Australia Day & barbeque gathering

Spaghetti carbonara, barbequed black pepper chicken, caramelised bread and Australia Day cupcakes; there is no better way to share a bit of transnational joy.

UOW Malaysia KDU Student & Alumni Centre (SAC) organised a campus-wide celebration of Australia Day and about 120 students got a taste of some classic, easy-going Down Under relaxation.

Australia Day is celebrated on Jan 26 to mark the 1788 landing of the first fleet of ships bringing settlers from England. A great deal of change was embraced in this nation since then and today, Australia Day is a celebration of diverse cultures living together cohesively in this continent-nation.

Since UOW Malaysia KDU is an integral part of University of Wollongong in New South Wales, the students in Malaysia gathered on the campus to partake in the joy on the campus’ Stairs of Hope and Eco Hideout {{note: as a place to hide, it is normally spelled ‘hideout’, but I am leaving the spelling alone here although I must protest on grounds that it is hard to hide outside}}.

It was a lively, cool evening and a joy to get together ever since COVID-19 struck in March 2020.

The event started with the welcoming speech by the two hosts, Melissa and Aisyah. They shared fun facts on the history of Australia and what it took for the nation to become the melting pot that it is today.

The salutations were continued by SAC Senior Manager Mitchell Liong, who took the chance to greet all UOW Malaysia KDU students, especially the new intakes and elucidate on what it means to be part of a global university.

SAC made sure Australia Day was celebrated on the UOW Malaysia KDU campus with the nation’s time-honoured barbeque, for anyone who has spent time in Australia eventually realises that Aussies love their food grilled in its own juices over a bed of red-hot coals.

The sumptuous spread was prepared by Lynn’s Catering and that done, it was time for another time-honoured tradition: a shared movie.

Armed with bean bags, students stretched out at Eco Hideout and the movie chosen was ‘Don’t Look Up”.

Replacing climate change and environmental degradation with an impending meteor strike that will kill everyone on Earth in a few months, this 2021 movie comically depicts how humans can ignore total obliteration that is not happening right before their noses, until it is too late.

While it was a moment for students to experience much-needed camaraderie, the movie carried a message for everyone to take home: take care of your planet.

It goes without saying that while everyone had fun, the group made sure COVID-19 precautions were observed every step of the way, especially the need to ensure physical distance to curb the spread of the virus.

Happy Australia Day! This celebration was successful as the objective of the event was met.

This content is provided by UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College Sdn Bhd.

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