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Territory Part I: ACFS National Conference
My trip to the Northern Territory effectively consists of two parts; the first, and more official reason, is attending the National Conference of the Australia China Friendship Society. The second, a more holiday and festive reason, involves bands, rodeos (yes, really), donkey sanctuaries, and more. The second part will have to wait a couple of days, because this post will be about the ACFS National Conference, which ran from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th of June, mostly at the ACFS NT Centre in Leanyer. For myself, however, the Conference started by watching Eunice Leong's funeral, which had been held the day before. Eunice was a founding and life member of the ACFS, which dates back to 1951. As her son Anthony pointed out, she was the diplomat who complemented the warrior spirit of her partner, Maurice, and must be remembered for her service to this country. I only had an opportunity to spend time in Eunice's company on a few occasions, but her sparkling disposition, humour, and intellect left a lasting impression.
As for the Conference itself, it began with a reception at Parliament House with an opening speech by the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Ngaree Ah Kit (from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Chinese descent herself), and then with Colin Mackerras giving the Bill Morrow lecture remotely from Beijing. After that, the City of Darwin hosted a dinner, and I spent quite some time with the Mayor, Kon Vatskalis whose partner, Amy, also spoke at the Conference as Director of the Confucious Institute at Charles Darwin University. The following night there was the spectacular conference dinner also at the Hilton Double Tree, which I attended with the ever-stylish Lara; the cuisine was delicious, the singers and dancers truly impressive, and the short speech by Minister Mark Monaghan was of good quality. The NT opposition leader, Lia Finocchiaro, was notable for arriving, announcing themselves, having their name read out, and leaving - all done in under ten minutes. While on a food-based subject, I must also give enormous credit to the ACFS(NT) branch whose volunteers provided the conference Chinese and local cuisine feasts for lunch on the Saturday and Sunday. Another more informal event included a visit to the impressive Chung Wa Society Museum and Temple, which dovetailed nicely with a presentation from the Society's President, Roland Chin.
At these events, the informal provides superb conversational and networking opportunities, while the lectures and presentations give information from people with expertise and necessary organisational activities. Financial columnist and author Daryl Guppy was an expert and entertaining MC for these events. The ACFS NT patron and former Deputy Minister Peter Styles had a certain grandfatherly charm with his sagacious advice on running volunteer groups. International Chinese guests (e.g., Duan Jan from the Department of American and Ocean Affairs, Jihong Fu from Shanghai, and Li Xiao from the Qingdao Associations for Friendship, Beijing Youth Camp, etc), were especially insightful in their contributions in group discussions about furthering positive and beneficial relations between Australia and China, while Edwin Joseph (President of the Multicultural Council) gave a useful commentary on that Darwin's rich tapestry of cultures. Official organisational business was handled fairly smoothly; membership, finances, activities, tours, and elections; and on the latter it appears that I have also become a national director and the communications officer. Overall, it was a successful and informative gathering that underlines the importance and benefits of seeking understanding between countries and cultures as an alternative to belligerence and ignorance. Special thanks must be given to Shu Qin Li, President of the ACFS(NT), and the rest of the branch for their incredible effort and success in putting the conference together.
As for the Conference itself, it began with a reception at Parliament House with an opening speech by the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Ngaree Ah Kit (from Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Chinese descent herself), and then with Colin Mackerras giving the Bill Morrow lecture remotely from Beijing. After that, the City of Darwin hosted a dinner, and I spent quite some time with the Mayor, Kon Vatskalis whose partner, Amy, also spoke at the Conference as Director of the Confucious Institute at Charles Darwin University. The following night there was the spectacular conference dinner also at the Hilton Double Tree, which I attended with the ever-stylish Lara; the cuisine was delicious, the singers and dancers truly impressive, and the short speech by Minister Mark Monaghan was of good quality. The NT opposition leader, Lia Finocchiaro, was notable for arriving, announcing themselves, having their name read out, and leaving - all done in under ten minutes. While on a food-based subject, I must also give enormous credit to the ACFS(NT) branch whose volunteers provided the conference Chinese and local cuisine feasts for lunch on the Saturday and Sunday. Another more informal event included a visit to the impressive Chung Wa Society Museum and Temple, which dovetailed nicely with a presentation from the Society's President, Roland Chin.
At these events, the informal provides superb conversational and networking opportunities, while the lectures and presentations give information from people with expertise and necessary organisational activities. Financial columnist and author Daryl Guppy was an expert and entertaining MC for these events. The ACFS NT patron and former Deputy Minister Peter Styles had a certain grandfatherly charm with his sagacious advice on running volunteer groups. International Chinese guests (e.g., Duan Jan from the Department of American and Ocean Affairs, Jihong Fu from Shanghai, and Li Xiao from the Qingdao Associations for Friendship, Beijing Youth Camp, etc), were especially insightful in their contributions in group discussions about furthering positive and beneficial relations between Australia and China, while Edwin Joseph (President of the Multicultural Council) gave a useful commentary on that Darwin's rich tapestry of cultures. Official organisational business was handled fairly smoothly; membership, finances, activities, tours, and elections; and on the latter it appears that I have also become a national director and the communications officer. Overall, it was a successful and informative gathering that underlines the importance and benefits of seeking understanding between countries and cultures as an alternative to belligerence and ignorance. Special thanks must be given to Shu Qin Li, President of the ACFS(NT), and the rest of the branch for their incredible effort and success in putting the conference together.