Speech by the High Commissioner at the Australia Week 2008 reception
10 March 2008; High Commissioner’s residence, Port Moresby, PNG
Good evening distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this reception to celebrate Australia Week 2008 which began this morning and runs until the end of this week, Sunday 16 March.
Australia Week is about highlighting the strength of the bilateral relationship between Australia and PNG and promoting a better understanding of Australia in PNG. It is about celebrating our relationship, as neighbours and friends. And it is about celebrating a new chapter in Australia-PNG relations.
The week opened this morning with an event at the Australian High Commission to mark International Women’s Day. Given the importance that the Australian Government attaches to the promotion of gender equality it was particularly fitting that the International Women’s Day event was the first event of Australia Week 2008.
The Australian movie star and TV personality, Ernie Dingo, spoke at the event this morning and I am very pleased to say that Ernie will also be speaking to us here this evening – I will introduce him shortly.
In fact Ernie has a busy few days in PNG doing a range of activities for Australia Week 2008. Tomorrow morning he will be speaking at a Leadership PNG breakfast function at the Crowne Plaza and tomorrow evening he is the guest speaker at a fundraising dinner organised by the Business Coalition Against HIV/AIDS.
Another feature of Australia Week 2008 is a fabulous musical collaboration between Australia and PNG called We Don’t Dance For No Reason.
One of Australia’s brightest young jazz stars, Aaron Choulai, has teamed up with a traditional choir from Tatana Village right here in Port Moresby for this exciting cultural fusion, which has already played to great acclaim at the Queensland Musical Festival and at the Melbourne International Arts Festival.
The ABC gave them four and half stars out of five – which is very good – and described their performance in Brisbane as “an enriching experience of the lush, traditional songs of Papua New Guinea and subtle yet complex harmonies of Aaron Choulai”.
I would encourage you to go and see the show at the Moresby Arts Theatre on Friday or Saturday evening.
Other highlights of the packed program of events during Australia Week 2008 include a public lecture by the well-known Australian journalist, Sean Dorney; promotional wine tasting functions in Lae and Port Moresby with top-selling Australian wine producer Casella Wines; Australia Week programs on EM TV, business promotions and sporting events.
Before going any further I would like to thank the companies, organisations and individuals who have supported Australia Week this year:
Westpac PNG; Casella Wines; Leadership PNG; the sponsors of the Leadership PNG event – Kina Group of Companies; Nasfund PNG; Santos; Masalai Communications; ANZ: Ela Motors; the Business Coalition Against HIV/AIDS; the Institute of National Affairs; Brian Bell & Co; the Moresby Arts Theatre; Airlines PNG and EMTV.
Apologies if I have missed anyone – a great many people have been involved in organizing the week, including a number of officers from the Australian High Commission.
This is the second time that there has been an Australia Week in PNG. The first Australia Week ran from 26 January to 2 February 2007. We hope that the event will continue to grow and hopefully become an annual fixture in PNG.
As I mentioned earlier, Australia Week this year is partly about celebrating a new chapter in Australia-PNG relations.
Nothing illustrates that new chapter more clearly than the visit last week by the Australian Prime Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd.
However, while Australia and PNG do have a very close relationship, many people in both countries do not necessarily know that much about each other.
All of you here this evening – as key players in your various fields –
recognise, I am sure, how important it is that people in both of our countries know about and understand each other. Without such an understanding, it is harder to build a friendship, do business and work together to achieve shared goals.
So to help add a little to your own knowledge and understanding of Australia, I’m very pleased to be able to introduce to you tonight one of Australia leading personalities and performers, Ernie Dingo. Ernie was voted an Australian ‘National Living Treasure’ in 1997 so if anyone can tell you about our ‘home place’ it’s Ernie.
Ernie was born on Bullardoo Station in Western Australia. He is Wadjarri/Yamatji. Wadjarri is his tongue, his language which he still speaks and Yamitji is his people/nation.
Ernie’s tribal name in ‘OONDAMOOROO’. OONDA means shield, and MOOROO the particular carvings/pattern on the shield.
He became a performer when the basketball team he played with became a dance troupe called Middar. From there he was offered his first acting role a co-lead actor, playing ‘Yagan’ in the Jack Davis play ‘Kullark’ in 1979.
Since then, he has worked nationally and internationally in television, film and theatre. He has just completed production for the 2007 series of “The Great Outdoors” travel show for the Seven Network.
Ladies and Gentlemen please join me in welcoming Ernie Dingo.
End