The Australian High Commission officially launched the G’day Moris Australia Week Festival at the High Commissioner’s residence on Thursday 5 April with guests across government, business, community and education sectors and performances by children’s choir “Rainbow Voices”.
The week-long festival, held from 5 to 11 April, will celebrate Australia and Mauritius relations in the context of the 50 years of independence of Mauritius.
A highlight of the Australia Week Festival will be the “Gourmet Australia in Africa” Dinner where renowned Australian Executive Chef, Chris Wade, will fuse the best of Australian and Mauritian cuisine and showcase Australian beverages at The Address Boutique Hotel on 6 April.
Other events include a Gold Coast Commonwealth Games Quiz on Radio One, an Australian Design and Cultural showcase featuring Australian film screenings of “The Dressmaker” and “Oddball” at MCine Trianon and a student graphic design competition and exhibition with the Charles Telfair Institute.
The Australian Trade and Investment Commission will host a “Doing Business with Australia” roundtable in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, while the Australian High Commission will also hold an Australia Awards Regional Women in Leadership Conference.
Australia’s High Commissioner to Mauritius Ms Jenny Dee said “Our G’day Moris Festival, coinciding with celebrations to mark 50 years of independence in Mauritius and the strong links with Australia, provides a wonderful platform to showcase Australian excellence in food and beverages, our growing educational and business partnerships and creativity across design and film.”
“The Australia Awards Regional Women in Leadership Conference will provide the High Commission a unique opportunity to bring together our alumni from Mauritius, Madagascar and the Seychelles to work on advancing gender empowerment and women in leadership in the region,” she said.
The Australia Week Festival will end with an official ceremony where the Minister for Agro-Industry and Acting Foreign Minister, the Hon Mahen Kumar Seeruttun, will plant a Wollemi Pine in the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Gardens on 11 April which was gifted by the Australian Government on the occasion of the 50th years of independence of Mauritius. The Wollemi Pine is one of the world’s oldest and rarest tree species, belonging to a 200 million year old plant family.
Further information on the Australia Week Festival, including instructions for on-line voting for the People’s Choice Award for the Australian Student Design Competition, is available on www.mauritius.embassy.gov.au or on www.facebook.com/ahcportlouis
5 April 2018