REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST - PUBLICATION No. VBH 6369
MARCH 2012
SwissKids is for Swiss kids! The SwissKids group met last December for the traditional Santa get-together where more than 20 kids participated. Thanks to the many volunteers we were able to surprise the kids with the traditional ‘ChlouserBread’ baking. The kids learned how to create a bread shaped like a person with a head, arms and legs. Once the bread went into the oven the school kids were creative, finding ideas for our new logo. Thank you Roland for putting the ideas of our kids into this very cute logo!
The younger kids did craft activities and created snowflakes to decorate their windows. The Swiss choir then joined us and we sang a few traditional Christmas songs. I hope we will be able to keep this tradition and sing together again next year! We then had a special guest arriving with loud bells, a sack full of presents and big boots which made us think he came directly from the snow in
Meet Homo Helveticus
Switzerland! The kids loved our Santa! Thank you for coming all this way and surprising us! All these special events brought Christmas closer and everyone enjoyed the Christmas spirit a lot. The parents were able to chat and laugh with each other. Our next meeting is on the 3rd of March. Please come along if you have kids of any ages. We will be doing experiments, singing, craft, school, sharing fruit. Thank you and see you there. Esther Blaser-Tokarev When do we meet: First Saturday every month Covernor: Esther Blaser-Tokarev, Esther.Blaser@gmx.ch, 0424 220 523 Bring along: $5 per family, fruit to share
From Geissenpeter to Alpöhi. Have patience with the Swiss man and you will gain yourself a loyal friend. At first glance, Switzerland appears to be a motherland. It has a feminine article and – more importantly – the popular personifications of Swiss nationhood are distinctly female: Heidi and Helvetia, the two faces of Switzerland. One all sweetness and innocence, the other statuesque and scarily well-armed; together they make a rather accurate picture of how the Swiss like to see their country. The trouble is they are both fictional. To see the real Switzerland, you need to look a little closer and discover that the country is in fact firmly controlled by a very special breed of man: Homo Helveticus. Let’s meet him. First introductions might be rather formal, done because they’re expected rather than desired. But without them, you might never get more than a handshake from him; not only is he a bit shy with strangers but he’s also very protective of his own privacy. Even with introductions done, making conversation can sometimes be as uncomfortable for him as it is for you. Small talk is not his forté, personal details are only reluctantly revealed and leading questions are not welcomed – never ask about his marital status or the cost of his car. Patience is what’s needed, and it will be rewarded in spades: befriend Helveticus on his terms and he will open up and stay with you for life. Dependable and loyal, he’s most probably the best friend you will ever find.
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Groups and organisations representing all four languages and areas of Switzerland take part in the Swiss Festival 2012, where the Swiss community showcases its unique culture and traditions. Food and drinks will be available on the day. Some of the groups and organisations that will be attending the festival:
The Swiss Consul General Swiss Club of Victoria Groupe Romand du Victoria Pro Ticino Swiss Yodel Choir Matterhorn Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (ASO) Swiss-Australian Academic Network Swiss Folk Dance Group Swiss Companion Singers Bring your families and friends and have a good time! There will be games for children, numerous stalls and attractions and live performances by various Swiss community groups. Everyone is welcome and ample parking is available.
Swiss Festival Committee c/o Swiss Club of Victoria 89 Flinders Lane Melbourne VIC 3000 Phone 03 9650 1196 www.swissfestival.com.au follow us on facebook or twitter
Sunday 25th March 2012
11am to 4pm m
Austrian Club d 90 Sheehan Rd est Heidelberg West (Melway 19 F9))
Our sponsors
The Swiss Festival is a subgroup of the Swiss Club of Victoria 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000, ABN 80 004 315 324
SWISS CLUB OF VICTORIA Founded in 1899 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Vic 3000 T: 1300 893 968, F: (03) 9650 3104 E: info@swissclubvic.com W: www.swissclubvic.com Club Opening Hours Lunch: Mo - Fri from 12noon Dinner: Wed, Thurs & Fri from 6pm. Bookings T: (03) 9650 1196 Swiss Club Catering For all Functions contact Chef & Catering Manager Roger Moullet T: (03) 9650 1196, F: (03) 9650 3104 M: 0409 040 249 E: swissclub@hotmail.com The Second Floor Function Bookings CBD Function Room with a difference! Info and/or bookings: T: 1300 893 968 E: swissclubvic@swiss.org.au
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 SwissKids Convenor: Esther Blaser-Tokarev T: (03) 8521 3739 M: 0424 220 523 E: esther.blaser@gmx.ch
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) 9729 3338, (03) 9752 6996 (H) W: www.swiss.org.au/matterhorn Swiss-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) General Manager: Marcel Svatos T: (02) 9262 1511, F: (02) 9290 1928 E: admin@sacci.com.au Postal address see: www.sacci.com.au Swiss-Australian Academic Network (SAAN) E: info@saan.id.au W: www.saan.id.au
COMMITTEE
The Swiss Diners Club Convenor: Damian Schaller M: 0410 461 364 E: damianschaller@swiss.org.au
Barbara Kündig President T/F (H): (03) 9005 4938 M: 0402 018 363 E: barbara@swiss.org.au
Swiss Festival Chairman: Rolf Huber T/F (H): (03) 9807 0282 M (B): 0425 805 854 E: rolf@swissfestival.com.au
Rolf Huber Immediate Past President T/F (H): (03) 9807 0282 M (B): 0425 805 854 E: rhuber@swiss.org.au
SWISS COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS
Postal address and further information for all above see: W: www.eda.admin.ch/australia
Swiss Society of Victoria (Benevolent Society) President: Franz Schnellmann T: (03) 9449 2245, M: 0412 203 893 E: schnellmann@dodo.com.au
Organisation of the Swiss Abroad Council Member: Roland Isler Contact details: see below under Editor W: www.aso.ch / www.swiss.org.au/csa
Urs Derrick Wildi Treasurer & Membership Administration T/F (H): (03) 9824 7930 M: 0403 040 930 E: uwildi@swiss.org.au Sigrid de Castella Membership Relations & Building Management Support M: 0416 088 000 E: sigrid@swiss.org.au Antony Anderson Building Management M: 0416 069 666 E: antony@swiss.org.au Damian Schaller Marketing Manager M: 0410 461 364 E: damianschaller@swiss.org.au w w w.s w i s sc lu bv i c .co m
Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess Australian/Swiss Cultural Society President: Sylvia Hochuli T: (03) 9531 6575 E: hochuli@tpg.com.au Groupe Romand du Victoria President: Rémy Favre 1 Hughes Street, Malvern East Vic 3145 T: (03) 9571 2835, M: 0412 135 095 E: remy@favrecranage.com W: www.swiss.org.au/chfrvic Unless otherwise stated, postal address for all is: 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne Vic 3000
Embassy of Switzerland T: (02) 6162 8400, F: (02) 6273 3428 E: can.vertretung@eda.admin.ch Consulate General of Switzerland T: (02) 8383 4000, F: (02) 9369 1334 E: syd.vertretung@eda.admin.ch Consulate of Switzerland T: (03) 9824 7527, M: 0413 042 728 E: melbourne@honrep.ch
Impressum ‘Edelweiss’ appears quarterly. Circulation 500. For all enquiries contact: Roland Isler, Editor T: (03) 9524 6335 (B) M: 0412 935 565 E: risler@swiss.org.au 67 St.Georges Crescent Heatherton Vic 3202
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President’s Message Dear members and friends of the Swiss Club, I trust the Swiss style April weather during the Christmas period didn’t prevent you from having a good summer holiday. Time just flew and now everyone is back to their usual routine. At the Swiss Club Roger opened the doors of the restaurant early January and the Swiss Club Committee took up their committee work on 1 February. We are looking forward to another year of great functions and convivial gatherings. You might have noticed that the membership renewal has gone out a bit later than usual. This is due to the shortage in committee members, we are all quite stretched in time due to juggling work, family commitments and committee work. Have you thought of helping us? We are still looking for interested members to join our committee or volunteering their time for functions or events such as the upcoming Swiss Festival on Sunday, 25 March. As you know, Terra Rossa has been our tenant now for several years. The owning company (Eddie Muto and partners) has decided to sell off some of their portfolio to concentrate on their new venture at South Wharf. They sold the Terra Rossa
restaurant plus a second venue to the Publican Group (www. publicangroup.com) in late December. The Publican Group already owns several restaurants and pubs in Melbourne and Perth. We do not anticipate any changes with the tenancy and look forward to working with the new team. The committee is still working on upgrading and refreshing our stairwell. You might have noticed that we installed a second hand railing from the ground floor entrance to the lift lobby area in the hope that it will help members to navigate those steps up to the elevator a bit better. We are also doing some work on the staircase from the first floor to the second floor. It is a slow process not only due to financial restraints, but eventually, we will get there. The Comedy Festival will once again take up residence on the Second Floor from 28 March to 22 April. The Second floor will not be available for the interest groups for their regular meetings nor for functions during that time. We thank the groups for their understanding. Our AGM will take place on Wednesday, 14 March, 8pm, we hope you will be able to come along. We look forward to seeing you at the club. Barbara Kündig, President
Trudi Theiler celebrated their 85th while Anton Erb was celebrating his 90th. We congratulate you and wish you good health in many years to come!
Get well Due to health problems Ossie Haering had to spend some time in hospital. We wish you all the best for a speedy recovery and we hope to see you again at the Club soon.
The last farewell Welcome to our new members We welcome Sandra Bernard & Pascal Bernard. We are looking forward to meeting you at one of our forthcoming functions.
Congratulations Happy news from the Swiss Club restaurant: Chef Ben and Cathy who’s friendly service we are going to miss, have become parents of a beautiful baby girl, born on Sunday, 22 January. Warmest congratulations and best wishes! Happy birthday to the members who were celebrating their milestone birthdays over the past months: Daryl Ross, Theodore Beyerle, Rose Surbeck and John Wyss could commemorate their 80th, Heidi Gasser and
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Our member Wilma Dunkel passed away on 4 October 2011. Our deepest sympathies go to her family. It is with sadness that we inform you of the passing of former member of the Yodel Club Edelwyss Walter Hauser on Sunday, 5 February 2012. Our deepest sympathies go to Hannelore and family. 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 me know so that others know too. Editor
Book the Second Floor at the Swiss Club for your next function
Swiss Club of Victoria
As every year, the group will have a white elephant stall at the Swiss Festival. If anybody has some special treasures, no longer wanted, we are happy to take them for the stall. For information contact Sylvia on 9531 6575, Marlies on 9503 9921, or Rosmarie on 9583 9048.
Smile!
Free to good home The Swiss Club has received a book which consists of a collection of the weekly magazine ‘Schweizer Illustrierte Zeitung’, starting with edition number 35 (28 August 1915) and ending with number 52 (29 December 1917). Size: 300mm x 370mm x 50mm. Weight: 4.2kg. The book is, considering its age, in very good condition. No torn or missing pages. It is written in German and the font is Blackletter/ Fraktur. The content reports predominantly about the various theatres of the 1st word war and how Switzerland was affected by it. ‘Die Seite der Frau’ (Ladies Page) is often the only page, which is not war related. The pictures are most impressive and the reporting is – as far as it can be ascertained – interesting, neutral and without propaganda. As it is not Club related, we are looking for someone that is interested. In the right hands this collection is a treasure trove of historical information. Please contact the Editor for further information. Login and get the latest Swiss Club info: www.swissclubvic.com
“Swiss Images” Competition We received quite a few entries in response to this competition. Some of the images were incredibly beautiful and would have looked great on the second floor. Unfortunately, the resolution of the photos selected as finalists was too low to print in the size that is required, and we have had to seek images from an alternative source. However, the committee would like to give two encouragement awards and a $50 restaurant voucher each to Nikolas Huber and Sonja Sonderegger. Thank you to everyone that entered the competition.
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An Aussie, a Swiss-French and a Swiss-German are at the Swiss Club, debating which language is the most difficult. The Aussie says: In English we write “life” and say “laif”. The Swiss-Romand replies: We write “Bordeaux” and say Bordoo”! That’s nothing, says the Swiss-German, we write “Wie bitte?” and say Hää?”
Matterhorn Yodel Choir looking for singers As mentioned in the previous edition of the ‘Edelweiss’, at the end of 2011 there have been some retirements of choir members for personal reasons – we hope to get two of them back after they enjoy the pleasures of ‘grey nomads’ for a year or so. A process of renewal of the Choir has now started and, if you think you would enjoy practicing and performing Swiss yodelling songs in a friendly atmosphere, this is your chance to join our Choir. While we take our singing seriously, we also value good companionship among choir members and we enjoy having a good time. To find out more, please contact our President, Marco Unternahrer on 9752 6996 (H) or 9729 3338 (W).
Newsletter Deadlines 2012 June Issue: Covering June/July/August Editorial Deadline: Monday, 30 April Mailing: Wednesday, 16 May September Issue: Covering Sept/Oct/ Nov Editorial Deadline: Monday, 6 August Mailing: Wednesday, 22 August December Issue: Covering Dec/Jan/Feb 2013 Editorial Deadline: Monday, 5 November Mailing: Wednesday, 21 November
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Meet Homo Helveticus - continued from front page
As with any race there are significant regional differences, which to the casual observer might seem slight and unimportant. But for those concerned, they are as crucial a part of their own identity as the different languages they speak. The branch of Homo Helveticus living south of the Alps is certainly more outgoing and less organised, more spontaneous and less cautious than the majority to the north. A second, slightly larger tribe, to the west likes to be more laissez-faire about problem-solving, happily drinks at lunchtime and openly favours closer ties with neighbouring races. Both branches often find life with the dominant tribe difficult, not least because their view of time, and life in general, is more relaxed. But as much as they might talk about being different, they very obviously belong – and want to belong – to Homo Helveticus. To mistake them for another race is a big no-no. Perhaps the easiest way to become acquainted with the archetypal Helveticus male is to look at his life cycle. Its five distinct stages reveal everything you need to know about his behaviour and outlook, his expectations and insecurities. He is very much the product of his geography, his history and his society. In fact, he is Switzerland in human form. As a boy, we can think of him as Geissenpeter, bounding with energy and carefree enjoyment of simple pleasures. With a mother who pampers him, a father who’s proud of him, and most likely a younger sister who worships him, Helveticus junior has little to worry about. The biggest moment on his horizon is his first day at school, when he’ll be encouraged to walk there on his own. But his first real step to Swiss manhood will be getting his own penknife, most likely with his name engraved on it. Only then can he be a proper boy scout, whittling sticks for spearing cervelats and making fires. Perfect training for his main cooking task as an adult: grilling at the barbecue. By the time he’s a teenager, he will have had to make a choice – or have had it made for him: college or an apprenticeship? A decision that will map out the next few years, if not the rest, of his life. He might indulge in minor adolescent rebellions, such as some graffiti or an earring, but his sense of duty and need to conform will eventually prevail. And the most important thing he will learn? How to shoot his gun. In the army, of course.
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In his twenties, he has become Roger Federer, the epitome of Swiss manhood. Kind, modest and polite, he is a gentleman who believes in fair play and is rarely ruffled by setbacks. This is a man whose dedication to his goals (and his family) is an example to all and has spent years driving himself be the best at what he does, be that banker, doctor, farmer or engineer. Fearing failure, he rarely takes risks and always seeks perfection; second best is not an option, but neither is bragging about any success. Most likely he moved straight from mother to girlfriend/wife, so is sensitive and considerate but has only the vaguest notion of household chores; he’d rather watch his football team or go hiking with friends. In reality he is more amusing and more interesting, but also less macho and less fashionable, than he thinks. When it comes to toys, he’s still a boy at heart and loves to buy the latest gadgets – and has the money to do just that. Not that he’d ever boast about his acquisitions, and he’s always careful to save a bit every month for the future. In his forties, we now see Wilhelm Tell, a man who respects authority but hates being told what to do by anyone other than his peers. He is self-confident enough to fight for what he believes in, though his modern weapons of choice are his voice and the ballot box. The three pillars of his life are his work, his family and his free time, and all are clearly defined and equally well-organised. At work, Helveticus is dutiful and methodical, particularly with his own paperwork: every course certificate, promotion letter and job reference is carefully saved in a folder. He is averse to confrontation, preferring to seek consensus through compromise, and avoids social situations with colleagues outside the workplace – in fact, he is probably not yet on first-name terms with all of them. At home, he’d like to think he’s more liberal than his father but still secretly loves to arrive home to a cooked meal and clean children. He wants to be the main breadwinner and provide a safe haven of security and stability – the perfect husband and father, as long as he is in charge. At play, he relishes the outdoors, no matter what the season: family skiing in winter, being sporty with his mates in the club, walking in the mountains in summer. Although he sometimes holidays abroad, in his heart he knows that there is no country more beautiful than his own. Swiss Club of Victoria
In his sixties, he is Alpöhi, the gruff grandfather with a heart of gold – and probably a bank account full of it too. He dotes on his family, gives to deserving charities, and is still physically and socially active; he is as punctual and as efficient with his time as ever, but doesn’t waste any time complaining about anything that he doesn’t agree with. Shaking his head in disbelief is his favourite pastime. The world around him has changed, and often not for the better according to him, but he still believes that the rest of Europe, if not the world, could learn a lot from Switzerland. Not that Switzerland is the place it used to be: it was never the same once women won the vote and all those foreigners arrived. Although he wouldn’t dare say that out loud, he feels more comfortable these days thinking it. All the same, Helveticus senior is as proud of his country as he ever was and yet has never shrugged off his inferiority complex, particularly in relation to his brash neighbour, Homo Germanicus. In his eighties, he will die. His life expectancy isn’t quite as long as the females of his race but is still one of the highest in the world. By dying so late in life he can be proud to have helped Switzerland be a world-leader, in death as in so many other areas. Homo Helveticus to the end. by Diccon Bewes, author of ‘Swiss Watching – Inside Europe’s landlocked Island’. See book review ‘Edelweiss’ September 2010 The Swiss Club Restaurant. It’s where you meet your friends.
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We started with good companionship and good food at Margrit and Pierre’s home in Gisborne for a BBQ. We will continue practising on the 2nd and 3rd Thursday of each month to be able to participate in the forthcoming Swiss events like the SWISS FESTIVAL and later in the year for the SWISS AND ITALIAN FESTA. We are always looking forward to perform at this events together with the other Swiss groups For more information phone the Convenor, Heidy Giger on 9889 9321.
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Meet Pierre Muehlheim Pierre, we know you as a member of the Companion Singers, but we would like to find out a little more about you. Can we go back to your childhood please? Where did you grow up? I was born in Solothurn in 1945, first son to Hermann and Georgette and brother to my sister Silvia. My mother was from Vallorbe (VD) and my father is from Meienried near Büren (BE). He is nearly 96 and still going strong. During the after-war years we lived in Kammersrohr (SO) located on a terrace in the southern foothills of the Jura mountains. Our family spoke Swiss-German but with my mother we only spoke French. Dad was the chauffeur and gardener for Dr. Koch until we moved to the pretty French speaking village of Praz (FR) on the north side of lake Murten. When I was two years of age the family of four moved to Burgdorf (BE) and we lived there until I was thirteen years old. My brother François arrived when I was six. After you finished school, what did you do? I always liked to tinker and was handy with tools. I applied with an electrical apparatus manufacturer, SAIA AG Murten, to enter a 4-year apprenticeship as a precision mechanic. When and why did you come to Australia? During the last year of my apprenticeship, my interests turned to exploring the world and when I met a person who had just returned from Australia, it became my obsession to venture to this far-away land. After completing my professional training it was time to do my army duties. The 17 weeks spent in the Ticino were quite enjoyable. Then, with that out of the way, nothing would hold me back. I was free to go! In September 1966, I boarded the ‘Galileo’ in Genoa to sail to Melbourne. So you have been in Australia since 1966? Not quite. I spent three years in Australia during which time I was employed by various tool and equipment manufacturing companies. It was then that I met my future wife Margaret. We did a deal – if she would accompany me to the German ball, I would attend her 21st birthday party. It was a great deal; we have been married now for 42 years! In 1969, friends announced plans to travel to Canada and we quickly decided to join them. In May that year we sailed on the ‘Arcadia’ from Melbourne to Vancouver. A year later, on the 17th January 1970, Margaret and I got married – in the middle of a snowstorm! I worked for a very large timber mill near Vancouver on the Fraser River, looking after maintenance and production. After 2 ½ years in Canada, we got itchy feet again. We wanted to visit my parents in Muntelier for Christmas and so, in 1971, we set sail on the cruiser ‘Himalaya’ from Vancouver through the Panama Canal to Southampton in England arriving just in time for Christmas. We remained in Switzerland until August 1979.
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What happened during those years back home? Well, for a start, our three sons were born: Christopher in 1972, Andreas in 1975 and Michael in 1976. …and on the work front? SAIA, the company I did my apprenticeship, had become Secheron, a subsidiary of Landis & Gyr. They provided me with a job in the electro-magnetic lab. After one year, Curtis Systems, a small American petrochemical company, asked me to join the technical support team for Europe, based in Frankfurt, Germany. A year later I was transferred to head-office in Zug, taking over responsibilities for Europe and the then Easternblock countries. My travels took me behind the iron curtain to Russia and Hungary. I often spent weekdays away from home but made sure to be back with my family in the Aegerital for the weekend. I imagine, working behind the iron curtain at the time of the cold war would not have been an easy thing to do. How did you manage that? Working with communist ruled countries required visitors to be precise and to adhere to given protocols provided for each country. Each visit required careful preparation, organising passport, visa and itinerary with relevant import/export companies as well as pre-purchased currency. Pre-purchased funds were made at extremely high exchange rates, sometimes 6 times the value of the currency. It was best to spend all currency as on departure you would lose money due to low exchange rates again. All business was run through provided companies such as Soviouschem in Moscow and Mineralimpex in Budapest or Chemplex in Prague. Doing business in Russia was quite fascinating and with trading partners in place the returns were good. Personal movements within the country were always observed and we were provided with drivers to bring us from Hotels to meetings. We were required to sign in when arriving back at the hotel. Most lunches and dinners were organised and attended by the trading partners and paid for, of course, by us. In Moscow we always had plenty of food and drinks – caviar, vodka and champagne – for every occasion. The drivers were rewarded with presents, such as Swiss Army knives, Swiss watches and chocolates or even blue-jeans and shoes. The drivers had to split the received goods with their bosses. One memorable trip was in 1978, the Symposium in Moscow where over 100 engineers attended from as far as Vladivostok. After one full day of lectures the only question received was ‘do you have any more presentation bags’, which were filled with all the Swiss goodies. I guess the Symposium was mainly attended for free food and drinks, and there was sure plenty of that! In Prague when dining with senior staff from Mineralimpex they never attended without having a chaperone near by. Occasionally I received letters, once from a doctor in Russia who wanted to marry off his daughter, so I sent him a photo of my family. When did you return to Australia? When Curtis System was sold to a German company in 1979, Swiss Club of Victoria
it became time to reassess our family life and our future. The result was that we decided to venture back to Australia. So we left Switzerland in August 1979 with 3 young boys in tow. What are you currently doing? On arrival back in Melbourne I met with Diamond Shamrock, a process and petrochemical manufacturer. Must be my luck with jobs, I walked out from the meeting with car keys and a month upfront payment in hand. I was involved with chemicals for the metal-coatings, textile, wire and electro-chemical processes. Again travelling was on the agenda, spending time abroad in USA, Japan and Europe. Diamond Shamrock required blending of dry-powder chemicals for which we had no plant. So I met with Steel Improvement with Fuchs as partner and met Beat Altermatt. Diamond Shamrock was about to be sold and the move to SI/Fuchs was an ideal opportunity, that was in 1984. Beat sold the company in 1989 to Fuchs Germany. I have been working for this company since 1984 clocking up 28 years. We manufacture speciality lubricants, oils and greases, and supply local production, automotive and mining. My function in technical product support provided the platform for visiting almost all mining and production sites in Australia. Your work requires an incredible amount of travelling which is not an easy task to combine with family life. You’re right, that is never easy and in hindsight maybe I spent too much time away from the family and missed some quality time and activities with the children. Guess I made up for it with family holidays around Australia and Europe, catching up with family in Switzerland. Our son Christopher is married to Linda and proud dad of two, Zachary 5 and Olivia nearly one. Andreas passed away in 2010. He will be forever in our hearts and sadly missed. Our youngest son Michael is married to Astrid and has two gorgeous daughters, Caitlin 4 and Chloe 18 months. I enjoy being ‘Papa Pierre’ to these four lively grandchildren. When did you join the Swiss Club and why? I became member of the Swiss Club within months of arriving back in Australia in 1979. Unfortunately, as we live ‘in the bush’ and due to my constant travels, I never had the time and the opportunity to get involved much. The reason for joining was to maintain contact with the local Swiss community. Why did you become a member of the Companion singer? I’ve got Sepp Schmidig to blame for that. He persisted in asking me to come along singing. “Its fun and good for youâ€?, he kept telling me. Eventually, in 1992, I gave in and became a member. It was a good thing to do, I still enjoy every practice and performance session. Apart from singing, how you spend your time? Any hobbies? We live on a 10 acre park style garden property near Mt. Macedon. Lots of weeds amongst the many trees, bushes and plants, so gardening is one of my activities. We are also members of the Gisborne Bushwalkers and spend wonderful days exploring sights in Victoria we did not know existed. And, of course, we have our trips to Switzerland to get the recommended ‘Swiss mountain ďŹ x’ once in a while. I also like music and photography, designing and building things. w w w.s w i s sc lu bv i c .co m
If you could invite ďŹ ve people, living or dead, to dinner, who would they be? Brad Pitt, because I like his work. Dustin Hoffman, because people say I look like him, even to the point of having excited Japanese tourists take photos of me. Emanuel Swedenborg, because of his fascinating beliefs. Bill Bryson, because I like his books and he’d be good for a laugh. And Julia Roberts, because...well, just because! Thank you Pierre!
Unterhaltungsabend Saturday 12 May, 7.30pm s 4HREE COURSE DINNER s -USIC +APELLE 'RĂ EZI -ITENAND s 4OMBOLA WITH LOTS OF PRIZES s #OST P P "OOKINGS MUST BE MADE WITH THE 3WISS #LUB 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
Joint pre-Christmas concert at the Tabulam Nursing Home in Bayswater and Lutheran Nursing Home in Boronia by the Dancers, Singers & Matterhorn
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Senior Christmas Afternoon Tea 3 December 2011. Sponsored by the Swiss Society of Victoria It is very hard to comment on a Christmas celebration of yesteryear when one starts to make preparations for the other big event in our calendar – Easter. And yet, everybody is still fulfilled with the warmth and friendship the Christmas gathering with our Elders planted into our hearts. For me, being honored to consolidate this party, the feeling of the successful Team Work – Gemeinschaftswerk – with our community, helps me to go through the year and judge the behavior of the community around me. There is the Swiss Society of Victoria with President Franz Schnellmann financing the Christmas Afternoon Tea in generous and spontaneous manner. The Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess preparing sandwiches and beverages andd donating the wonderful hampers as doorr prices. ing The Folk Dance Group Alpenrose presenting the wonderful traditional dances of our homeland and making us reflect on the times when we had dancing legs. The Swiss Companion Singers for singingg for ybody us and with us all, ignoring that not everybody was in tune. The women and children young and old who baked and delivered the Christmas Guetzli, zli,
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delicious and scrumptious, as we remember them from mother’s kitchen. The Swiss Club of Victoria with President Barbara Kündig for letting us use the home from home, the Swiss Club Restaurant. Roger Moullet for giving up his precious Saturday for manning the bar and letting us use his kitchen and never blowing the top. Roland Isler, the Editor of the ‘Edelweiss’, for reporting with this camera the ‘party of the year’ and making us feel so important. All these groups and individuals working in total harmony, so well, United Nations could take us as an excellent example. And always then, when I store away the last Christmas item, in kind or thought, I think of the coming Christmas and if we have the grace to be still together, healthy and in fine spirit. I hope so very much that we can. Rita Schwärzler-Abbt, the Christmas Party Convenor
Swiss Club of Victoria
Test your Swiss Knowledge 1 5 4
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Across Traditional mask/character of the Basel Carnival (Fasnacht). Name of the new Federal Concillor. Sarnersee (Lake Sarnen) is in which canton? Geneva is this year celebrating the 300th anniversary of the birth of one of its greatest sons and philosopher. Who is he? 13. Surname of William Tell’s son. 14. New Swiss Club Group. 15. Swiss comedian. 2. 3. 6. 12.
Down 1. Which Swiss explorer was called ‘Father of the Himalayas’? 4. Swiss ski ace that won the women’s World Cup Super G this year. 5. Swiss Club member who recently celebrated his 90th birthday. 7. What is the name of the triangular scarf typical for many Swiss folkloric costumes? 8. Start of the Basel Carnival (Fasnacht). 9. The most common white grape variety cultivated in Switzerland. 10. Which cheese was first produced by, and is named after, the monks of the abbey of Bellelay near Moutier? 11. In which city would you find the Castelgrande, Castle Montebello and Castle Sasso Corbaro? For answers go to page 13 Please note: The Second Floor will be rented out to the Comedy Festival from 28 March to 22 April and therefore will be unavailable to any events or usage by subgroups. The Swiss Club apologises for any inconvenience caused.
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‘Father of the Himalayas’ makes last journey With the death of geologist and mountaineer Augusto Gansser, Switzerland lost an adventure-loving scientist who survived ‘exceptional journeys’. Along with Jacques Piccard and Nicolas Bouvier, Gansser was part of a group of Swiss adventurers and travellers of the 20th century who helped put Switzerland on the world map – and put the world on Switzerland’s map. He was also a professor and photographer who brought passion to every aspect of his rich and varied life. Gansser, who undertook pioneering work in the Himalayas as well as in Tibet and Bhutan, died aged 101 at his home in Lugano on 9 January. “He loved adventure, nature and the mountains. He carried out exceptional journeys, also discovering unknown mountains. In Greenland there’s a Mount Lugano and in Colombia, a Toti Peak, named after my mother,â€? Luca Gansser, one of Augusto’s six children said. “He used to say that he felt like a prisoner in his own body.â€? Blue eyes Born in 1910 in Milan, Italy, to a Swiss father and German mother, Gansser studied geology at Zurich University. But before ďŹ nishing his doctorate, he had already succumbed to the lure of adventure, taking part in a scientiďŹ c expedition to Greenland aged just 24. “They were travelling on a ship with three masts and were stuck for three months in the ice,â€? Luca Gansser said. In 1936 he carried out arguably his most famous journey, joining the ďŹ rst Swiss geological expedition to the Himalayas. He soon decided to break off from the group to explore the border between India and the mysterious Tibet on his own. “He was one of the ďŹ rst foreigners to set foot in Tibet,â€? Luca Gansser said. “He entered illegally, disguised as a Buddhist pilgrim.â€? At this time Tibet was a British protectorate and foreigners were not allowed in. “The only thing that I couldn’t hide were my blue eyes,â€? Augusto Gansser once said in an interview with the ‘Corriere del Ticino’ newspaper. “But I was able to hide lots of things under my pilgrim’s cloak, such as a hammer and compass.â€? While exploring the Himalayas, Gansser arrived at Mount Kailash (6,638 metres), where he made one of his most important discoveries. At the foot of the sacred mountain he found the point of contact between the Indian and the Eurasian plates. Gansser was one of the ďŹ rst Swiss to study the model of plate tectonics, said Jean-Pierre Burg, professor at the Institute of
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Geology at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich. “His pioneering work in the Himalayas will probably always be remembered,â€? added Burg. In 1964 Gansser published ‘Geology of the Himalayas’, considered a reference book in its ďŹ eld. He also authored publications on mountain formation, as well as on the countryside and people of the Himalayan region. In 1983 Peshawar University in Pakistan bestowed upon him the honorary title ‘Baba Himalaya’, or ‘Father of the Himalayas’, in recognition of his work. Shah’s court Gansser carried out research in Tibet and mapping work in Bhutan – which earned him the friendship of the then sovereign Jigme Dorij Wangchuck – and he travelled the world, exploring the Middle East and Latin America. In Colombia he worked for the oil company Shell, drawing up geological maps with his wife. In the 1950s he found himself at the court of the Shah of Persia, who designated him chief geologist of the state oil company. But in 1956 disaster struck. During one of the drillings, a sudden increase in jet pressure led to millions of tons of crude oil spilling out, causing enormous black lakes and upsetting the natural environment. Gansser was upset by the sight of “so many water birds ying down towards the lakes thinking they were waterâ€?, as he recounted in the ‘Corriere del Ticino’ interview. Engineers decided the best way to deal with the catastrophe was to contain and set ďŹ re to the oil. “It was the largest controlled ďŹ re ever set by man,â€? remembered Gansser. Gansser reached the ripe old age of 101. The reason for his longevity might be found in one of his anecdotes. “Near Mount Kailash, the lama in charge of the monastery where I was gave me some pills for a long life. I’m grateful to them to this day, because it seems that they have worked really well‌â€?
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Swiss Club of Victoria
2012 dates: 16 March Swiss Club Doubles Championship 15 June Bernard Sandoz Cup TBC Swiss Championship Bookings are essential, please ring Roger at the Swiss Club or myself on 9439 7593 or 0418 645 313. New players always welcome. Looking forward to a great tournament this year. Louis Schneider
We seek your help! The Swiss Festival Committee is looking for volunteers and helpers for the upcoming Swiss Festival 2012, which will be held on Sunday, 25 March at the Austrian Club in Heidelberg. We are seeking your assistance to set up the festival, various tasks throughout the event itself as well as the packing up of stalls and equipment afterwards. Volunteers are needed for the following time slots on the Festival weekend:
Saturday, 24 March Sunday, 25 March
Upcoming Jass Nights - 2012 Swiss Club
1st 2nd 3rd 4th & Final
17 March 2 June 7 July 15 September
Matterhorn
1st 2nd 3rd
25 February 5 May 11 August
ADANCED NOTICE
Australian Jass Championship Sunday, 10 June (Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend) All day including Lunch. Held at the Club. Mark it in your diary. More information to follow or contact Roger on 9650 1196. Also, the Queensland Swiss Club Jass Championship is held in Brisbane on Sunday, 15 April. Ring Roger for more information.
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2pm – 4pm 10am – 6pm
We will honour a two-hour contribution with a beverage and a meal at the festival itself. Tasks on the day of the festival may include working at any food or beverage stall, selling tickets for the guessing competition or helping with parking to name a few. The annual Swiss Festival has grown considerably in the last few years and we are expecting a crowd of over 1,000 spectators. This is our platform to showcase our fascinating history and culture to Australia, so become part of the team and support the Swiss Festival 2012 as a Volunteer! Please contact the Swiss Festival Community Liaison Coordinator Chantal Imbach on 9439 4270, 0413 216 589 or email chantal@swissfestival.com.au Become a fan of the Swiss Festival on facebook (www. facebook.com/Swiss-Festival-Australia), follow our daily updates on Twitter (@SwissFestivalAU) or visit our homepage www.swissfestival.com.au Yours sincerely, Swiss Festival Committee: Patrick Albert, Bruno Giger, Chantal Imbach, Damian Schaller, Rolf Huber Get connected on www.SwissCommunity.org
Test your Swiss Knowledge - Answers Across: 2. Waggis; 3. AlainBerset; 6. Obwalden; 12. JeanJacquesRousseau; 13. Walter; 14. SwissKids; 15. MarcoRima Down: 1. AugustoGansser; 4. FabienneSuter; 5. AntonErb; 7. Fichu; 8. Morgestraich; 9. Chasselas; 10. TêteDeMoine; 11. Bellinzona
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Ticking Along with Swiss Kids Dianne Dicks, Katalin Fekete & Marc Locatelli (Illustrator)
Basel flour soup
Publisher: Bergli Books ISBN: 978-3-905252-15-6 Language: German/ English 127 pages 34.00 CHF
It is pointless seeking the original recipe because there are dozens of ways of making this traditional dish. But one thing is clear: a Basel carnival without flour soup is unthinkable. The soup is brown, it is said, because one day a cook was chatting away and burned the flour while roasting it. Instead of throwing away the precious ingredients, the mishap was ignored and Basel’s famous brown flour soup was born.
A fun way for children and parents to learn about Switzerland. Susy and Thomas need to tell their Uncle George the secret only Swiss kids know. Lucky for them that they meet Angela who loves books and can give them lots of exciting tips. Together they explore what Switzerland is all about; its languages, food, festivities, customs, and fun places to visit. Angela also shows them what to expect in the neighbourhood and at school, what kids read, sing, play and how they get along. She also explains all the do’s and don’ts, what they need to watch out for, what they can discover at school and on adventures throughout the country. Children from ages 6 to 12 will enjoy the playful cartoons and illustrations and the many photographs showing all aspects of life in Switzerland in all its diversity. Includes songs with their musical scores, a one-act play, maps, lists of hundreds of places to visit, and a 32-card language game to help kids enjoy trying to speak a Swiss language. To receive a free PDF with 40 suggestions for using ‘Ticking along with Swiss Kids’ in the classroom or to help children (or their parents) learn about Switzerland, contact info@bergli.ch. Here is what a parent said: “Not really a German textbook, but if you don’t have a copy of ‘Ticking along with Swiss Kids’ I would advise getting one. It is a really good introduction to Switzerland and Swiss traditions and has some basic flash cards in all four Swiss languages. I have to say I found it really interesting even as an adult!”
Preparation time: approx. 1½ hrs Makes approx. 800 ml
Available online from: Bergli Books, www.bergli.ch Special message from the publisher: If several Swiss Club members wish to get together to make a bulk order of say 7 to 10 copies of this book in one package, I would be glad to grant you a reduction of 30%.
It’s your Club. Get involved
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Ingredients 5 tbsp plain flour 50 g butter 1 onion, cut into thin strips 1 litre of meat stock 100 g Gruyère, grated Directions Put flour in a deep pan and stir over medium heat until it is roasted nut brown. Reduce heat, tip flour onto a plate to cool. Melt the butter in the same pan, then add the onion strips. Sweat slowly for approx. 3 minutes, then return the flour to the pan. Wisk the stock into the flour, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for approx. 1 hour. Pour soup into warmed bowls and top with grated cheese. En Guete! From ’The Swiss Cookbook‘ by Betty Bossy. See ’Edelweiss‘ June 2010.
Want a taste of Switzerland? Visit the Swiss Club Restaurant
Natural & Safe Surface Treatments t Plant based, non toxic t Free of harmful chemicals t Ingredients fully declared t Safe for children t Low allergenic t Easy to rejuvenate For our full product range visit www.livos.com.au - (03) 9762 9181
Swiss Club of Victoria
‘A Taste of Switzerland’ now online To celebrate the launch of our new homepage and its Swiss recipe section called ‘A taste of Switzerland’, http:// swissclubvic.wordpress.com/category/edelweissnewsletter/a-taste-of-switzerland/ in this edition of the websurf column we are looking at websites that are dedicated to Swiss food and the art of cooking Swiss dishes. In 2010 I set myself the New Year’s resolution to cook more. Little did I know at that time that it would become one of my favourite hobbies. Together with my beautiful girlfriend Melinda we are writing a food blog highlighting the differences between Australian and Swiss Cuisine. Visit www.foodbydandm.blogspot.com to read more about our culinary adventures. My favourite cookbook is my old school cookbook, ‘Tiptopf’, that is used all around Switzerland to teach young pupils on how to cook ‘Swiss’. It is not surprising then to hear that 2 million copies of ‘Tiptopf ’have been sold and have made their way into many Swiss kitchens www.schulverlag.ch/ page/content/index.asp?MenuID=1495&ID=1984&Menu=1&Ite m=1.2.11.1 I like recipes from Betty Bossi www.bettybossi.ch as they always work out due to their easy instructions and everyday ingredients which you can find at your local supermarket. Their recipe database contains over 3,000 Swiss dishes which you can look at online or print out, the site even includes the possibility to print a shopping list. Of course you can order any of the famous Betty Bossi cookbooks online but I prefer their latest offering: The personalised cookbook. You can choose a picture for the cover, write your own foreword and make your own selection of Betti Bossy recipes for the book. If you want to learn more follow this link http://foodbydandm.blogspot. com/2012/01/personalising-your-cookbook.html Like Australia our home country has its very own celebrity chefs and Annemarie Wildeisen can be seen on Swiss TV daily showcasing her food creations. www.wildeisen.ch offers a great range of recipes but also contains links to their very own cooking magazine and a fantastic ‘Tips and Tricks’ section which works a bit like a kitchen compendium.
The young Swiss star chef Ralph Schelling is featured on the site ‘saisonküche’ http://www.saison.ch/de/ which is published by Migros. Recipes reflect what Swiss are cooking today and the site has a user section which allows members to upload their own creations and give you the possibility to rate and comment on recipes. A section about the basics of cooking provides simple instructions for beginning cooks to get things right in the kitchen. If you are looking for Swiss recipes in english visit http://www.food.com/recipes/swiss which contains a selection of Swiss classics. Alternatively if you need your recipes in proper German (e.g. the ingredients using the word Sahne instead of Rahm) look at http://www. chefkoch.de/rs/s0g89/Schweizer-Rezepte.html which contains 953 Swiss recipes. If you Google recipes you are confronted with a staggering 480 million plus results, what’s interesting is that there hasn’t been a standardised format devised yet for sharing them. hRecipe seems to be a new and likely contender delivering a solution to this question. If you want to learn more read my recent article http://foodbydandm.blogspot. com/2011/12/electronic-format-for-recipes.html
It is quite interesting to note how popular the topic of food has become over the past few years. Several newsagents reckon sales for cookery-related magazines and publications had increased by more than 30%, year-on-year. And the Swiss Club restaurant stands for Swiss cuisine in Australia and has therefore been mentioned on several sites on the internet. Visit these links to see what Australians think of our cooking and why not leave a review of your own to advertise our style of cuisine. http://foodsmiths.com.au/2011/11/eating-with-your-eyes-only/ www.thatsmelbourne.com.au/DiningandNightlife/Restaurants/ CasualDining/Pages/1150.aspx www.urbanspoon.com/r/71/761837/restaurant/CBD/Swiss-Clubof-Victoria-Melbourne www.eatability.com.au/au/melbourne/swiss-club-of-victoria/ www.tripadvisor.com.au/Restaurant_Review-g255100-d728544Reviews-Swiss_Club_of_Victoria-Melbourne_Victoria.html http://yourrestaurants.com.au/guide/?action=venue&venue_ url=swiss_club_restaurant Damian Schaller, Marketing Manager Have your say at the AGM
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‘e-voting for everyone’ A Petition to the Federal Council from the OSA The Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA) has launched a Petition calling for the introduction, as quickly as possible, of voting in elections and referenda via the Internet (e-voting and e-election). Please lend your support to this Petition, as the number of signatures will be decisive to its success. To sign, you can go straight to:
Are you ready for another wonderful year of exciting guest speakers, Rogers delicious food and catching up with old and new friends. If you have never been to a Luncheon give it a try. Everybody is welcome. Bring along a friend or two. Dates for the forthcoming luncheons in 2012 are:
s 7EDNESDAY -ARCH s 7EDNESDAY -AY 0RICE PP FOR MEMBERS PP FOR NON MEMBERS )NCLUDES COURSE MEAL WINE SOFT DRINKS AND COFFEE For information and bookings ring me on 9889 9321or Roger at the Club on 9650 1196. Bookings are essential! Heidy Giger
www.petition.aso.ch e-voting is especially important for the Swiss abroad. Post delivered late, or to the wrong address, repeatedly prevents them from participating in elections and referenda. But there is also strong interest in e-voting from within Switzerland, especially from the younger generation. The Petition addresses both the Federal Council and the competent cantonal authorities, as the cantons as well as the Federal Government are responsible for organising elections and referenda. The Petition will be presented to the Federal Council in August 2012, on the occasion of the Congress of the Swiss Abroad. You can sign directly via the Internet: www.petition.aso.ch or print out a signature form: www.aso.ch  Politics  Petition. Please send completed signature forms to: OSA, Alpenstrasse 26, 3006 Bern, Switzerland Alternatively, visit the OSA information stand at the Swiss Festival were you will have the opportunity to sign the Petition. Please support us, so we can support you, thank you! Roland Isler – Council of the Swiss Abroad
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Follow the Swiss Club on Social Media! You can ďŹ nd us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ Swissclubvic, on Twitter @SwissClubVic or on YouTube http:// www.youtube.com/SwissClubVictoria
SWISS CLUB MOVIE ‘Champions’ “It is never to late for a comebackâ€? Wednesday, 16 May 2012, 8pm Swiss Club, 2nd oor CH 2009. Comedy. With Marco Rima, Andrea Zogg, JĂśrg Schneider Duration: 100 mins. Swiss German, English Subtitles http://www.champions-derďŹ lm.ch/medien.html What happens when the EHC Arosa, once the Swiss champions in ice hockey and pride of the region, goes bankrupt just when it needs to defend it’s rank in the league? And when the players have to be sold, leaving only a junior team that has been robbed of all future prospects with one fell swoop? There is only one solution: the former champions have to get off their duffs, squeeze their bellies into the hockey uniforms again and save the club from impending doom. 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.
Swiss Club of Victoria
NOTICE
Dear compatriots, I would like to wish you and your families a very happy, healthy and successful new year. As in previous years, I again had the privilege to travel to Victoria, particularly Melbourne, on several occasions. The ďŹ rst ofďŹ cial Swiss Pavilion at the Avalon International Airshow 2011 with an unforgettable Swiss night, the Swiss Festival 2011 in Heidelberg, the outstanding performance of the Swiss Chamber Music Groups at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition and the opening of the exhibition in Geelong, dedicated to Nicholas Chevalier, were Victorian highlights for the entire Swiss community across Australia. In the current climate of internet and social media our ways of working and living have changed dramatically. On 24 January 2007, the Federal Council adopted a national eGovernment strategy. This strategy is aiming to enable businesses and the population to carry out important transactions with the authorities electronically. The authorities in turn are called upon to modernise their business processes and to communicate electronically on their behalf. EGovernment is already an important tool for the Swiss living in Australia and should become a simple and stress-free way of communicating between you and the staff of the Consulate General. In this context I would like to invite you to visit the website of the Swiss Consulate General in Sydney www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/ocea.html. The link ‘consular services‘ guides you to all relevant information regarding registration at the Consulate General. You will be able to ďŹ nd online forms for changes of addresses information about passport and identity card, civil status affairs, military obligations, Swiss citizenship, voluntary AHV/IV and guidelines and tips for a potential return to Switzerland. Certainly, our staff will continue assisting you on the phone or face-to-face in our ofďŹ ce. Indeed, in any account it is currently still indispensable to come personally to the Consulate General in Sydney to obtain and store your biometric characteristics for the new Swiss passport. However, hopefully by the second half of this year or during the next year, a mobile passport station will be in use in Australia. This station allows storing biometrical speciďŹ cations at every place in Australia. Thanks to this new technology, staff-members of the Consulate General in Sydney will be able to see you face-to-face on scheduled appointments. This will provide me and my staff the opportunity to further deepen our contacts within the Swiss community in Victoria. I’m looking forward to seeing you at the upcoming Swiss festival in Heidelberg on the 25 March again. Markus Meli – Consul General of Switzerland
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2012 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, 14 March 2012, 8pm Agenda: 1. Opening and Welcome 2. One Minute of Silence 3. Attendance, Apologies, Proxies 4. Adoption of Minutes of Half-Yearly General Meeting 2011 5. President’s Report 6. Accounts and Financial Statements 7. Election of OfďŹ ce Bearers 8. General Business: – Question Time 9. Conclusion
Minutes of the 2011 HalfYearly General Meeting of the SCV Held Wednesday, 14 September 2011 at 89 Flinders Lane, Melbourne /PENING AND 7ELCOME The President of the Swiss Club of Victoria, Ms Barbara KĂźndig opened the Half-Yearly General Meeting at 8.10pm and welcomed the Honorary Life Members, and Members of the Swiss Club. She thanked everyone for attending the Half-Yearly Meeting. A total of 21 voting members were present. /NE -INUTE OF 3ILENCE Barbara invited all members to stand up and observe one minute of silence to remember our friends and members, who have left us. In true Swiss Club tradition before the Annual General Meeting, Roger Moullet and his team serve
‘SchĂźblig & Potato Salad’ Special price for members attending the AGM "OOKINGS ESSENTIAL ON A la carte menu also available at regular prices.
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!POLOGIES Sigrid de Castella, Anne De Castella, Sylvia & Fritz Hochuli, Arnold Kramer, Marcel Muntwyler, Paul & Janette Eisenegger, Rita & Herbert Schwaerzler, Irma & Chris Thalmann, Ross Weber, Andrea Pinch, Verena Steiner, Remy & Susan Favre, A.P. Boll, Kurt Rietmann, Doris Marr, Christina Borg-Bono, Erika Kimpton, Marlis Birmele, Margrit & Sepp Krummenacher, Colin Eichenberger, Colin Wilkinson, Ernst Huegli, Patrick Rychner, Gerda Probst, Doris Diserens, Terry Mylvaganam, Sue Schnellmann, Basil Jenkins.
Ambassador of Switzerland, Dr Daniel Woker and Mrs Myriam Woker. They not only met our members at lunch time, but also came along to the Lantern procession along the Yarra and then joined a full house at dinner at the club.
!DOPTION OF -INUTES OF !NNUAL 'ENERAL -EETING March 2011 The Minutes of the Annual General Meeting, held Wednesday, 16 March, 2011, were published in the September 2011 Newsletter and copies of the ďŹ nancials were distributed at this meeting. The Minutes had been read and are a true record. They were moved by Roger Moullet and seconded by Hans Keller. All in favour.
In late August, Rolf Huber organised a wine and cheese evening together with Malcolm Stopp from Lehman Wines and Ueli Berger from King Island Dairy. The event was well received and enjoyed by the participants. After the tasting, many went down to the restaurant to enjoy a 3-course dinner created by our chef Roger Moullet. Thank you very much to Rolf for organising this event in such a short time.
0RESIDENT S 2EPORT Dear Honorary Life Members, honorary members and members, Thank you for coming to the Half-Yearly Meeting. The past six months, since March, have passed quickly. Before we realise it Christmas Festivities will start and the year draws to a close. Many of our members have been travelling to Switzerland this year. We hope they had a good time. At the Swiss Club our usual functions took place, with the Swiss Festival in April, which again was well attended and successful thanks to the cooperation of many Swiss Groups, not only belonging to the Swiss Club, as well as the hard work of the Swiss Festival Committee. We extend our thanks to the organising committee and their president, Rolf Huber. The Folkdance Group Alpenrose organised their Unterhaltungsabend in May, which guaranteed a full house. Thank you to Sylvia Hochuli and group for their continuous commitment to bringing Swiss Music and dance to life in Melbourne. The Jass evenings came to a conclusion with the last Jass last Saturday. Many thanks to Paul Eisenegger and his helpers for putting these evenings together. In June, the inaugural Australian Jass Championships took place at the club. This was an initiative by Roger Moullet and Hans Keller and Pat Calabresi sponsoring the trophy in memory of our late President, Primo Calabresi. We thank them for their time and effort and are proud that the ďŹ rst three winners were all Swiss Club members! Our seniors enjoyed the traditional Seniors Luncheon in July. Thank you to Walter Purtschert for entertaining us with his guitar and to Sylvia Hochuli for helping with the organisation of the event. Swiss National Day fell on a Monday this year. As it was the beginning of the week, the committee decided to organise a luncheon for once. We thought this would also give members, who no longer like to go out in the evening, an opportunity to participate in a function. We had a guest speaker, Ray Henderson, Author of ‘From Jolimont to Yering’ speak about the early Swiss Vignerons. Our guests of honour were the
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The Companion Singers are celebrating their 20th anniversary with a celebratory evening in November. We congratulate the Companion Singers for 20 years of singing and entertaining not only Swiss Club Members, but also bringing joy to the wider Swiss Community during their various performances over the years.
There have been comments that the walls on the Second Floor are a bit empty. We have been listening and will start with some artwork for the Conference room. There is a ‘Swiss Images’ competition presently taking place. We are certain; we have many talented members among us who enjoy taking photographs. We invite you to enter one of your ‘Swiss’ photos into our photographic competition. Details are in the newsletter and the deadline for entries is the 30th September. You probably have noticed the beautiful new ag in the restaurant. Roland Isler made the effort to research and purchase the ag for us during his recent visit to Switzerland. Thank you Roland for thinking of the Swiss Club even during your holidays. We also thank Roland for his continuous effort with the Newsletter. It is very informative and well researched. For the past year, we have been looking for sponsorship for the coats of arms on our glass panels to the conference room. This drive has now been closed and we are really pleased to inform you that thanks to the generosity of our members we were able to collect $12,100. To all the member families, who got involved, we thank them all very much for their generosity. Tony Boll ....................................................................ZH Kurt Born.................................................................... BL Hans Brunner .............................................................ZH Rena Bueler................................................................ SZ Damian Schaller & Melinda Varley ............................. BL Agnes Eliane DaPos Ross-Lyn & Paul De Castella ...................................... NE John C. DelacrĂŠtaz..................................................... VD RĂŠmy Favre ................................................................VS Greig Foletta ............................................................... TI Albert Foster ..............................................................SG Rosmarie Fries ............................................................ZH Margrit Gasinski-Aepli ...............................................SG Heinz & Charlotte Gujer .............................................ZH Maerely Hein-Lutz ......................................................SG Hofmann Family ................................ NW / ZH / AG / SG Ann & Tony Hyams ..................................................... JU Barbara KĂźndig ..........................................................ZH Peter Noser ................................................................GL Walter & Barbara Purtschert ......................................BS Marta & Roy Rogers-Locher .......................................LU Sigrid De Castella & Antony Anderson ....................... FR Swiss Club of Victoria
Swiss Folk Dance Group Alpenrose / Gwen Eckhardt The Wanner Family .....................................BE / ZH / AG Marcel & Trudi Theiler ........................................ BE / AR Angela & Fritz Voser .................................................. AG Maya Wagner ............................................................ AR Derrick, Maura & Amanda Wildi .................................BS Colin Wilkinson As you might have noticed, we can now completely lock off the kitchen, and we will also put some frosting onto these glass panels. Patrick Rychner, who also designed the conference door panels, will assist us with a design. You all know our building is old and its infrastructure needs update from time to time. At the moment this is the case for the electricity. With two restaurants and the second oor, electricity usage has increased dramatically over the years. The system cannot cope anymore and we have to upgrade the electricity to the building. This is a rather expensive exercise and we look at a cost of approx. $20,000 at the moment. We would like to extend our gratitude and thank to the Swiss Benevolent Society and their president Franz Schnellman and committee for supporting the Swiss Club with rental and storage income over 5 years in the amount of $10,000. We truly appreciate your support. My thanks also go to the committee for their continuous effort and considerable input to the Swiss Club. I would like especially thank Derrick Wildi, our treasurer, for not only doing a wonderful job with the ďŹ gures, but also for his effort in revamping and redesigning our member database. It was a tremendous job, lots of hours spent, but we truly appreciate his effort. Over the past months we have also started to redo our website. We wanted to move to a more interactive and user-friendly system. Damian Schaller has spent countless hours getting this project off the ground. Thank you to Damian for all the hard work and time. Damian will show and explain the website in the course of this meeting. Many thanks also to Tony Anderson and Sigrid De Castella for their time and effort on all things building related. It is a lot of work, hardly seen by anyone, but so necessary to keep our building spick and span. We are presently working on getting the torn carpet in the stairwell replaced and the wood railings freshened up. I would like to close by thanking you, the members, for your continuous support, thank you to Roger Moullet and his team for their effort in making the Swiss Club a home away for home for the members and visitors alike. Barbara KĂźndig, President 4REASURER S 2EPORT The current ďŹ nancial year is dominated by focusing on generating revenue from our newly refurbished 2nd oor as well as working to complete necessary maintenance to our building. The committee has been trying hard to ďŹ nd customers for renting the 2nd oor with mixed success. At present we have a couple of leads for regular tenants, which would be the preferred option as this would reduce the logistics signiďŹ cantly. If you have any parties interested of renting the second oor please contact the committee and we are more than happy to follow up.
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On the other hand the committee is grateful for the support of the members for the terriďŹ c uptake in sponsoring ags on the window to the committee room. A signiďŹ cant amount was raised which helped to ďŹ nance the refurbishment of the second oor. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the Swiss Society of Victoria, which entered a two year rental agreement of our facilities on the second oor. In light of all the events the YTD loss of $5,200 - as of August 2011 is a true reection of the economical environment we currently experience. Below are the balance sheet details and the P & L details as at 31 August 2011 Assets Cash / Bank Account .............................. $91,832 Deposits ................................................... $8,665 Accounts receivable .................................... $100 Land ..................................................... $210,000 Building................................................ $260,409 Plant & Equipment ................................ $85,842 Furniture & Fittings ................................ $75,347 Freehold improvements........................ $178,175
Swiss Club of Victoria
Nomination Form for OfďŹ ce Bearers for 2012 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 28 February 2012.
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Total Equity:................................... $901,644
major consequence will be the fact that fewer members will be available to participate in club activities in the future and there is also the real challenge of ďŹ nding sufďŹ cient volunteers to ďŹ ll the various positions to run the club. As example the current committee is not able to ďŹ ll the vacancy of the secretary of the club and responsibilities need to be shared by all committee members aside from their regular duties. Therefore it would be much appreciated if any member feeling that they are able to contribute in running the club in some shape or form could contact any of the committee members to discuss how you are able to assist. Please remember that the club is run by volunteers and the running of the club is dependent on volunteers. Derrick Wildi, Membership Administration
Income Membership Fees ................................... $20,043 ..........17% Rent ....................................................... $78,801 ..........69% Sponsorship / Donations .......................... $7,880 ............7% Various ..................................................... $7,987 ............7% Total Income .................................. $114,711
"UILDINGS 2EPORT The following points were covered at the AGM: - Upgrade to main electrical feed into the building due to upgrade to Terra Rossa kitchen. Tony noted that the upgrade would have to be done at some stage in the future anyway.
Improvement 2nd Floor....................... $312,286 Total Assets................................. $1,222,656 Liabilities Accounts payable ....................................... $5,24 Bank Loan AN ...................................... $315,878 Other creditors ........................................... -$111 Prepaid membership ..................................... $ – Total Liabilities .............................. $321,012 Equity Members Funds ................................... $906,827 Movie Fund ................................................... $28 ProďŹ t / (Loss) ........................................... -$5,211
Expenses Building Operations ............................... $26,553 ..........22% Building Maintenance .............................. $9,947 ............8% Depreciation........................................... $32,000 ..........27% 2nd Floor.................................................. $4,568 ............4% Bank Fees ............................................... $20,867 ..........17% Insurance ............................................... $15,432 ..........13% Member Services ...................................... $7,854 ............7% Legal and Accounting............................... $2,701 ............2% Total Expenses ............................... $119,922
Proxy Form for the Annual General Meeting 2012 of the Swiss Club of Victoria To: the Secretary of the Swiss Club of Victoria (please use block letters)
For the rest of the year there are no major surprises expected and the current situation should remain about the same. Derrick Wildi, Treasurer
I,
-EMBERSHIP 2EPORT The current number of active membership is 423. This is after all non paying members for 2011 have been deactivated from our membership database and is down from 449 at the beginning of the year. On the bright side we had 13 new members joining the club during this year. Various statistics were presented during the meeting showing different views of the structure of our members. The focus over the next couple years will be to close the gap between members being aged over 65 and under 65 years. As can be seen from the graph below, this gap has the potential to create signiďŹ cant issues in the future if not attended. One
my address being:
being a member of the Swiss Club of Victoria,
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, 14 March 2012 and at every adjournment thereof. Signed by hand this
day of
2012
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.
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Swiss Club of Victoria
The price is estimated to be $24,000 plus any cabinetry work in the entry to accommodate the new equipment. He mentioned that the committee was waiting on a quote from electricity company about the Swiss Club contributions; - He spoke about the implementation of a Building Maintenance forms to get better control over the building maintenance costs; - There was discussion of the Building Maintenance plan to try and reduce unexpected costs such as lift repairs; - Tony updated the members on the kitchen and the new fridges. Tony Anderson, Building Management 'ENERAL "USINESS Internet & Social Media s )NTRODUCTION s .EW 3WISS #LUB HOMEPAGE s &ACEBOOK s 4WITTER s 9OU4UBE Swiss Club New homepage Damian showcased the new site which offers Social media integration. There is no login required, and Photo and Video content are displayed prominently. The new webpage also works on Smartphone & Tablets. Pages include Swiss Club Restaurant, The Second Floor, Swiss Club Groups, Swiss Community Info, Swiss Club Events, Edelweiss Newsletter, Photo Albums, Swiss Club Movies. Damian introduced to the attendees the concept of Social Media. He explained how Facebook works and displayed some site statistics and demographics of our user group. At the AGM the number of lifetime likes was 146, we had 39,543 post views and 403 feedbacks on these posts. Our demographics show the biggest group of users are female with 52%, mainly in the age group between 25-34 (22%). 107 of our viewers are from Australia, 16 from Switzerland and many other countries see our pages. A short demonstration of Twitter followed where Damian displayed some statistics around the Swiss Club tweets. On average the Swiss Club is mentioned once every 7 hours online with a ‘passion’ of 59%. We only have a total reach of 5% and the top keywords are Swiss, Club, Festival and Victoria. The Swiss Club YouTube channel is also introduced where viewers can see footage from recent events such as the Swiss Festival or the visit of the Swiss Cycling team at the Club. Damian explains that full statics for each video are available and asks the members to give the videos a ‘Thumbs up’.
Ueli Steck in Action Ueli Steck, a carpenter from canton Bern, has become known as one of the world's most extreme mountaineers. On February 13, 2008, Steck broke his own speed record of 3hrs 54min on the Eiger North Face, when he climbed the sheer wall in 2hrs 47min. w w w.s w i s sc lu bv i c .co m
In conclusion he mentions that we need the members help to drive web trafďŹ c to our new sites. s 6ISIT OUR SITE WWW SWISSCLUBVIC COM s &OLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA s 4WITTER 3WISS#LUB6IC s &ACEBOOK 3WISS #LUB 6ICTORIA s 9OU4UBE 3WISS #LUB 6ICTORIA Damian Schaller, Corporate Communication Questions and Comments: Electrical upgrade The members wanted to know, why the committee had not planned for the electrical upgrade to take place at the time of the second oor renovation (referring to the cost of installing a new circuit board.) To this Derrick Wildi and Tony Anderson replied that the electrical upgrade is not at all related to the Second Floor. The situation arose with Terra Rossa installing a pizza oven which would require a much higher power consumption thus necessitating an upgrade of the circuit board. Power consumption has steadily risen over the years but the electrical system of the Swiss Club has not been upgraded in all these years. Further to this Hans Keller wanted to know how many amps are drawn currently to which Tony Anderson replied 200 amps. Roland Isler asked when the next Terra Rossa rental review would take place to which Derrick Wildi replied this time is now based on market situation. Negotiations are under way. Roland Isler also inquired about succession plans of the presidency to which Barbara KĂźndig replied, that despite all efforts no volunteer has come forward as yet for the ofďŹ ce of president. Franz Schnellmann also asked the committee whether it had ever considered installing solar panels to cut greenhouse impact. Tony Anderson replied that to date the SCV has no plans but that the committee will investigate the matter and is keen to be green. Franz Schnellmann expressed his gratitude towards the committee for a job well done. Another question was raised by Sonia Sonderegger who inquired about the photo competition and was interested to know what sort of pictures the committee had in mind for the conference room. Barbara KĂźndig said any sort of pictures or images of Swiss landscapes would be ďŹ tting for hanging on the wall. #ONCLUSION As there were no further questions from the members, Barbara closed the Half-Yearly General Meeting by thanking all present for their continuous interest & support in the Swiss Club of Victoria. The meeting closed at 9.35pm and all members were invited for a drink. Minutes taken as a correct record by Rolf Huber, member of committee
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Swiss Events & Functions 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
Wednesday 15 Saturday 25
Swiss Movie Night: Wätter Schmöcker Jass Night - Matterhorn
MARCH
Thursday Saturday Wednesday 7EDNESDAY Friday Saturday Sunday Wednesday
01 03 07 16 17 25 28
Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand entertains at the Club SwissKids Ladies’ Luncheon !..5!, '%.%2!, -%%4).' Billiard: Swiss Club Doubles Championship Jass Night - Swiss Club SWISS FESTIVAL Comedy Festival starts (2nd floor unavailable until 22 April)
APRIL
Sunday Monday
22 30
Comedy Festival ends Editorial Deadline - Newsletter June issue
MAY
Wednesday Thursday Saturday Saturday Saturday Wednesday
02 03 05 05 12 16
Ladies’ Luncheon Kapelle Grüezi Mitenand entertains at the Club SwissKids Jass Night - Matterhorn Unterhaltungsabend - Swiss Folk Dance Group Alpenrose Movie Night at the Club - ‘Champions’
OTHER REGULAR SWISS CLUB MEETINGS:
From a 1952 Tourist Map of Switzerland (last in the series)
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 SwissKids: meet on the 1st Saturday of every month, from 2pm to 4pm The Swiss Diners Club: dates for get-together can be found on www.swiss.org.au or on our Yahoo group http://groups. yahoo.com/group/YoungSwissMelbourne
SWISS NEWS, WORLD WIDE
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Swiss Club of Victoria
CBD FUNCTION AND MEETING ROOM WITH A DIFFERENCE The Second Floor at the Swiss Club
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s 4HEATRE STYLE SEATING FOR UP TO s 7ORK SHOP SEATING FOR UP TO s #OCKTAIL SET UP FOR UP TO s 0RIVATE MEETING ROOM FOR UP TO s !RCHITECT DESIGNED SPACE s #HOICE OF CATERING FROM THE 3WISS #LUB 2ESTAURANT OR 4ERRA 2OSSA s -ODERN AMENITIES
s "ASIC COFFEE MAKING FACILITIES s 0ARKING CLOSE BY s MINUTES WALK TO &LINDERS 3TREET OR 0ARLIAMENT 3TATION s MINUTES WALK TO 4RAM s &RIENDLY VENUE WITH 3WISS HISTORY s #OMPETITIVE RATES
/2 $)..%2 $!.#% &5.#4)/.3 ,!5.#(%3 02)6!4% %6%.43
s 5NBEATABLE LOCATION s !MPLE PARKING CLOSE BY s 4RAIN TRAM AND BUS CLOSE BY s $INNER SEATING FOR UP TO s #OCKTAIL SET UP TO s $ANCE mOOR s !RCHITECT DESIGNED MODERN SPACE WITH LOTS OF AMBIENCE
s -ODERN AMENITIES s #HOICE OF CATERING FROM THE 3WISS #LUB 2ESTAURANT OR 4ERRA 2OSSA s #HOICE OF "9/ CATERER s #ATERING KITCHEN WITH OVENS MICROWAVE AND INDUSTRIAL DISHWASHER s &RIENDLY VENUE WITH 3WISS HISTORY s #OMPETITIVE RATES
!4 4(% 0%2&%#4 6%.5% n 4(% 37)33 #,5" /& 6)#4/2)! Contact us on E: info@swissclubvic.com T: 1300 893 968 to check for availability, more information or a quote
Dancers, Singers & Matterhorn performing at Nursing Homes
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Senior Christmas
Chevalierr Generall Markus Meli at Nicholas Consull G long Gee in n exhibitio