Consular Corps Annual Dinner with Honourable Excellency Alex Chervov, Governor of the State of Victoria on Thursday evening (7.00 pm till 11.00 pm) at the Australian Club House, 110 Williams Street, Melbourne CBD. The speech by Dr Rameez as the Dean of the Melbourne Consular Corps as follows:-
{C}{C}{C}
SPEECH BY
DATO’ DR. MOHAMAD RAMEEZ YAHAYA
DEAN OF THE MELBOURNE CONSULAR CORPS
23 APRIL 2015
His Excellency the Honorable Alex Chernov AC QC, Governor of the State of Victoria and Mrs Elizabeth Chernov,
Amb Richardson, Director of DFAT- Victoria
Consul Generals
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
First of all at the outset allow me to express my sincere thanks to the organizer of today’s auspicious event, an event which has repeatedly been held in Melbourne by the Consular Corps in honour of the Governor of Victoria and Mrs. Elizabeth Chernov.
I also wish to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Smith our Secretary whom as you know since assuming the position of the Secretary has been very active day and night.
I hope you don’t think laterally on this! I had the opportunity to be given instruction by him on the dos and don’ts, and I appreciate very much that advice which is truly beneficial in making our event tonight a success.
‘’Life is like a box of chocolates’’, you never know what you are going to get until and unless you taste all of it. It is a simple yet powerful philosophy. Truly, if you don’t expose yourself to the reality of the world; if you don’t expand your horizon; and if you don’t change the way and whom you deal with! You will be stagnant and opportunities will be wasted. That’s why, I truly believe that tonight’s dinner is the best venue for all of us to intermingle and to get to know each other better.
My dear colleagues,
This dinner has always held an important place in the calendar of the Consular Corp and in this most loveable city of the world for the fourth time i.e. Melbourne. It is true that the internet, email, skype and video conferences have reduced the need for face to face meetings and discussions but, at the end of the day, technology cannot replace the meaningful bonds cultivated through personal contacts. And tonight’s dinner reflects the importance of personal interaction between all of us after tireless work efforts.
To quote what was said by our Guest of Honor H.E Alex Chernov, Governor of Victoria during the many occasion of Dinner we have had with His Excellency, tonight’s dinner can be said as ‘’a mini United Nations function; -….it is certainly the most international annual dinner that is held in Melbourne. It is an occasion when the representatives of so many countries that are of importance to Victoria gather in a social context and reflect, positively’’.
Fellow Brethren,
The Melbourne Consular Corps has always enjoyed strong relationships with the Office of the Governor in Victoria. The Governor plays an integral role in supporting Victoria and its communities through the many patronages he holds. Moreover, the Governor makes available the facilities at Government House on a regular basis for different community events throughout the year.
Since being sworn in as the Governor of Victoria on 8th April 2011, His Excellency Alex Chernov has been very active in his capacity as the Head of State in Victoria. His keeping of his responsibilities in the constitutional, ceremonial and community engagement has been tremendous. In fact I can say without hesitation that he is one of those Governors that you don’t have to keep formalities with when you need his advice and assistance to make your life as a Consul General in this state much easier!
Two months after he assumed his position as the 28th Governor of the State of Victoria, I arrived in Victoria with my wife and family, and tasked to open up the First Malaysian Consulate General in Melbourne. With the kind assistance of DFAT and the generous advice of the Governor we succeded in setting up our Office. I could recount the day when I met the Governor and Mrs. Chernov at the Government House in July 2011, and they were kind enough to advocate me about the State of Victoria and Melbourne. One advice that the Governor gave to me was that you need to pick up a favorite AFL team, only then will you be considered as Melbournian!
The fact that His Excellency Alex Chernov had time and again permitted us to make use of this Australian Club (one of the finest and most reputed Club in Melbourne) indicates that he is truly a leader that encourages active engagement, thus making life very much easier for members of the Consular Corps to have meeting and active networking, although not to lodge in it!
Dear Colleagues,
I have touched too long on the Governor and I may not do justice without giving credit to Mrs. Elizabeth Chernov. This lovely wife of the Governor deserve much credit. As the Sicilian Proverb rightly states: - The man without a wife, has nothing good. I may say the same. Without the sacrifice, without the understanding and without the support given by Mrs. Chernov, the Consular Corps won’t be achieving what it is right now. With that I sincerely on behalf of the Consular Corps wish to applaud the effort of Mrs. Chernov in her association with the Corps, although she herself is involved in numerous social and welfare activities of the state of Victoria. I wish this lovely couple many years of happy returns together!
My fellow Brethren,
Diplomatic representatives from many countries have been in Melbourne well before 1926. We are honored that the numbers have been ever increasing. Since I arrived in June 2011, the number I believe has been on the rise from only 60 to 71 today. This is also an indication that many pay respect and importance in building up better relations with Victoria per se and Australia in general. The active engagement of leaders in Victoria, is also a main reason why this has been in the increase. And we can never deny that the Governor plays an important role in it too.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I conclude by quoting Dale Carnegie “It is tragic when we put off living. We dream of a magical rose garden over the horizon and miss the roses blooming outside our windows’’ Don’t go far this is the time and venue for all of us to mix together and to speak our minds.
