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The South Eastern Times : June 1st 2017
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NEWS 9 O L P $15,000 TO BE WON • 2 $500 BANK ACCOUNTS DRAWN WEEKLY END OF THE GREAT WALK: The completion of the re-enactment of the Great Walk From Robe was celebrated on the steps of Melbourne’s Parliament House. Great walk completed IN A moving speech recently delivered on the steps of Melbourne’s Parliament House, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews apologised to a crowd of Chinese community leaders and several descendants of the first wave of miners at the completion of the re-enactment of the Great Walk From Robe. Mr Andrews apologised to the Chinese Community for the racist and unjust policies endured by their ancestors during the Gold Rush era. Representatives from the Robe Tourism Association as well as Robe Mayor Peter Riseley were also present for the arrival of the walkers on the steps of the Victorian Parliament House. Robe Tourism Association vice-chairman Geoff Dening said the mayor and himself were shepherded into almost every photograph as the “Robe faces”. “The interest in Robe was incredible and the Chinese community leaders walked away with such a great impression of Robe,” Mr Dening said. Between 1857 and 1863, almost 20,000 determined Chinese men and one woman arrived in Australia seeking a better life for their family. It was a time of grinding poverty, lawlessness and oppression in many parts of China and families worked together to send a representative to the Australian goldfields to seek a supplementary income for those left at home. This was a difficult decision for the Chinese who came from a traditional culture that focused heavily on parents, family and the ancestral village. On their arrival in Victoria, after a long and perilous sea voyage, the Victorian Government imposed a 10 pound fee on the migrants to disembark. This was a hefty sum and would have equalled several years’ worth of wages, leaving the migrants facing massive debts they were required to work off. To avoid the tax, many miners chose to disembark in Robe and walk the 500km across wild and rugged terrain to the Victorian goldfields. Some died of starvation or exhaustion along the way and survivors endured adversity and racism that would be untenable today. To mark the 160th anniversary of the journey, a group of Chinese-Australians, including several descendants of the original migrants, walked from Robe to Melbourne to meet Mr Andrews. Sending the walkers off from Robe was treated as a celebration for the Robe community. With the assistance of the regional councils, the Robe District Council, the Robe Tourism Association and a dynamic team of volunteers led by event coordinator Jamie Aitken, Robe became a hub of Chinese music, art and culture across the recent weekend. The newly erected Pai Fang welcome gate on the Guichen Bay shoreline at Robe was also officially opened and blessed during the weekend, making for a spectacular parade along Robe’s main street and foreshore. Dragon boat races were held on Robe’s stunning Lake Fellmongery, Limestone Coast food and wine were on display in the main pavilion and lion dancers, drums and crackers mixed with the local primary school and football team as Robe also celebrated 2017 as the Chinese Year of the Rooster, which is Robe’s official emblem. Event coordinators from Robe look forward to an ongoing relationship with the Chinese-Australian Community. Mr Riseley said the weekend was terrifically received by the locals. “It was bright, fun, entertaining and enabled our children to really immerse themselves in our dynamic history and to learn from those who had a very different introduction to the shores of Robe,” he said. Cultural structure significant ROBE now has a structure of major cultural significance according to its council chief executive Roger Sweetman. During the weekend of the Chinese Festival last month, Mr Sweetman enquired as to the significance of the Pai Fang welcome gate to Australians of Chinese descent and Chinese visitors. “I was informed that it is the only structure in Australia that has been built as a result of cooperation between the Chinese and local community,” Mr Sweetman said “This is a point which the Chinese greatly appreciate. www.thesoutheasterntimes.com.au “All other Chinese welcome gates have been erected by the Chinese only. “There are only three such structures that are built in the water to the knowledge of those people present at the Robe festival. “The Pai Fang in Robe is of great cultural significance to the Chinese community and is an important reminder of the joint history that Robe and the Chinese community share and presents an opportunity for Robe, the South East and the Chinese community to create further history and opportunities in the future.” Andys Bakery Angus & Coote Anvil Electronics Bakers Delight Banner Mitre 10 Bare Necessities Lingerie Barry Maney Beaurepaires Betts Blue City Motorcycles Blue Illusion Bras N Things Bucik Tyrepower Bupa Bamboo Massage Café Ellen Carlin and Gazzard Cartridge World Chapman’s Newsagency Chemmart Chinese Medical Centre Country Attitude Cocky’s Autopro County Grey Clothing Ed Harry Enjoy Nails & Beauty Faith Jewellers Flight Centre Fosters Foodland Gardenarium Goods & Chattels Grand Hotel Green Triangle Electronics Ha Ha Yummy Harvey Norman Helloworld Henri Post Jewellers & Watchmakers Hip Pocket HiTec Leading Appliances House Jay Jays Jeans West Just Jeans Len’s Trading Company Lorna Jane Macs Hotel Millers Mount Glass & Glazing Mt Gambier Safety Supplies Mt Gambier & District Community Bank Branch Bendigo Bank Muffin Break OPSM Optus Papa’s Rich Noodle Periwinkles Petstock PJ Pumps Price Attack Ray White Keatley Redgum Country Rockmans SAL Real Estate South East Alternative Foods SE Battery Service She’s Apples Smokemart & Giftbox Somerset Hotel Motel Sorrentos Café Spendless Shoes Sportscene Sportspower Strandbags Subway Sugar ’n Spice Sussan Trackside Pet Meats Twenty 17 Café The South Eastern Bottle Shop The Park Hotel Bottle Shop The Gambier Hotel Bottle Shop The Athlete’s Foot UltraPaint Supplies Wendy’s Zamel’s See in store for details. Conditions published in Tuesday’s edition of The Border Watch and The South Eastern Times. SA Permit No.T17/475 Helping our community grow. Banking products and personal service that help make communities bigger. Drop into your nearest branch at 16 James Street, Mt Gambier or phone 8726 3200 to find out more. Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited, ABN 11 068 049 178 AFSL/Australian Credit Licence 237879. S48951-9 (248449_v3) (2/04/2015) bendigobank.com.au The South Eastern Times, Thursday, June 1, 2017 - 9 RUSSELL COLLIM mount gambier SHOPPED AT: CHINESE MEDICAL CENTRE KENN RULIOUCH mount gambier SHOPPED AT: COUNTRY ATTITUDE 713871 714757 • • L A H S C O
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