2009

On 22nd May the Foundation held its Annual General Meeting where the new council for 2009 was voted in. Prof. Ghossayn presented the President’s Report and thanked all members for their support and contributions to the ongoing good work of the Foundation.

The Treasurer, Mr. Youssef, tabled the 2008 Financial Statements and gave a financial overview of the year. He reported a surplus for the year ending 31st December 2008 of $7,676.

Prof. Ghossayn expressed thanks and gratitude to Mr. Youssef for his fine effort of preparing the Financial Statement and Annual Report.

On March 9th the ALF hosted the 2009 Scholarship Presentation Dinner in the extraordinary venue of MacLaurin Hall at The University of Sydney.

As guests arrived under the porch in the Main Quadrangle they were greeted by classical Lebanese aoud and flute playing musicians and offered drinks to start the evening before moving upstairs into the Hall and taking their seats.

After scholarship students were officially marched into the Hall, Her Excellency Prof. Marie Bashir AC CVO, Governor of NSW and Chancellor of the University acknowledged and thanked the 20 Scholarship Sponsors for their generous support, especially at this time of the financial downturn.





VIP guests included:
Dr. John Daniel, Ambassador of Lebanon; the Hon Richard Torbay MP & Speaker; the Hon Barbara Perry MP; the Hon John Ajaka MLC; the Hon Edward Obeid MLC.

         

Guest speakers were:-
Dr. Michael Spence, Vice Chancellor and Principle of The University of Sydney, Mr. John Symond, Executive Chairman, Aussie Home Loans and Ms. Gemma Khaicy, scholarship recipient representing students.









After guests enjoyed a fine meal the Governor individually congratulated and handed students their scholarship certificate while also presenting their sponsors with a plaque of appreciation.

This occasion was the perfect opportunity to publicly thank the Commonwealth Bank of Australia for their continued pledge of major sponsorship into 2010 and the Governor presented a plaque of commemoration to bank executives Geoff Wearne, George Siderovski and Fawaz Sankari.

Representatives from the Lebanese print and radio media and SBS attended, and covered the event.

Once again it was a memorable evening, with numerous guests reporting on the high quality of the event. The ALF council would like to thank guests for their support.

On Friday 6^th February 6-8pm the Foundation invited the public to a free lecture by Michel Moawad in the Eastern Avenue Lecture Theatre, The University of Sydney. Michel is a prominent Lebanese political figure and member of the leading team of a major political alliance. He is the son of late Lebanese President René Moawad who was elected in 1989 and assassinated 17 days later, and of Nayla Moawad currently an MP, a minister in the Lebanese Government and a leading political figure as well. Michel has published studies on Lebanon and Radical Islam and is a very active non-profit organisations founder and leader.

Lebanon’s Future: Threats and Opportunities
Lebanon has become the focal point of the Middle East crisis which is itself now a serious global concern. Despite all the suffering brought by the internal conflicts and the wars of others on its land, Lebanon has many times astounded the world with its ability to be re-born from the ashes and keep a vibrant democracy despite all odds. Michel Moawad’s lecture is directly focused on the heart of Lebanon’s specificity and unveils the future vision of a new generation of Lebanese political men.

2008

On Friday 18th July the Ghossayn Group generously sponsored a lunch event held by the ALF in honour of his Beatitude Cardinal Mar Nas’rallah Boutros Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch and the East.

Distinguished guests included his Excellency Dr. John Daniel, Australian Ambassador for Lebanon and his wife Mireille Daniel; Mrs. Ghada Naoum representing the Lebanese General Consul Mr. Robert Naoum; Dr. Michael Spence, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of The University of Sydney; Bishop Vicar Mazloum, General Vicar of Lebanon; Bishop Baysari; Bishop Choukrallah Harb; Bishop Madi, and Reverend Clergy.

It was a wonderful opportunity for the Foundation and those gathered to pay tribute to the Cardinal’s remarkable achievements and leadership.

After guests were seated the MC Mr Joe Rizk welcomed everyone and asked Prof. Ghossayn to make the official toast and introduce the newly appointed Vice Chancellor, Dr. Michael Spence. Dr. Spence was very welcoming and enthusiastically voiced his continuing support of the ALF. Cardinal Sfeir responded with a heartfelt speech. (you are welcome to view Cardinal Sfeir’s and Prof. Ghossayn’s speech on the link below.)

The event was a unique experience for all to be amongst men of heart, soul, intellect and spirit.

Read Prof. Ghossayn's Speech
Read Cardinal Sfeirs Speech

Joe Rizk (Arab Bank), George Ghossayn (Ghossayn Group), Fawaz Sankari (Commonwealth Bank), Sid Khoury (European Car Specialist), Ambassador John Daniel, Cardinal Sfeir, Prof. Fadia Ghossayn, Dr. Michael Spence, James Wakim (Arab Bank)

ALF Council Members with Cardinal Sfeir

Cardinal Sfeir signing Certificate of Gratitude to George Ghossayn

On 7th May the ALF held its sixth annual general meeting where the minutes of the 2007 AGM were tabled and accepted. The treasurer presented the 2007 financial statements and the new year’s office bearers were elected, seconded and accepted.

Office Bearers:-
Professor Fadia Ghossayn was re-elected as President. Mr. Joe Rizk was elected as First Vice-President. Dr. Chris Scarf was re-elected Second Vice-President. Mr. Denis Hall was re-elected as Secretary. Mr. Mansour Youssef was re-elected as Treasurer.

Elected members:-
Dr. Glen Coorey; Ms. Josiane Deiri; Ms. Nola Deiri; Mr. Pierre El Alam; Ms. Mecca Laalaa; Mr. Joseph Khattar; Ms. Diane Ranck; Dr. Jamal Rifi; Dr. Saade Saade.

GP honoured for bridging racial divide.
Kathryn Eccles

Sydney GP Dr. Jamal Rifi has won national recognition for his tireless work to promote racial harmony.

The Lebanese Australian doctor who works in Lakemba, a suburb in south western Sydney with a large Lebanese population, was awarded the 2007 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s Individual Community Award.

President of the Lakemba Sports Club for the past three years, Dr. Rifi was a pioneer in helping to introduce Muslim lifeguards to Sydney’s beaches after the 2005 Cronulla riots.

The GP intends to use the award as a springboard to educate Australians of all races about race tolerance.

“Although I feel very honoured I also feel very responsible that I use this award to project the real voice that represents the Australian community. It will give me the inspiration to keep moving forward” he said.

Dr. Rifi was a commissioner of the NSW Community Relations Commission for four years and as president of Lakemba Sports Club helped membership soar from 100 to 500. Both Muslims and Christians use the renovated clubhouse for prayer on allocated days.

On 16 April the Australian Lebanese Foundation held a cocktail function to mark the announcement of a major new sponsor of the Foundation, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. The celebration was held in the stunning showroom of the European Car Specialist and the General Manager, Mr. Sid Khoury, and his staff were the perfect hosts offering guests gourmet food prepared by his on-site chef and a selection of fine beverages, while live music pleasantly entertained guests in the background.

The MC, Mr. Eddy Chahine introduced Mr. Geoff Wearne (General Manager, Corporate Financial Services NSW/ACT), Ms. Karen Carter (Regional Executive Manager, Corporate Financial Services) and Mr. Fawaz Sankari (Area Manager – Bankstown – Liverpool – Macarthur, Corporate Financial Services) from the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Geoff handed over a cheque for $15,000 to the ALF President, Prof. Fadia Ghossayn who formally thanked the CBA for their sponsorship and presented Geoff with a crystal trophy acknowledging the CBA as the ALF major sponsor for 2008.

Prof. Ghossayn also presented Mr. Sid Khoury with a crystal trophy acknowledging the European Car Specialist as an ALF sponsor for 2008.

ALF First Vice-President Eddy Chahine, MC

Sid Khoury, Director European Car Specialist, function host and ALF sponsor 2008

Geoff Wearne and Prof. Fadia Ghossayn with CBA cheque

Karen Carter, Geoff Wearne, Prof. Fadia Ghossayn and Fawaz Sankari

CBA Management presenting 2008 sponsorship cheque to ALF Council

Dr. Glen Coorey, Shirley Symond and Eddy Chahine

2007

On 25th August The University of Sydney held it’s mid-year Uni-LIVE! Open Information Day. Senior high school students aspiring to be accepted into Sydney University next year attended in thousands.
The ALF stand again enjoyed the prime location of the Main Quadrangle. 2007 scholarship recipients Aaisha, Joe, and Adrian, and 2005 recipient Elie, who are members of the Youth Committee, helped man the stand and enthusiastically responded to the numerous enquiries throughout the sunny winter day. We appreciate their effort and thank them for their help.

On 27th May the ALF held its Annual General Meeting at The University of Sydney.

The Minutes of the 2006 AGM were tabled and accepted and the Treasurer presented the 2006 Financial Statements. During the meeting nominations for the 2007 Council were called for and the election was conducted. The previous year’s office bearers were each re-elected, seconded and accepted:-

President:                     Professor Fadia Ghossayn
1st Vice President:         Mr. Eddy Chahine
2nd Vice President         Dr. Chris Scarf
Secretary:                     Mr. Denis Hall
Treasurer:                     Mr. Mansour Youssef            
         

On 7th May The Australian Lebanese Foundation hosted a special intimate lunch at the El Phoenician Restaurant in Parramatta with Mr. Mohammad Sammak who gave a presentation on “The interconnected problems of The Middle East”.

Mr. Sammak is a leading authority on Middle Eastern/World politics and philosophy, and some of his many roles are:-

• Counsellor to the late Prime Minister of The Lebanon, Mr. Rafic Hariri
• Counsellor to Mr. Saad Hariri, Leader of Almustaqbal Parliamentary Group
• Counsellor to the Mufti of The Lebanon.

Guests enjoyed the elegant restaurant’s superb Lebanese food and Mr. Sammak’s insightful and inspiring knowledge.

President Prof. Fadia Ghossayn, Mr. Mohammad Sammak, Mr. Alex Pascoe (Investec), Mr. Sid Khoury (European Car Specialist) with Mr. Eddy Chahine on podium.

On Monday 19 February in the Nicholson Museum of The University of Sydney the Australian Lebanese Foundation held its Annual Award Ceremony attended by the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Gavin Brown and other dignified academics. Her Excellency, Prof. Marie Bashir, Governor of NSW, presented the awards and warmly congratulated the fine young people who had made great efforts to win prizes in the cultural competition and the undergraduate scholarships. This year’s ceremony included awards for 10 high school students and four scholarships for people entering Sydney University studies. The audience of around 200 people were from school communities, senior University academics and corporate sponsors of the Foundation.

The Foundation president, Prof. Fadia Ghossayn graciously thanked the ALF sponsors, in particular the Event Sponsor: Investec Bank (Australia) Limited, and presented them with a trophy or an inscribed plaque as a token of gratitude for their support.

Mr Alex Pascoe, MD, Investec Bank, Event Sponsor and Scholarship Sponsor.

Sponsors: Hall & Hall Lawyers, Dasco Construction, Dyldam Developments, E Group Security.

The Australian Lebanese Foundation Scholarship was awarded to Louise Fakhr.
Louise completed her HSC at Our Lady of Lebanon College. She has an outstanding academic record with numerous prizes and awards for mathematics and chemistry won in national competitions.  She has been a leader in the classroom and on sporting arenas; she is a committed participant and achiever.





Louise is one of seven children in her family so knows a lot about the dynamics of successful negotiation. She plans to take her love of chemistry and mathematics to new heights as a Pharmacy student and subsequently as a community pharmacist bringing affordable medicines to peoples from all walks of life.

NEWS ON HIGH SCHOOLS SCHOLARSHIPS

The response to the ALF High School Scholarship program was very pleasing. Students in Years 10-12 at high schools participating in the Lebanese Cultural Education Program delivered by Prof. M. Semaan in February 2006 were invited to compete for cash awards for projects depicting issues and concepts around Lebanese culture. We received over 70 entries, many with interesting concepts brought to life.  We were also delighted that the program had the strong support of many teachers who were obviously enthusiastic for their students to do well.

Formal assessment of the entries has now concluded and the ALF Council is proud to announce the winners, as listed below. Her Excellency, Professor Marie Bashir, AC, Governor of NSW, will present the scholarships at a formal presentation evening to be held on 19th February 2007 at the Nicholson Museum, the University of Sydney at 6:30pm:-

ST.MAROUN’S COLLEGE
          Year 12        Brendan Dunne
          Year 11        Antonio El Mokdri
          Year 10        Andrew Ghebar
NOOR AL HOUDA COLLEGE
          Year 11        Daniel Hammoud & Hillal Kare-Ali
          Year 10        Ahmed Bakour
OUR LADY OF LEBANON
          Year 11        Mary-Ann Kazzi, Laura Trad & Tamy Jabbour
SANTA SABINA COLLEGE
          Year 11        Deanne Trianta

As students were given the freedom of choosing their preferred medium, entries ranged from powerpoint presentations, to artworks, to assignments and to dioramas/models. When you see their work you will agree that a lot of effort went onto the projects across a variety of forms.  Well done!

We look forward to welcoming the winners and their families and friends and all interested parties to the Nicholson Museum – don’t forget the Lebanese exhibition has been extended to April 2007.

Guests at the opening were from a wide variety of backgrounds and enjoyed the opportunity to view the Museum’s priceless collection of antiquities relating to Lebanon. These include from an Egyptian sarcophagus made of Lebanese cedar to a jirrin from the town of Mashghara. The exhibition also features spectacular imagery of ancient Baalbek and modern Beirut. The ALF and co-sponsors The Phoenician Restaurant provided excellent Lebanese food, wine and traditional flute music at the opening. The evening concluded with a fascinating account of archaeological excavations carried out in downtown Beirut during recent major redevelopment by Dr Amelie Beyhum, from the American University of Beirut.  She is also the Managing Editor of Berytus, a journal of historical, archaeological and ethno-archaeological studies in Lebanon and Syria. The official opening was a sell-out and Dr Beyhum generously gave a second lecture on the following evening.

The exhibition is most definitely worth a leisurely visit. It is open to the public and will run until 15th April 2007. The Nicholson Museum is located at the southern end of the Quadrangle at the University and is open from 10am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.

Dr. Chris Scarf & Eddy Chahine (ALF) and George Beyih (El Phoenician Restaurant)

Unisyd – LIVE! The University of Sydney’s Open Information Day was held on Saturday 26th and enjoyed a sunny and mild winter day.  University statistics indicate that over 15,000 visitors were estimated to have attended the event. The ALF stand, in the prime position of the Main Quadrangle, attracted many scholarship enquiries which were enthusiastically and professionally responded to by members of the ALF Youth Committee. Approximately 100 ALF brochures were distributed

Many excellent applications were received for the 2006 ALF undergraduate scholarships. The four scholarship winners for 2006 are:

Ms Chirine Dada (The European Car Specialist ALF Scholarship)
Mr Anthony Elias (Arab Bank ALF Scholarship)
Ms Manal Saroufim (ALF Scholarship)
Ms Renee Stanton (ALF Scholarship)

The winners were announced at a gala dinner at which Her Excellency Prof. Marie Bashir AC, Governor of NSW and Patron of the Foundation, presented them with their certificates in front of approx. 550 guests and dignitaries. The dinner was held at Le Montage Bayside Events Centre in Leichhardt and guests were entertained by the Jamal Orchestra and the MC, Mr John Mangos.

During the evening the MC welcomed Mr Brendan O’Sullivan of Investec Bank Australia Limited as the Event Sponsor;

Mr Sid Khoury of The European Car Specialists and Mr James Wakim of the Arab Bank as Scholarship Sponsors;

Mr George Beyih of El Phoenician Restaurant; Ms Norhan Youssef of Gulf Air; Mr Tony Ishak of Saout El Ghad 2Moro Radio; Mr John Ibrahim of Caltex M4; Mr Daniel Nicolas and Mr Salim Nicolas of Dasco Design & Construction; Mr Joe Khattar of Dyldam Developments and the National Bank of Australia as Corporate Sponsors.

The winner of the Gold Ticket Raffle was drawn during the evening and the lucky recipient, Ms Renee Stanton, will redeem her win of a cruise package for 100 guests during the year.

An exciting and entertaining auction was most professionally directed by Mr Paul Tabet and the talented Mr Simon Kanaan crooned some favourite melodies for the remainder of the evening.

The event was a great success for friends of the Australian Lebanese Foundation and enjoyed by all.

Mr Joe Khattar of Dyldam

Winner of the Gold Ticket Raffle

Auction was most professionally directed
by Mr Paul Tabet

and the talented Mr simon Kanaan crooned

The event was a great success

The high schools project culminated in a free public lecture presented by Prof. Semaan on Lebanon, The Land of Natural Wonders at the Eastern Avenue Auditorium at The University of Sydney for students’ family, friends and the general community. This event was also promoted on Radio 2Moro.

The ALF invited Professor Myrna Semaan El-Haber, a prominent Lebanese academic to visit Sydney and present a series of lectures at The University of Sydney on Lebanese culture, heritage and environment to approx. 1,000 senior students from six Sydney high schools. After the lecture students enjoyed a picnic lunch in the main quadrangle and were then taken on a guided tour of the university.

The lectures were the foundation of the ALF High Schools Scholarship Program where students have been invited to prepare an assignment based on the lecture content. Each winning entry from year 10, year 11 and year 12 from each school will be presented with $500.

During the week the lectures were broadcast live on Radio 2Moro and Prof. Semaan and many students were interviewed. The project was also prominently covered by The University of Sydney’s in-house magazine, Uni News and picked up by other Sydney media.

The Premier’s Dinner was hosted by The Australian Lebanese Foundation in the presence of the Premier of NSW, The Honorable Morris Iemma at The Stamford Plaza, Double Bay. Approximately 50 couples enjoyed an intimate evening during which the 2005 Scholarship Recipients were introduced to the Premier. Guests had the opportunity to be photographed and converse with the Premier. It was a most relaxed and enjoyable evening.

The ALF stand at this year’s Sydney Uni LIVE! was a success. The University Events and Schools Liaison Manager reported that evaluation forms, booth tally sheets, bus statistics and mini lecture data indicate that (despite the patchy weather!) the number of visitors to campus was just over the 15,000 mark. The day ran smoothly and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Representation from faculties, departments, University of Sydney Union, Sydney University Sport, the SRC, Residential Colleges, Sydney Uni Village, the Koori Centre and the Australian Lebanese Foundation ensured that prospective students gained a very positive insight into what the University of Sydney has to offer. The ALF handed out more than 50 scholarship application forms to eligible enquirers on the day.

The 2004 Annual Report was submitted to the University of Sydney Senate.

The 2005 Annual General Meeting was held on 25 th May during which the Annual Report for 2004 was presented and tabled. Twelve new Council Office Bearers and members were elected.

Four university scholarships were awarded at a formal presentation followed by cocktails and dinner held at Camperdown Campus.
The recipients were:

• Tom Hayek, Bachelor of Science
• Anthony Mardini, Bachelor of Law, Bachelor of Economics
• Elie Matar, Bachelor of Medical Science
• Mariam Saab, Bachelor of Psychology.

Secretariat established at The University of Sydney.

The web site was updated.
The four university scholarship recipients for 2005 were announced

New Committee established and work program for 2004/5 was devised.

Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir AC, Governor of New South Wales, grants Vice Regal Patronage to the Australian Lebanese Foundation during the term of her office as Governor of New South Wales.

July

Visit by Professor Gavin Brown, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sydney and Ms Diane Ranck together with Professor Iven Klineberg, Chris Peck and Wendell Evans to the Lebanese Dental Congress, alumni function and signing of MOU for a joint oral health program.

First scholarship recipient awarded to Mr Budwy Rowda – Science.
Special incentive award presented to Ms Hind Elmir – Nursing.

Established ALF Youth Committee to mentor Lebanese youth and students and act as a support network.

ALF stand set up and staffed by the new committee members at The University of Sydney Information Day to hand out scholarship forms and inform enquirers about the ALF.

Three dental students from the University of Sydney undertook their elective term placements at the Faculty of Dentistry at the Lebanese University during the Christmas holidays.

November

At the same time we hosted the visit to the University of Sydney of the three Lebanese University Dentistry academics (Prof. Riad Bacho, Prof. Jose Chidiac and Dr Ziad Noujeim). Their program included joint lectures, research sharing and guest lectures. This furthered the relationship between the two faculties and paved the way for a future Co-tutelle.

President Professor Dr Ibrahim Kobeissi visited The University of Sydney as the guest of the Australian Lebanese Foundation and the Vice Chancellor. The purpose of the visit was to familiarize the President with the facilities and academic activities of The University of Sydney, the opportunity to meet academic staff, and for the University heads to meet and discuss strengthening relationships between the institutions and to further agreements. During the visit, the following were agreed:

• Research Co-tutelles to be formulated in Dentistry, Engineering and Economics
• Scholarship announced for the Masters of Engineering offered by the Faculty of Engineering, The University of Sydney
• Scholarship announced for the study of English for 15 weeks offered by the Centre for English Teaching, The University of Sydney

The ALF endorsed a scholarship to be offered in the first instance to an undergraduate student in any field of study to the value of $6,000 tenable at The University of Sydney for 2004.

The ALF Inaugural Annual Dinner was held on 19 th September with over 320 people in attendance in the presence of Her Excellency, Professor Marie Bashir, Governor of NSW and many other dignitaries. The function was an outstanding success presenting the ALF to the community at large and raising funds to meet future objectives.

Visit to Lebanon by Vice Chancellor Professor Gavin Brown and Dr. Chris Scarf, Deputy President ALF and Ms. Diane Ranck. The visit centred on exchanging a new MOU in engineering negotiated by Professor Assaad Masri, Head of Department, Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, and establishing credit transfer/ recognition arrangements. A round-table meeting was held with all the Faculty Deans of the Lebanese University where considerable interest was expressed in developing further links with between Australia and Lebanon to a higher cultural and intellectual plane.

Professor Fadia Ghossayn visit to The University of Sydney.

Negotiations commenced with Faculties of Engineering for exchange.

First Annual General Meeting of ALF
Committee meetings are held once per month – working groups were established and a workshop was held on future directions of the ALF.

Launch of Australian Lebanese Foundation
Visit by Mr Mohammad Samak – Christian Muslim Dialogue.

Second visit, Professor Anne Sefton (Medicine & Dentistry Curriculum Development) and Ms Diane Ranck. Purpose: commencement of cooperation initiatives.

October - March 2003

Two Memoranda of Understanding were agreed upon:

• MOU signed between The College of Health Sciences, University of Sydney and The Associated Schools of Health Sciences, Lebanese University, Beirut.
• MOU signed between the Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Sydney and The School of Dentistry, Lebanese University, Beirut.

First visit to Lebanon by Professor Keith Lester (Dentistry) and Ms Diane Ranck (College Manager International and Development, College of Health Sciences) to establish good international relationships at a university to university level with Lebanon.

Approach to establish links between the University of Sydney and the Lebanese University by Dr. Abraham Constantin and Mr. Mousbah Sari (both representing the Australian Lebanese Lobby Group).