A little part of Melbourne became “Little Singapore” for a few hours on the 8th of March 2013.
Slightly less than 300 representatives and members from the Singapore societies and associations of the University of Melbourne, Monash (Caulfield), Monash (Clayton), Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), La Trobe University and Singapore Medical Society of Victoria (SMSV), gathered at CQ functions at 123 Queens Street to attend the Student Welcome Reception, which as the name suggests, welcomes Singaporean students to Melbourne.
The reception is an annual event organized by the Singaporeans of Victoria (SOV), an organisation which represents all the above-mentioned Singaporean societies and associations on a state level and sponsored by the Overseas Singaporean Unit , a government organization which plans and co-ordinates multi-agency programs and initiatives to engage Overseas Singaporeans and strengthen their connection to home and fellow Singaporeans.
Aloysius Chong, Liaison Officer of the Overseas Singaporean Unit, started off the event by providing information on how the unit could assist Singaporeans in Melbourne, such as providing Immigration and Embassy Info.
The attendees were also given a rundown of the activities that the SOV and the various Singapore Clubs planned to hold during the rest of the year by Yen Chun Ting, vice-president of SOV.
Reception attendees starting to have dinner
Soon after, dinner commenced and there was also a general consensus that the quality of the food catering was a vast improvement from previous years.
Bryan Ong, President of the Singapore Students’ Association of Melbourne University, was a attendee of the event last year.
“Last year’s food was really bad. We were promised a full meal and started with small, experimental appetizers. The only problem was that there was nothing to follow after,” he said.
Attendees also praised the venue for its spaciousness.
Debra Lim is a second-year student at the University of Melbourne, and the President of SOV.
“We were lucky to have been able to get a nice venue, which I think is a huge improvement over last year. Then, everyone was squished into a tiny area. That made it really difficult for people to mingle,” Lim said.
And for the few hours that the event was held, attendees were seemingly transported back home, peppering their sentences with familiar Singaporean colloquial terms such as “Walau” (Oh my) and “Steady la” (good to go), while meeting old friends and making new ones, starting off what they hope would be a great school year.
What do you think about this year’s Student Welcome Reception?
“I really liked the openness of the entire area. Encourages us to mingle.”
–Siew Jean Wong, 19, Melbourne University Commerce Student
“The food is good and plenty. What more can I ask for? I’m a happy, happy man.”
–Gilbert Wong, 23, Melbourne University Arts Student
“In the three years that I have been attending this event, this has totally got to be the best so far.”
–Helmi Mubarak Abdat, 27, Melbourne University Masters Student
“I like it. I even met a few friends from secondary school that I didn’t even know were here! Feels almost just like home.”
-Yi Rui Ngoh, 23, La Trobe University Speech Therapy Student
