’ Billiard Swiss Club Doubles Championship Jass Night - Matterhorn
03 04 17 20 21 21
03 05 06 08 12 17 15
Ladies’ Luncheon Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand entertains at the Club Annual General Meeting Jass Night - Swiss Club Swiss Festival Comedy Festival starts – 2nd floor unavailable until April 21
OTHER REGULAR SWISS CLUB 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 Group: Dates for get-together can be found on www.swiss.org.au or on our Yahoo group http://groups. yahoo.com/group/YoungSwissMelbourne/
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16 September 2009: Construction workers stand in front of the Gabi 2 tunnel boring machine just after it has broken through the last metres of rock between two stretches of the new Gotthard base tunnel, which will be the longest (57km) in the world when completed.
Swiss Club of Victoria
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Samichlaus Breakfast
Looking back to 2009 – what made headlines in Switzerland For a country that otherwise relishes in flying under the global media radar, Switzerland made headlines worldwide on a number of issues in 2009.
Hostage situation in Libya continues The Swiss foreign minister Micheline Calmy-Rey has described the situation of two Swiss businessmen prevented from leaving Libya for 18 months as a ‘humanitarian drama’. She has accused Libya of ‘kidnapping’ the two men and committing a ‘flagrant violation of international conventions’. They were taken into custody in July 2008 shortly after Geneva police arrested Hannibal Gaddafi, a son of Libyan ruler Moammar Gaddafi, and his wife on charges that they abused their domestic staff at a city hotel. The servants later received compensation and the charges were withdrawn. Federal councillor Hans-Rudolf Merz, who met with the Libyan prime minister (but not Gaddafi), apologised in Tripoli for the arrest in return for the release of the hostages - a move that was widely condemned in Switzerland. Libya has broken the promise made to Merz that they would be free to return to Switzerland before September 2009.
The Tax Headache Senior Christmas
MARCH 2010
Switzerland has been under continuous attack since the start of 2009 for helping foreign tax evaders hide their assets. In February 2009, the Swiss Financial and Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) ordered UBS to hand over the details of 285 clients to the US authorities after the bank was fined $780 million for helping US citizens to dodge taxes. A Swiss court ruled this data transfer to be illegal 11 months later, although
FINMA may appeal the decision. Some political parties have called for a full blown parliamentary investigation into the affair. The OECD placed Switzerland on a grey list of uncooperative tax havens in April last year. The Swiss were removed in September after renegotiating several double taxation treaties, but they have refused to automatically transfer information to tax investigators without proof of crimes. In September, the Swiss government was forced to hand over the details of 4,450 UBS clients to the US – in effect violating Swiss banking secrecy to prevent a ruinous court case for UBS.
The ‘Minaret Referendum’ At the referendum on 29 November 57% of Swiss voters voted in favour of a rightwing party’s initiative to ban the construction of minarets in Switzerland. This outcome made headlines around the world and opinions and comments of support and condemnation were a plenty.
Polanski arrested Oscar-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski (76) has been granted $4.5 million bail to wait it out in his chalet in Gstaad while the Swiss authorities decide whether or not to extradite him back to the US on a charge of drugging and raping a 13-year-old child back in the 1970s.
Riots at the World Trade Organisation Conference in Geneva The Seventh Session of the WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva took place from 30 November to 2 December. A group of hooligans made a rather bad name for themselves by hijacking an otherwise peaceful anti-globalisation demonstration, setting cars on fire and smashing rows of store windows. Pictures of cars ablaze and of police firing off tear gas made their rounds through international media outlets and more or less took attention away from the issue around why protests were happening in the first place.
Walking tall A sculptured saunter worth more than its weight in bronze. ‘L’Homme qui marche I.’ or ‘Walking Man I.’ by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti sold at Sotheby’s on 3 February for A$118.5 million, setting a world record for the most expensive work ever sold at auction. The previous record was held by a Picasso painting, ‘Garçon à la Pipe’.
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