JUNE 2012
REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST - PUBLICATION No. VBH 6369
Best ever Swiss Festival!
The Austrian Club and its outside entertainment area in Heidelberg West played host to the tenth Swiss Festival. The weather was fine though a bit cold, but Swiss people know how to dress appropriately. By all accounts, the festival was very successful, perhaps the most successful one to-date with over 1,500 visitors attending the day-long festivities. The committee attributes the increase of numbers to a new approach of advertising including the targeted use of social media, the Heidelberg Leader and even The Age. Our special thanks go to our new Public Relations professional Melinda Varley, who has volunteered to ambitiously work with various media in order to get the Swiss Festival message out with a stunning outcome. Swiss delights were not in short supply such as Cervelat and Bratwurst, potato salad, Raclette, Zopf, hazelnut croissants and more. Our Swiss-French compatriots from the Groupe Romand du Victoria baked wonderful ‘tartes aux fromages’ (cheese tarts) in top-of-the-line V-Zug ovens. Such was the insatiable appetite of
the visitors that all food stuff and much of the imported Swiss beer and wine were fast selling out by early afternoon. What would a Swiss Festival be without Yodeling? Well, we were faced with a dilemma when we found out that the yodler of the Matterhorn Choir was not in the country. To solve that problem we decided to invite a very gifted Yodel duo from Auckland NZ, the Swiss Kiwi Yodlers Peter & Ursula Arnold. It paid off and people really enjoyed their performance. Pleasing to know that the Matterhorn Choir managed to sing a song together with the visitors from New Zealand. Young talented Swiss-Australian musicians such as the singer Renee Moullet and Jess Plattner (singing & piano) entertained the festival goers and especially younger generations with contemporary music. Traditional Swiss folklore was represented by the Dance Group Alpenrose, the Swiss Companion Singers, Chris Thalmann & Markus Zihlmann with their Schwyzerörgeli and Tom Webb with the Singing Saw. Phil on the accordion and Beat Stuber with his guitar played well known tunes to sing along. To entertain the kids a jumping castle, animal farm & magician was provided. We were glad to count again on the trusted services of our MC Joe Bovalino who is now on the breakfast team with Gold 104.3. Continued on page 6
89 Flinders Lane • Melbourne 3000 • Victoria • Australia • www.swissclubvic.com .au