REGISTERED BY AUSTRALIA POST - PUBLICATION No. VBH 6369
JUNE 2014
Annual General Meeting
RO U CLU
THE
IS SW S
Swiss Festival
T
ABOU D N B
The Swiss Festival – Swissness at its best!
Unterhaltungsabend
On Sunday, 6 April, thousands of visitors flocked to the Swiss Festival to enjoy a sunny day on Melbourne’s Queensbridge Square at the banks of the Yarra. There were many musical highlights: the 15 person strong authentic Guggemusik from Auckland NZ with their electrifying energy – a first for the Swiss Festival – and the Swiss Kiwi Yodlers and their five Alphorn players also from Auckland left their indelible mark. And our trusted groups also added their own charm to the festival, including the Yodel Choir Matterhorn, the Swiss Companion Singers, the Folk Dance Group Alpenrose, Phil
showcase our beloved Switzerland to the public, emphasising our culture and reminding our fellow Australians of the many wonderful contributions the Swiss have made to this country. Swiss Community Groups representing different activities such as the Swiss Club of Victoria, the Swiss Companion Singers, the Laughter Yoga Helvetia and the SwissKids were present on the day and the ladies of the Trachtengruppe Schwyzergruess in their beautiful costumes helped us sell raffle tickets. The Vice Consul General Mr Bernhard Furger declared the SF open at 11am and was also available to answer questions regarding Swiss consular
(accordion) & Beat (contrabass) as well as Renee Moullet and the Shazam Band, (yes, Renee is the daughter of Roger Moullet, our Swiss Club Restaurant Manager.) There was plenty to eat and drink like Cervelats and Bratwürste, Raclette (by the way, the proceeds were donated to charity – see page 9 for more details – thank you Rémy!), Crepes and Gauffres, Mövenpick ice cream and of course Rivella was available. The Swiss Club was offering Swiss beer and wines and the ‘Heiweh-Lädeli’ from Walma’s Smallgoods was tempting visitors with Swiss chocolates, biscuits and other feel good Swiss specialties and products. Three huge Swiss flags on flag poles near Queensbridge Square and another three massive Swiss Festival banners greeted passers-by and alerted visitors of the nearby Swiss Festival. The aim of the festival is to play a part in the multicultural scene of Melbourne but also to join ranks as Swiss expats in Australia to
affairs, Nina Wirth fielded enquiries for SAAN and the SwissCham and Roland Isler also responded to questions regarding the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA). The travel and tourism sector was represented by Swiss International Air Lines and Switzerland Holidays who gave away free flights to Switzerland and an accommodation package including free rail passes. Mobile phone communication provider Lycamobile also used the festival platform to promote their services. And our friends from the Australian-Swiss Search Dog Association were showing off their trained dogs in daring rescue operations on stage! The committee worked tirelessly to get the Swiss Festival off the ground. The team consisted of Rolf Huber, Chairman, Bruno Giger, Treasurer, Vreni Welsh, Volunteer Coordinator, Sylvie Eggertswyler, Entertainment, Roger Moullet, Food & Beverage and Thomas Schmocker, our Swiss based Consultant. Continued on page 8
89 Flinder s Lane • Melbour ne 3000 • Victor ia • Australia • www.s wissclubvic .com.au