Aussie News - Issue 24 - March 2007

Australia Day

Left to right: Anand Neewoor Secretary,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International
Trade and Regional Cooperation, President
of the Republic of Mauritius and High
Commissioner Ian McConville.

Australia Day was celebrated with energy and creativity across the countries of the Indian Ocean. In Mauritius, we were pleased to welcome around 280 people at the High Commissioner’s Residence for a celebration of this event on Friday 26 January.

Notwithstanding some heavy afternoon rains, the weather cleared kindly for us in the evening, and with the Police Band and other accompanying musicians, the ambiance of the evening was very genial. The guest of honour was the President of the Republic of Mauritius.

We were also delighted that our consular wardens in both Seychelles and Madagascar also got into the spirit of the occasion.

Left to right: Paul Porteous, Helen
Crowley, Paul Dobbie, Brigitte
and Geoff Gorrie, David Meyers
and Jules Leclezio

In Madagascar, Helen Crowley organised an Aussie celebration at a well known restaurant in down town Antananarivo, as well as a featuring in a special “Oz Day” two hour radio discussion and music session with a local radio identity. Helen’s eclectic taste of 80’s Aussie music including Midnight Oil, Hunters and Collectors, Paul Kelly and INXS would have surprised and delighted local listeners, we are sure.

In the Seychelles, Karen and Shane McNally (our consular warden and General Manager of the Banyan Tree Resort respectively) staged a thrilling and well organised cricket championship match on 27 January between an Aussie team and a scratch local team made up of Brits and other Commonwealth representatives.

Left to right: Johnno, man of the match, Ian
McConville, the Captain of the rest of the
World Side, Shane McNally and Libby McCutchan

Whilst the result was more a reflection of our recent cricketing efforts in New Zealand, there were several possible reasons for this including : rain, bad umpiring or just possibly but unlikely, a better opposition. The High Commissioner and his wife Libby were very pleased to award the trophies at a subsequent ceremony for the winning team and a consolation prize for the valiant losing team – in addition to Johnno for his Man of the Match efforts.