NSW Chinese Community New Year Celebration 2004 (The birth of the NSW Chinese Community Scholarship Foundation)				More Photos
On January 23 Friday ACCF and the Lion's Club of Sydney Pacific Inc jointly hosted a function to welcome the Year of the Monkey. As in previous years celebrations of Chinese New Years aim not only to have all the Chinese Community organisations gather in glee to renew friendship and welcome a new year but also to raise funds for needy projects. In the Year of the Ram money was raised to assist the fire victims. To educate the young has always been the tradition and cultural heritage of the Chinese. Parents will make tremendous sacrifices to ensure their children have access to the best education. However, there are times that it is beyond the means of the parents to realise this dream. For this reason ACCF and the Lion's Club decided that funds raise this year should be ear-marked for a Scholarship Foundation set up in UNSW.		Mr Henry Ngai denoted $22,000 towards the NSW Chinese Community Foundation for Scholarship with UNSW
Professor Niland of UNSW is most supportive of this meaningful project. UNSW will match a dollar to a dollar if at the function we can raise more than $30,000. Through the generosity of sponsors, donors and participants the evening's proceed far exceeded $30,000. Raffle ticket sales, auction income and profit from the dinner totalled $50,000. Professor Niland immediately matched the sum with $50,000. Currently the Scholarship Foundation has a grand total of$100,000. This sum will be administered by UNSW.
The Organising Committee together with the VIPs wishing everyone a happy Chinese New Year	As this article goes to the Web, it sounds the money raised is simple and easy. Not at all! Much effort has gone into organising this event to achieve this successful result. The Organising Committee worked very hard to solicit items for auction. Mr Henry Lai was most generous in donating $10,000 to kick-start the sum. At the auction participants were really committed to the course and paid most generously for the few but very valuable items. Two business class return airfare Sydney-Hong Kong-Sydney donated by Qantas raised well over $10,000.
To ensure that over 500 participants from more than eighty community organisations have a good time is not an easy feat. The toast of the Year to all by representative groups was novel and well organised. The communal singing of song in English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Taiwan dialect gave all a feeling of togetherness. However, the highlight of the evening is not just the presence of the many VIPs including Philip Ruddock Attorney General, Amanda Vanstone Minister for Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, John Brogden Leader of the Opposition, Laurie Ferguson MP, Amanda Fazia MLC representing the Premier, Jenny Wallis Director HKETO who participated in the "entertainment" of group singing and toasting. It is the speech made by Amanda Vanstone.
She began in English but mid way she shifted to well phrased, beautifully pronounced Mandarin which lasted well over 10 minutes and include words such as social diversity, multicultural society. The habitual chatter from the audience promptly stopped. One can hear a pin drop! As she concluded, the applause was almost louder than the noise of the lion dance that started the celebration. I am sure all who attended the function will have this speech "etched" into their memory. Article provided by Katie Young OAM JP			Lion Dance with Mr Philip Ruddock
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