Australia-Malaysia Ball, 26th August 2011, Brisbane

Our peak event of the year, the annual Australia-Malaysia Ball, was held on the evening of Friday the 26th August at Landmark Restaurant, Sunnybank, Brisbane.  It was an event with everything - 14 politicians and other special guests, 11 course banquet dinner (delicious by all accounts), well-received speeches, Air Asia X flights as the major raffle prize, a shout-out to Malaysian TV audiences, a silent auction, a clairvoyant reading, and a little bit of controversy, just for good measure.

Some of our young AMBCQ members and
supporters with Cr Julian Simmonds

Each year the event is a whole lot of work and an equal measure of pain, but in the end we always have a wonderful time. This year we left the planning of the event a little late due to our preoccupation with the Selangor Government delegation which took up most of July - plus my computer hard drive died. I won't go into that tragedy and the ensuing turmoil... However, thanks to our members and the collective goodwill of our supporters, we still had a good turnout of 160 people.


Firstly the special guests in no particular order:

Danielle Morris speaking to Steve Kilburn MLA

Dr Peter Yeoh OAM and Mrs Alice Yeoh

Karen Jeffrey with Cr Steven Huang, BCC

• Dr Peter Yeoh OAM and Mrs Alice Yeoh, Patron of the AMBCQ
• Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, Lord Mayor of Brisbane
• The Hon. Peter Slipper MHR, Deputy Speaker of the Australian Parliament and Federal Member for Fischer
• The Hon. John Mickel MLA, Speaker of the Queensland Parliament and State Member for Logan
• The Hon. Dean Wells MLA, State Member for Murrumba
• The Hon. Julie Attwood MLA, State Member for Mt Ommaney and Parliamentary Secretary for Health
• The Hon. Judy Spence, Leader of the House and State Member for Sunnybank
• John-Paul Langbroek MLA, State Member for Surfers Paradise and Opposition Spokesperson for Police and Emergency Services
• Michael Crandon MLA, State Member for Coomera
• Steve Kilburn MLA, State Member for Chatsworth
• Cr Julian Simmonds, Brisbane City Councillor for Walter Taylor Ward and Chairman of the Public and Active Transport Committee
• Cr Matthew Bourke, Brisbane City Councillor for Jamboree Ward and Deputy Chairman of the Infrastructure Committee
• Cr Angela Owen-Taylor, Brisbane City Councillor for Parkinson Ward and Deputy Chairman of Council and of Field Services Committee
• Cr Steven Huang, Brisbane City Councillor for MacGregor Ward
• Brigadier Peter Jeffrey AM, CSC, RFD
• Ms Danielle Morris, Deputy State Director DFAT, representing the Hon. Kevin Rudd MHR, Foreign Minister

Cr Steven Huang and the Brisbane City Council also provided some much appreciated funding for the event through the Lord Mayor's Suburban Initiative Fund.  As  always, Air Asia X was our Gold Sponsor and provided us with Premier Return tickets to KL via Gold Coast, 2 for raffle and 2 for silent auction. The anticipation for those tickets was palpable throughout the room! 

This year we invited three of our special guests to speak, one from each level of Government and each of them strong supporters of the AMBCQ - Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, the Hon. John Mickel MLA, and the Hon. Peter Slipper MHR.  Each of these gentlemen are very good speakers and they all gave very strongly supportive and enthusiastic speeches about the role of AMBCQ, the ascendency of the Asia-Pacific region in general, and the importance of defending our Australian democracy. 

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk with Kiong Chan
(photo courtesy of Inge Slipper)

We also used the occasion to present Graham and John each with a commemorative shield - to Graham to congratulate him on his new role as Lord Mayor, and to John, as he has recently announced that he will retire at the end at the next election, to thank him for his service to Queensland.  To John, with the help of Grace Tan, we also presented a cake - because it just happened to be his birthday as well! It was very important to us to personally thank these two wonderful people who have strongly supported the AMBCQ in its growth from a fledging organisation to what it is today.

Wan O'Farrell, JWT Financial and Juana Berardo

Now this is where the controversy comes in.  In thanking John Mickel for his speech and also for everything that he has done for Queensland, Kiong spoke about the importance of the role of the Speaker in the Queensland Parliament. As you may be aware, there have been changes made to the Queensland Parliament recently which take a number of powers away from the Speaker and put this authority into the hands of a Committee. Queensland is quite unique because it is a unicameral chamber (unlike other Westminster parliaments, Queensland does not have an upper house to provide additional checks and balances, so the role of the Speaker is especially important.  This is the first such change to the powers of the speaker in the several hundred year history of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy.  The Courier Mail published an article on what Kiong said at the Ball and it is notable that the 30 comments posted by Courier Mail readers in the hours after the article appeared were overwhelmingly supportive.

The Hon. John Mickel MLA addresses the crowd

However, it was never our intention to set the cat amongst the pigeons. It was however our intention to pay homage to Speaker John Mickel. He has held many Parliamentary roles, including Trade Minister for Queensland, and he has served Queensland for many years. On a more personal note, he has strongly supported the AMBCQ, and many of our colleagues in other business and community groups.  For instance, wherever possible, he has always attended our functions, he has organised and facilitated meetings, including meeting with YB Teresa Kok recently, and he has been a constant source of moral support for many in the international business community. His current role as Speaker has been at a difficult time, with the reforms that have been introduced to the Parliament.

The Hon Peter Slipper, Elfi Massey-Vallazza, ACE President,
John Massey, Inge Slipper and Simon Massey di Vallazza
(Photo taken by Lai Peng Chan)

We also had the aforementioned pleasure of hearing from the Hon. Peter Slipper MHR, who is the Deputy Speaker of the Australian Parliament. It was a very entertaining speech - it began something like - "I had not met John Mickel at that time, but I considered him to be a vile and offensive man".... and then proceeded to heap praise on John Mickel for his virulent defence of democracy. It was quite an oration, the likes of which only Peter Slipper can deliver.

But that was not the end of the evening. Kiong also gave his traditional speech and spoke about some of the history and legacy that Malaysia and Australia share, particularly the traditions, laws, and values that our countries share, thanks to the British Commonwealth and the significant contribution and sacrifice of Britain and Britons to British Commonwealth countries.


We also had some fun - Romana, an acclaimed clairvoyant, offered her services to do a reading using numerology on a guinea pig from the audience.  Chief Superintendent John Cawcutt from the Qld Fire and Rescue Service was our 'volunteer' and by the look on his face, I think Romana's reading may have been quite accurate! She also threw in some insults and brutal honesty for extra entertainment value to the amusement of the crowd.


Another fun item for the night, was recording a "Selamat Hari Raya" greeting for Malaysia Hari Ini, (Malaysia Today) Malaysia's top morning talk show which screens on TV3.  Thanks very much to Leong Ming En who recorded the greeting for us, and then edited and posted it on to MHI Facebook page.  According to our friend Zul who is a host on MHI, the recording from the AMBCQ Ball screened on the third day of Raya. A copy of the greeting with a rehearsal is below - an edited 20 second version appeared on MHI and is still available in their FB page (and ours as well).

Stacey and JP Langbroek MLA (JP is an AMBCQ member)

Lisa Butler and Shaeed Mohammed from NAB

Finally we had the raffle draw and the silent auction - thanks to the support of the crowd and to Air Asia X, we have made some funds that will help run our activities over the next year.  There are a lot of people to thank - so many people provided help and support this year, and as always, it has been a real team effort.  I would especially like to thank Sue Davies, who provided so much stellar support to me on the night - setting up the items, helping with the door, managing the raffle. Her husband Bryan and their kids also chipped in a great deal on the night with all sorts of work, including child minding for our "kids corner". 


As usual Doug Wheeler provided the sound, microphone and other assistance free of charge, as well as a raffle prize of project management services through his company Project Success International.  Many people provided raffle prizes, such as Lai Peng Chan, Lyna Chen, Gomi from Blue Gulabi, and more.  Grace Tan did a wonderful job coordinating and helping us arrange the Silent Auction along with Sam Miszkowski - our first attempt at this kind of fundraising.  Thanks must also go to Lucas Follbring and Leong Ming En for their photography on the evening. All the photos here in this blog have been taken by Lucas Follbring and both videos were shot and posted by Leong Ming En (www.mydemoninyou.blogspot.com).  The photos are available on Facebook, or you can ask me if you after some particular shots.  Thank you also to AMBCQ member Shaeed Mohammed from NAB for organising a corporate table, and to Brian Kuzman and UTM who also took a corporate table. There are probably many more people I can thank - it was a very successful night all round and the support of every single person there - and the support of many who were not able to make it - was invaluable. Hurray for AMBCQ!

Ashleigh, Gomi from Blue Gulabi, and Tara

Megan, Sue and Lai Peng -
Megan and Sue were our wonderful AMBCQ volunteers

Positive Feedback Received in Sydney

Since the recent Sydney Cocktail event with Minister Teresa Kok in late July, we have received much positive feedback.  The success of the event has meant that attendees and AMBC NSW and ACT members are now looking forward to the next event.

Thanks should go to all the AMBC NSW and ACT members, in particular Chapter President Bill Wilkinson, AMBC Immediate National Past President Justin Howden and AMBC National Treasurer Ian Jordan for their work and collaborative effort.  AMBCQ and AMBC NSW and ACT have a particularly close relationship due to our geographic proximity. 

AMBC NSW and ACT members are very fortunate to not only have a good and established chapter with a dedicated chapter president, but also the presence of MIDA, MATRADE and the Malaysian Consulate General in Sydney plus a pro-business State Government.  Members of the Queensland Chapter, AMBCQ,  are keen to participate in the next collaborative effort between the two organisations.  All AMBC  members are encouraged to share their views and ideas for our next project.

Singapore Business Council Ball, 6th August 2011

The Singapore Business Council Ball held their annual National Day Ball at the Stamford Plaza on Saturday 6th August.  We always have a great time at the Singapore National Day Ball and the AMBCQ took a table at the event, as we always do. The AMBCQ and the SBCA under Grace Tan have an excellent relationship, and it is always a pleasure to support their initiatives.  This year, we have had the privilege of working together on a number of projects, including the Shoulder to Shoulder Flood Relief Fundraiser, and the Dragon Boat festival, in which the AMBCQ and SBCA fielded a joint Dragon Boat team (we came second!).  The Dragon Boat team initiative has continued to have a life beyond the festival, and our joint team recently competed in another amateur competition and the team is very keen to continue to compete together.  Grace also assisted us in organising our recent function for YB Teresa Kok at the Stamford.


Grace giving her keynote speech
Photo courtesy of Leong Ming En (http://www.mydemoninyou.blogspot.com/)

It was announced on the night that Grace's term as president is coming to an end - the SBCA have set two year terms and Grace will be stepping down later in the year.  I am not an advocate of the positive discrimination in the least, I always prefer things to be done on merit and I find quota systems patronising and demeaning. But it is very easy to see that there are a genuine lack of women in leadership positions in business groups and councils. That was why it has been wonderful to have Grace as President of SBCA. She has injected new blood, fresh air, good leadership, integrity and dignity into the realm of business councils and chambers. And she has done a magnificent job in the position, building the profile and the reputation of the council, and broadening and deepening the scope of their activities to build not only business relations, but also stronger community relations. Under Grace Tan's leadership, SBCA has become even more respected and even better run business council with a stronger reputation than at any other time. 



Me, Grace and Bryan
Photo courtesy of Leong Ming En (http://www.mydemoninyou.blogspot.com/)



Lai Peng, Jamie, and Rose



The AMBCQ is quite a young organisation - we've only been around since 2006, and we have deliberately followed a policy to try to get people from all walks of life involved in the council. We have a very strong representation of women in AMBCQ, I would guess it would be close to 50-50 representation. We also have 60% of our executive made up of women - and there are no quotas involved, that is just how it happened. And we have always tried to have a child friendly policy where ever possible. We believe that this is beneficial to both men and women to have this approach, as extra events and activities outside of work hours are a strain on work-life balance and families in general.  We have also made sure that our approach has never been to target any single group or type of person - this is most denitely not a monocultural grouping (those groups that ironically and counter-intuitively call themselves 'multicultural but are so often monocultural) or a nationalistic organisation, it is a business council that operates in Australia, and as such, we reflect Australian values and Australian norms (even if we sometimes prefer Malaysian food, he he).  We do not discriminate on grounds of gender, sexuality, ethnic identity, marital status, age, or any other identifier, because that is the Australian way.  We believe firmly in meritocracy and that is why we will never be a boys' club.  I like to think that we have achieved this and set a standard for other community organisations and business councils, or at least encouraged them to consider their own practices. 

The SBCA is another organisation that has demonstrated these values and has also helped mold this standard. With Grace as their President for the last two years, it  sent a loud message about the equality of women in business and in business groups and councils.   It has been a great pleasure working with Grace, and we will continue to work together beyond her term.  We the AMBCQ will endeavour to continue to work together with SBCA into the future under a new leader, whoever that may be. Under Grace Tan, we have found many shared ideals and values, and of course the proximity and culture of Singapore and Malaysia mean that our interests often overlap.   Grace Tan has been undoubtedly one of the best business council leaders we have had the privilege of working with. 

The SBCA Ball is one of the few functions we can feel comfortable about bringing our kids to. 



YB Teresa Kok visit to Brisbane, July-August 2011

This blog has taken me a while to write - my computer died and it was a frantic couple of days of trying to recover all the information and get it repaired.  Grrr - it is easy to forget how much one relies on the computer these days.  But I digress...

Yang Berhomat (The Hon) Teresa Kok, Senior Selangor State Ex-Co member and Selangor State Minister for Trade, State Member for Kinrara and Federal Member for Seputeh, recently made a visit to Australia with a delegation from the Selangor State Investment Council (SSIC).  The delegation was focused on a number of industries including pharmaceuticals, complementary healthcare, aviation, biomedical and life sciences, and aged care.  Her visit was at first scheduled to visit Brisbane but due to the floods, the Selangor government decided to visit Melbourne and Sydney instead.  Happily, we convinced her that she should come to Brisbane too, given that Brisbane had long opened for business post-flood. 

We have a fair bit of experience working with politicians both here and in Malaysia, and it was a real pleasure to engage with Teresa.  She is an extremely diligent, hard working, thoughtful and capable Minister, and on top of that, she is a really nice person.  She went out of her way to meet people, working late until the night every night, and even meeting potential investors on the bus in between commuting to other appointments. 

Although Kiong and I were involved in organising the delegation in a business capacity, we managed to squeeze in a few AMBCQ events, which suited the Minister well as she was keen to meet investors and also Malaysians and former Malaysians residing in Australia.  AMBCQ co-organised a AMBC NSW function - as you may be aware, the two state chapters frequently collaborate.  The AMBC NSW function was very good, considering it was only a week in the making.  Justin Howden, AMBC Immediate National Past President, very kindly organised the Royal Exchange of Sydney as the venue, and their Vice Chairman Mike Milward was a delightful host, along with co-hosts our good friend, Bill Wilkinson, President of AMBC NSW, and Ian Jordan, AMBC National Treasurer.  A good crowd of around 40 attended the event and mixed with Teresa Kok and her delegation.


YB Teresa addressing the crowd at the Royal Exchange of Sydney 




Kiong, AMBCQ President, YB Teresa Kok, Bill Wilkinson, AMBC NSW President, Mike Milward, Vice Chair of the Royal Exchange of Sydney, and Ian Jordan, AMBC National Treasurer 

  
In Queensland, we organised a nasi padang dinner at the Stamford Plaza in honour of Teresa's visit - many thanks to Grace Tan from the Singapore Business Council for helping us to facilitate this.  We had another good crowd of about 50 people. We were very honoured to play host to Teresa and also very honoured to have the presence of Cr Angela Owen-Taylor, representing Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, and Richard Lim, retired Member of Parliament and former Opposition Leader for the Northern Territory (and also a former Malaysian).  Teresa presented to the crowd on opportunities for investment in Selangor, and also took questions from the floor, ranging from education, to mining, to biotechnology, and current affairs in Malaysia. 




George Ho, Selangor Times, Cr Angela Owen-Taylor and YB Teresa Kok
Photo by Leong Ming En, http://www.mydemoninyou.blogspot.com/

 

YB Teresa Kok chatting with Richard Lim, while Lai Peng Chan and Kiong Chan look on
Photo by Leong Ming En, http://www.mydemoninyou.blogspot.com/

YB Teresa with Simon, Chee Lee, Jerome, Wei Ming, and Ee Shoay

YB Teresa with William, Vincent, Maxwell and Adrian

Teresa's visit to Brisbane was quite short - she did have the opportunity to visit the Gold Coast and also South Bank briefly for a tiny bit of sightseeing, but even then she squeezed in a site visit to an aged care facility and a meeting with Malaysian students.  She also met with the Hon John Mickel MLA, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, and the Hon Michael Choi MLA, Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Multicultural Affairs. 

YB Teresa presenting a Royal Selangor Pewter Plate to the Hon John Mickel MLA, Speaker of the House

Meeting with the Hon Michael Choi MLA, Parl Sec for Trade and Multicultural Affairs

During a tour of State Parliament with Adriene, YB Teresa, and Mary-Anne from the Speaker's Office

Meeting with students at Coffee Club Riverside

AMBCQ Update for July

It's quite incredible that we are already more than half way through the year.  There are lots of events on the horizon and lots of opportunities to get involved more with your AMBCQ. 

Malaysia/Singapore Dragon Boat Team

Our joint Malaysia/Singapore dragon boat team competed in the Te Waka amateur Dragon Boat day on Saturday16th July.  It was a cold and rainy day, so thank you very much to those team members who came along and braved the elements.  It was great to have a full team - and thank you especially to Sharlene who roped in her sister Arlene for the day. 

We started off poorly, but improved throughout the day.  We had a change of strategy before our last heat, and in this race we came first with a time of 44 seconds.  In our first race we recorded a time of 58 seconds, so our team was thrilled with the improvement.  Our time in our last heat was better than anyone in the amateur finals, a double boost to our spirits.  Now, if we can just start the day off rowing a little better...

Everyone is keen to keep our team together and make dragon boat racing a regular event for Team Rojak.  Although we were cold and a little wet, we had a great day snacking, drinking tea and coffee, socialising and talking strategy.  We welcome new members and will be talking to some of the established clubs about affliations for training. 

Thanks to Flora Fang for the pictures!

The Situation in KL
As you may have gathered, the situation in KL has been very tense of late, but has now largely settled.  The Bersih rally happened on July 9^th.  Although the numbers involved in the rally were significant, and there were a great number of arrests, and tragically the death of one protestor, it has not adversely affected the business environment in Malaysia.  All detainees were released the same day and KL was mostly back to normal by Monday.  Of course, the Bersih movement and the ongoing tension between Barisan Nasional and its opponents will continue, but generally speaking, KL is still a safe and stable destination for both business and pleasure.  Remember, it is always best to register with DFAT online before you travel, not just to Malaysia but elsewhere in the world.  If anyone would like to discuss the situation further, please contact Kiong or I. 

AMBCQ Event with The Hon (YB) Teresa Kok MP, Selangor Trade Minister

YB Teresa Kok, Selangor State Minister for Investment, Trade and Industry, and Federal Member of Parliament (in Malaysia it is possible to be both a State and Federal Member of Parliament), will be visiting Australia in late July.  She is including Brisbane for a quick visit.  Saturday 30th July, 6:30 for 7:00 pm, YB Teresa will be joining the AMBCQ for Nasi Padang at Stamford Plaza.  The cost is $50 per person.   Please RSVP asap to confirm your place.

Selangor is the most industrialised and richest state in Malaysia.  It surrounds the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and includes many industrial and commercial hubs such as Port Klang, Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, and Subang Jaya.

NAB Introducer Programme

AMBCQ member, Shaeed Mohamad, has offered to AMBCQ members his NAB Introducer Programme.  In this Programme, AMBCQ members who take home loans with NAB or introduce friends or family who take home loans with NAB, can nominate for the AMBCQ to receive 0.04% of the value of the home loan as a donation.  This is a wonderful sponsorship opportunity from Shaeed and the NAB.  And Shaeed can also offer special privileges for AMBCQ members. 

If you or a friend is looking for a home loan, call Shaeed and he will look after you and the AMBCQ.  Email Mohammed.Shaeed@nab.com.au or call 0409 893 587.

Congratulations to Comscentre

Congratulations to AMBCQ member Ben Shipley, founder of Comscentre.  Comscentre, the largest independent telecommunications company in Queensland, has just achieved accreditation with Cisco Systems.  This is an extraordinary achievement for Ben and his team to have the recognition from this worldwide leader in networking and communication.    

Only 2 companies in Australia have this exclusive accreditation with Cisco and Comscentre is one of them.  I am sure this distinction will open more many doors for Comscentre, an innovative and vibrant young Brisbane business.

Congratulations to Anu and Deepali, Jerome and Mandy

AMBCQ member Anu and his wife Deepali recently welcomed the arrival of their first child, a daughter Ambika.  She is a lovely little bundle and her parents and grandmother are delighted.

Congratulations also to AMBCQ members Jerome and Mandy, who rececently had their official Australian marriage at Old Petrie Town. 

Upcoming Events
There are many upcoming events that AMBCQ is involved with.  For more information, check the 'Events' page.

Griffith University's Celebration Dinner for Professor Yew-Chaye Loo

Kiong and I were very honoured to be invited along last night to the celebration dinner organised by Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, in honour of Professor Yew-Chaye Loo.  Professor Loo, who was born in Malaya, was recognised by the World Chinese Venture Model Association in conjunction with the China Association for Promoting International Scientific and Technical Cooperation, and was given the honorary title of "the 2011 World Top 10 Enterprising Pioneer of Chinese Descent". 

His story is also featured in this article from Australia's national newspaper "The Australian": http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/professors-stamp-of-achievement/story-e6frgcjx-1226085693454. 

We were initially introduced to Professor Loo last year, by AMBCQ member Yvette Baxter from the Faculty for Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology (SEET).  Professor Loo was from the beginning a very warm, generous and charismatic host, and we both thoroughly enjoyed meeting him.  Although both Kiong and I are Griffith University alumni, we studied in different faculities, and were not aware of Professor Loo's extraordinary reputation or the high esteem he is held in in his field.  After studying Engineering in Taiwan and Thailand, he undertook his PhD in Dundee, Scotland, and finished it in record time.  He was a pioneer in his field, in methods such as finite strip method, applying computer analysis, and bridge engineering.  I am sure my poor understanding of engineering has meant that I have greatly underplayed his achievements!

But his achievements aren't just technical or academic.  For me, it was obvious that his achievements are also in leading the establishment and expansion of SEET, and the key mentoring role he has played in the academic and professional lives of many of his students and peers.  The Gold Coast School began in 1995, with just 40 students - today the civil engineering intake is the largest in Australia.  He has also been responsible for the internationalisation of SEET, with their international intake now numbering well over 1000. He was also the first Australian of Chinese descent to hold a Chair of Civil Engineering in Australia - at the time (1995), there were only 15 such positions in the country.

It was obvious that his colleagues, students, and many others hold him in extremely high regard.  One of the reasons for this is not only is an expert and an innovator in his field, an extraordinary mentor, and a leader for his Faculty, he is also extremely humble, and a hilarious speaker!  I don't think I have ever attended such a function were I was constantly laughing.  He coupled self-effacing humour with mock self-aggrandisement and the most amusing choice of photographs illustrated his story, from initial scepticism, through to elated acceptance, and finally downplaying his achievements, in favour of elevating his colleagues and staff, for their own achievements and success.

Many former Malaysians (and Malayans, North Borneans and Sarawakians) have made extraordinary achievements in this country.  The scientific fields have certainly seen many of them make an impact.  It was very humbling to share this event with such an extraordinarily high achieving (and funny) person.

Adelaide - June 2011

Kiong and I were privileged to be invited to an Australia-Malaysia Institute function in Adelaide.  Although this was more related to our own business (Paradigm Infinitum has been supported by AMI for one of our large projects on new media.  In addition I was recently selected for the Inaugural Australia-ASEAN Emerging Leaders Programme, supported by the AMI), it was a good opportunity to network with other alumni members, government representatives, business people and academics interested in the bilateral relationship. 

Adelaide Town Hall

 

At the function we were informed by the AMI Chairman that we were about to be stranded - the ash cloud from the Chilean volcano had returned to the Adelaide skies.  This meant that no one was flying anywhere, and we were stuck until further notice.  Thus, we had to cancel the scheduled AMBCQ lunch for Wednesday with immediate past president of AMBC national Justin Howden. It also meant we had to miss the final debrief with Cr Angela Owen-Taylor and the rest of the organising committee for the Dragon Boat festival. 
Although this was annoying, as we had work to do, appointments to attend, and our children were not with us, it gave us an opportunity to explore Adelaide.  It was the first visit for either of us.  And we also took the opportunity to meet with our AMBC counterparts in SA, and touch base with Malaysian leaders and consular representatives as well.

Adelaide is quite frankly, a very beautiful city, and has retained many of its historical sites and buildings.  It is also a very friendly and quite relaxed place without many of the stresses that you find in larger cities.  I was also impressed by the approach to cultural diversity - the diversity seems less superficial or tokenstic, and far less clustered than what you find in some other Australian capitals.  Adelaide also has a wonderful CBD which is well planned and highly accessible. Also there are many chocolate shops!

It seems to me that if Brisbane had kept more of its heritage buildings in the 1980s, and its infrastructure had kept pace with its rapid population growth (or that population growth hadn't been as rapid!), it too could be as liveable as Adelaide.  But to be honest, it is far too cold for a Brisbane girl like me to survive. 

 

We were lucky enough to stay in the old Treasury Building

Adelaide is an interesting part of the Australia-Malaysia story and there is an ongoing relationship (formalised as a sister city relationship) between Adelaide and Penang.  I knew Adelaide was going to have quite a few Malaysians resident, but we had little idea how many. It was quite an eye-opener.  In fact, one recent migrant from Penang said that her family had chosen Adelaide because it was similar to Penang - without the hustle and bustle of other large capitals. 

The history between Penang and Adelaide dates right back to foundation times.  It was something I only became aware of during a trip to Penang back in 2000, and a visit to their museum and it is quite an intriguing link.  Penang was founded by Captain Sir Francis Light in 1786, while working for the British East India Company.  It became extraordinary successful and was later incorporated into the British Straits Settlements.  Captain Light served as its Superintendant until his death in 1794. 

With a new Malaysian friend

In 1837 Captain Light's son, Colonel William Light, founded Adelaide.  William Light was born on 27 April 1786 in Kuala Kedah, Siam (now part of Malaysia, then part of Siam, modern day Thailand), the second son of Captain Francis Light and Martinha Rozells.  Martinha Rozells is recorded as a Princess of Kedah (and Siamese aristocrat, at a time when the northern and East Coast states of Malaysia were still part of the Kingdom of Siam).  She also had Portuguese Eurasian and Nyonya (Straits Chinese) heritage. 

Colonel William Light spent his childhood in Penang and was later sent to boarding school in England.  He started his military service at 13, joining and Royal Navy and later the Army, and spent time in Spain, Egypt and India.

Colonel William Light was appointed the first Surveyor-General of the Colony of South Australia and chose the site of Adelaide as its capital.  Light planned out Adelaide in a grid based around five squares that give the city a well ordered feel.  He also included numerous parklands in his design which today still provide Adelaide with much charm.  Not long after, Colonel William Light succumbed to tuberculosis in 1939 and was buried in Light Square. 

I'm sure not many people outside of South Australia or Penang know this intriguing part of the Australia-Malaysia story.  It reminds us how both countries, as former British colonies, and now members of the British Commonwealth, have far more in common than we sometimes know.

Dragon Boat Festival, Forest Lake, 4th June 2011

Saturday 4th June at Forest Lake was a beautiful day, a perfect day for the Parkinson Ward Brisbane Dragon Boat Festival. This was only the second time that the Festival, organised by Cr Angela Owen-Taylor and various groups, has been held.  Last year's event was very successful, being chosen as the Community Event of the year for Brisbane City Council.

Our AMBCQ food stall and marquee - all set up at about 8:30 am

As with last year's event, the AMBCQ was on the organising committee, but this year we were able to make a much bigger commitment.  This included having a food stall, run by Gomi Chendi of Blue Gulabi, and having an amateur dragon boat team (together with our close friends the SBCA) for the Amateur Challenge.

We started setting up around 7am - thank you to Gomi and her crew, Ashley and chef JJ for coming out so early to set up.  Thank you also to Bryan, Maxwell, and Jamie for volunteering at the beginning of the day to set up the marquee (always easier with a group, rather than just Kiong and I!) and tables and chairs for the day.  It really made a big difference especially in the very brisk air next to the lake at that time (brrrrr!!!).  It was a good thing we had that help, after having got off a plane from Malaysia the night before, attended the function with Consul Khairuddin, had a terrible night with our daughter Ilmi, and gotten up again at 6am, Kiong and I very much appreciated the assistance!

I must also thank Rose and Nicole for volunteering to help with the stall during the day.  It was a big job for Gomi and JJ so it was wonderful to have that backup.

To start off the day, there was a citizenship ceremony, followed by the opening ceremony of the Festival, beginning at 10 am.  The ceremony included the blessing of the dragon boats by Buddhist nuns, and the painting of their eyes.  Deputy Lord Mayor Cr Adrian Schrinner was present for the event, along with Cr Angela Owen-Taylor.  The nuns then blessed the Khuan Yee lions and painted their eyes as well (our AMBCQ affiliated lion dance team) - something a little bit different for the crowd to see.  Khuan Yee then performed for the crowd.

As many of you will know, getting our Malaysia-Singapore (Singapore-Malaysia) team together has been quite a struggle at times.  We had the support of Grace Tan from Singapore Business Council Australia, who helped recruit some key people for our team.  At one stage, we lost 6 people and thought we would have to throw in the towel.  Eventually however, we had 20 people for our mixed team.  In the end, our team was made up of Malaysians, Singaporeans, Aussies, two Dutch, a Swede, and a kinda Finnish-Swedish-Aussie who sometimes thinks she's Malaysian (ha! that's me).

It didn't take long before the dragon boat races began - in fact, for those of us in the dragon boat team, we seemed to be in a constant cycle of boarding, racing, and disembarking.  We had four amateur races during the day.  Our first race was frankly a bit sloppy - we really pushed hard but didn't do as well as we hoped.  But, we came second - just.  The white team (the MC Dragons, which was made up of the Vietnamese community and Queensland Police Service), clearly dominated the first race.  They were way out in front of everyone else and very much in time - you could really see their power.

There were also professional races throughout the day, including the Aurora's, the Australian representative mixed team.  At one stage three of our team members - Calvyn, Hendry, and Kiong were hijacked and upgraded to a professional team!

The second race was also very close - well for second, it was.  First place again went to the MC Dragons -- way out in front again.  We think we came second, but the race was very close for all the places.  Besides Team Rojak and the MC Dragons, there was also an Indo-Chinese team, a Taiwan team, and a Hakka Association team.

We had a little break again, and many of us had a little snack and a drink (thank you Gomi for feeding our team). I loved that prawn curry and those rotis - the one drawback to being situated right next to the food stall was I kept feeling hungry, and there was hardly any time to eat. (By the way, Blair from the Brisbane River Dragon boats said he almost had a heart attack when he saw all the rowers wolfing down the rice dumplings and other food!)

Then Hendry gave us a very good pep talk.  He spotted those problems that we were having as a team, identified the individual things we could do, and focused us all on what we had to do for the next race.  We were all fired up!

And guess what?!  It showed - we really rowed together as a team much better this time and we very clearly came... second!  Again!  The MC Dragons were still dominating the racing, but we were getting closer.  And this time we were clearly ahead of the other teams.

Now for the final race.  Hendry gave us another pep talk - and we really must acknowledge also Dominic and Jolyn for spotting for us all as well.  It was invaluable to have some experienced rowers on the team.  We were ready.

We started off well, but we got better - the MC Dragons were in front but we were drawing closer and had practically caught up with them.  But then a mishap! Dwight was rowing so hard he knocked his own glasses into the lake and lost a stroke!  Just goes to show how much effort everyone was putting into the race.  Our team came SECOND!  It was an amazing effort of real teamwork for us all. 

Our final time was 1:05.30.  The Vietnamese Community/Queensland Police Service team beat us by just two seconds in 1:03.27.

All over it was a very successful day for the AMBCQ.  We must acknowledge again Gomi Chendi and Blue Gulabi.  Unfortunately we did not have the best location in terms of food stalls - we were located on the opposite side of the river from the other stalls and the festival stage.  Although we didn't raise any funds as was our aim, with Gomi's help we flew the AMBCQ flag very well.  We also have to thank Grace Tan for supporting us in fielding a joint Malaysian-Singaporean team - without her contacts, we might not have been able to get our team off the ground.  Of course, Calvyn Tan was fantastic, recruiting the bulk of the team and motivating everybody to get involved.  Hendry was fantastic at identifying the problems with our pace, focusing the team, and motivating us all to do better.  And every single person who turned up, made our team work - without them, we wouldn't have been able to get into the water.  It truly was a team effort. 

Below is attached the link to the Facebook album which includes some more pictures of the day:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150215541909015.331863.580164014&l=1731bbaad1


Things are not over for our Dragon Boat team - we are planning a get together to celebrate the achievements in the near future.  And we are also looking towards another upcoming event on Saturday the 16th July from 9am - 2pm, at Colmslie.  

Cocktail event with Consul Khairuddin, 3rd June 2011

Thank you to all those who attended our cocktail event with Malaysian Consul for Investment and MIDA Director, Consul Ahmad Khairuddin, on Friday evening.  Consul Khairuddin kindly agreed to being hosted by the AMBCQ for the evening.  Kiong and I arrived late, having disembarked from the plane at 7:45pm, and made our way over to the Groove Train at King George Square.  It was obvious to us on arrival that everyone was having a very good time.  Many members really enjoyed the opportunity to speak to Consul Khairuddin, and he was, as always, very forthcoming and helpful in providing advice, leads and direction to those who are interested in doing business in Malaysia.

Everyone's sincere thanks must go to Sue Davies.  Sue very ably managed and organised this event for all those associated with AMBCQ, and the night was a big success.

The only drawback to having a very good night, is the next morning when you have a very early start at say, a Dragon Boat festival, and need to get up at 6 am, after having had a long week, just gotten off a 8 hour flight, been at a function until 11:30 pm...

Sue, Bryan, Timo, Lilian and Elfi

James, Consul Khairuddin, and Clem

Everyone enjoying themselves

Samm and Jeffrey and family with Consul Khairuddin

President of the Australian Council for Europe, Elfi Massey-Vallazza, with Kiong Chan, our AMBCQ President

Networking Event with Consul Ahmad Khairuddin, Friday 3rd June 2011

The Malaysian Industrial Development Authority is a key strategic ally of AMBCQ. Come and meet Consul Ahmad Khairuddin, head of MIDA in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific in an informal reception and networking event overlooking Brisbane’s historic City Hall. Here are the details:

Venue: Groove Train, King George Square

Time: 7.30 pm – 9:30 pm (or so)
Date: Friday 3^rd June 2011
Cost: $30 pp, $5 for children
Dress: Business Attire

A range of red wine, white wine, sparkling wine, 19 beers and ales, soft drinks and juice and hot beverages will be served, accompanied by a selection of hot and cold canapés and platters.

Numbers are limited. Note that in keeping with AMBCQ tradition, this is a child-friendly event, and parents are welcome to bring their children.

Please direct all RSVPs to our fellow AMBCQ member Sue Davies, sue.primus@gmail.com and 0438 690 608 by COB Tuesday, 31^st May. Sue will be coordinating the function while we are away and she and her partner Bryan will help to host the evening.

Dragonboat Festival coming up!! 4th June

The Parkinson Ward Dragonboat and Multicultural Festival will be held on Saturday 4th June at the lake at Forest Lake.  This is the second time this festival has been held and once again, the AMBCQ has been invited to be on the organising committee. The festival, has been instigated by Cr Angela Owen-Taylor with the support and coordination of the Hakka Association.  The Rotary Club of Forest Lake and the Dragonboat Association are also lending their strong support to the event, as our a number of other community and business councils.  Last year's event attracted several thousand people.

This year the AMBCQ will have a food stall, run by Gomethi Chendi who owns and runs the Blue Gulabi restaurant at Woollongabba. Gomethi has very kindly volunteered to run the stall and donate the profits to the AMBCQ. Gomethi will be offering Indian/Malaysian fare.  As many will recall, it is only about one month ago that a car plunged through the Blue Gulabi with one patron and the driver hurt.  Remarkedly, Gomethi got her restaurant up and running again very quickly and has maintained her commitment to Dragonboat festival. 

We have also combined with the Singapore Business Council to field an amateur Dragonboat team, in the Hakka Association's Amateur Dragonboat Challenge. On the day we will be racing on Forest Lake against other amateur teams.  We have already had one training day - our next day is tomorrow.  The Dragonboat training sessions are at Colmslie on the Brisbane River.

The training has been a magnificent experience, rowing on this beautiful part of the river during the lovely autumn days we are currently having. And I have myself been surprised at how much I have enjoyed the Dragonboat experience. I was a bit sporty throughout my school days, but my sports were often quite individualistic. I find that Dragonboat racing was such a different sport - the prowess of the individual is not as important, it is the individual's ability to row in a way that fits in with the abilities and pace of the rest of the team. Many other team sports, such as basketball, or volleyball, or soccer, are about teamwork, but you will see teams relying on one or two exceptional players.  This sport is very much about the team working together in a very cohesive way. If one tries to display exceptional talent, they will most likely end up clashing paddles with the other rowers!

We still have some room for more rowers!  If you or your friends would like to get involved, please contact me asap!

An update for May

It's been a little while since I have written here in the blog - last time was February, and all of the sudden it's May!  It has been a busy couple of months, and all my very brief updates were going straight on to Facebook.  So if you aren't a member of the Facebook group yet, you better get on board!

We had the Malaysian Prime Minister's visit to Canberra and Melbourne in late February, which was very successful.  It is only in recent days though that we have seen some of the results of that visit with the announcement of the asylum seeker deal.  Whatever the merits or otherwise of that policy, it certainly demonstrates that Australia's relationship with Malaysia is at an entirely different level to what it was in the past.  Kiong attended the luncheon in Canberra, which also gave him the opportunity to meet with a number of Federal MPs to discuss issues relating to trade and other matters.

In early March we had the Shoulder to Shoulder event, raising money for victims of the Queensland floods. The AMBCQ was part of the organising committee for that event which included the Singapore Business Council, the Tamil Association, the Vietnamese Community, and many other groups. A number of our members made significiant contributions including Sue and Bryan Davies, Debra Jarvis, Tamara Foong and Clem Grehan. In all the event raised over $20,000 for flood relief and attracted numerous VIPs and guests.

We have also had the privilege of attending quite a number of consular events with diplomats organised by the Australian Council for Europe.  These were all very interesting, and universally the guests were of excellent calibre.  They have included the Ambassador for Brazil, the High Commissioner of Canada, the High Commissioner of Britain and the Ambassador for the EU.  One particularly interesting guest was His Excellency the Hon Dr Brendan Nelson, former Federal Minister for Defence who is now the Australian Ambassador to the EU, NATO and Luxemborg.  Given Dr Nelson's vast career, spanning medicine, politics and now diplomacy, he was a very interesting speaker.  It was also interesting to hear a different perspective, as an Australian diplomat representing us to the European Union and to NATO.

There have of course been our own meetings, the meetings for Shoulder to Shoulder, and the meetings for the upcoming Dragonboat Festival at Forest Lake.  Again, the AMBCQ has been invited to be involved in the organising committee.  The festival, lead by Cr Angela Owen-Taylor and the Hakka Association, attracted several thousand people.  This year the festival will be held on the 4th June at Forest Lake.  But I'll write another post to let you know more about the Dragonboat Festival shortly.

Well, that about rounds up February through to May this year.  There are a few more exciting events on the horizon, so please stay posted!