Celebrating the good life down Under
Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, offering a variety of attractions that would delight any tourist. Just recently, mall goers had a great opportunity to discover more about the sights, sounds, history, movies, music, education, food, and shopping available Down Under during the “Celebrate Australia: Say G’Day at SM” exhibit held at SM Aura Premier Atrium.
The exhibit, which was a joint project of the Australian Embassy and SM, was held to commemorate the 70th year of diplomatic relations between Australia and the Philippines. Australia opened its f irst Consulate General in Manila on May 22, 1946, and the event highlighted the warm relations between the two countries with an exhibit that highlighted a timeline covering the first 70 years, as well as milestones in bilateral relations between the two countries.
Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely graced the launch together with embassy officials including Minister Counsellor and Senior Trade Commissioner Anthony Weymouth, First Secretary Felicity Lee, Political and Public Affairs Counsellor Richard Rodgers, and Economic Counsellor Daniel Featherston. Joining the celebrations were National Historical Commission of the Philippines director Vic Badoy, Qantas Airways general manager Honeybee Hubahib, musician Jim Paredes with wife Lydia, and SM officials led by SM senior vice president for Marketing Millie Dizon and SM Supermalls AVP for Operations Bernice Baculi.
The exhibit showed a collection of breathtaking photographs featuring iconic Australian tourist attractions like the @LIFEatStandard from left: anZ philippines chief executive officer peter chan, australian embassy trade commissioner natasha monks, Qantas airways General manager honeybee hubahib, and telstra philippines general manager rosanne suarez minister counsellor and senior trade commissioner of australian Government australian trade commission anthony Weymouth and wife Kerrie Sydney Opera House; Twelve Apostles in Victoria; Cradle Mountain in Tasmania; Wave Rock in Western Australia, and many more.
An exhibit titled The Philippines and Australia: The First Seventy Years showed a timeline of photographs that captured significant moments in the shared history between Australia and the Philippines. The photographs also depicted the close connection between the two countries and the strong people-to-people links and their influence in both cultures.
Also showcased were Australian education, science and innovation as well as lifestyle. These included three dimensional trivia materials and interactive displays and equipment. Complementing the exhibit was a trade fair and sampling of both the leading and the emerging Australian brands in our country: Cotton On, Ever New, Rip Curl, Roxy, Quiksilver, Globe Skate Brand, BYS, Lol, Scanasia, Silverwave. There was also a booth of Australian Wine and of course, Flat White Coffee, which originated in Australia from Vittoria Café.
Following the Aura run, the Celebrate Australia: Say G’Day at SM exhibition will be touring SM’s Premier Malls: SM City Cebu on March, SM City Davao in April, and SM North EDSA in May. Incorporated in the tour is a mall promotion that will give shoppers a chance to win SM gift certificates with Australian wine and cheese packages, and a trip to Melbourne with tour packages via Qantas Airways.
The Celebrate Australia: Say G’Day at SM is one of the many exciting cultural events at SM’s premier malls. For more details, visit https://facebook.com/AustralianEmbassyManila/.