NZ National Anthem - God Defend New Zealand...

Great version of the New Zealand National Anthem, sung appropriately enough at a Rugby Test Match! Enjoy :)

For All Once Were Easters Living in Greece - This Post is Dedicated to Brenda, Julia, Laxmi and Judith ...RIP

For Brenda, Julia, Laxmi and Judith who left us way too early...

Winds about the East hills blowing
Sound of glorious,carefree days,
Sweep the city spread beneath us,
Bid it join their echoing lays;

O brave youth with joy and singing;
Set the hills forever ringing,
Proud on high your standards raise.

Mind and body gain new courage,
From our lamp in radiance bright,
Though we fail, yet we will conquer,
Rise again and win the fight;

O brave youth with joy and singing
Set the hills forever ringing

TAKE AND GIVE TO ALL THE LIGHT!!!!


Glorious carefree days indeed! Remember everyone?

For those who don't know, when WEGC held it's jubilee, we had sent them our good wishes and a note with all the names of the 'Old Girls' living in Greece and the Headmistress, who was none other than our beloved Miss Janice Campbell, in her response advised us that a garden had been created in one section at the back of the school, near the Tennis Courts, and named Mediterranean Garden, in honour of all the Greek girls that had gone to the school...What a wonderful gesture!

Miss Campbell, on behalf of all of us Once Were Easters living in Greece, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

This post was inspired by Maria Verivakis' Mediterranean Kiwi blog post 'Lumen Accipe et Imperti' . Although Maria went to a different college, Wellington Girls', the school motto was the same

Take the Light and pass it on...

To read the Once Were Easters Newsletter Click Here

Kiwi Expat Association (KEA) Calls for Nominations for the 2010 World Class New Zealand Awards

NOMINATIONS FOR KEA's WORLD CLASS NEW ZEALAND AWARDS ARE OPEN

The World Class New Zealand Awards recognise successful New Zealanders who enhance the reputation of the nation on the world stage by being truly world class.

These awards are one of New Zealand's most important accolades for Kiwis who have made a significant contribution and an opportunity to celebrate New Zealand's international achievements.

This year a new category, 'Friend of New Zealand', has been introduced to recognise non-Kiwis who act as ambassadors promoting and celebrating New Zealand on the world stage.

‘World Class’ individuals are those individuals who:

• facilitate the exchange of information, knowledge or skills from and
about New Zealand
• foster New Zealand innovation and entrepreneurship
• act as a role model on the world stage
• promote New Zealand internationally, and
• build global connections with New Zealand.

If you know someone who is leading by example in helping to support Kiwi enterprise internationally, please put their name forward.

Award categories are:

• Friend of New Zealand
• New Thinking
• Biotechnology
• Creative Industries
• Finance, Investment & Business Services
• Information & Communications Technology
• Manufacturing
• Research, Science, Technology & Academia

You can also nominate a supreme winner who may come from outside of these categories.
Successful people who have made an outstanding contribution to New Zealand's economic development are eligible for nomination, whether they live at home or abroad

Nominations Close 15 October 2009

The Awards will be presented at a black-tie gala dinner in Auckland on 24 March 2010.

For full details and a nomination form Click here

Please email enquiries to: worldclass@keanewzealand.com

The World Class New Zealand Awards are presented by Kea, with support from New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Keys Guests on the David Letterman Show

New Zealand Prime Minister John Keys appearing as a guest on the David Letterman Show gave us all his view of the Top 10 Reasons to visit New Zealand!

Well done Prime Minister! You did well!

Lest We Forget...ANZAC Day 2009 in Greece

Lest we forget....

They shall grow not old....as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,

We will remember them,We will remember them

Australia New Zealand Army Corps

Lest we forget....

The Australian Embassy has invited New Zealanders and Australians and friends of both countries to attend the ANZAC Day Commemorative Celebrations

on

Saturday 25 April 2009, 11.00 a.m.

at

The Commonwealth War Cemetery

in

Alimos

(Posidonos Avenue and Ethnarhou Makariou Street)

Let's all be there, as we are every year, to honour the memory of those valiant young men who

came to the other side of the world to fight , not just in

World War I but in World War II as well, so that we could be free.

Hellenic New Zealand Association

ANZAC Day

Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War, and is held every year on April 25th.

The Gallipoli campaign

In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula, under a plan to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allies. The objective was to capture Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of Germany

The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish Army commanded by Ataturk. What had been planned as a bold strike to knock Turkey out of the war quickly became a stale-mate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. Over 8,000 Australian and 2,700 New Zealand soldiers died. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.

Though the Gallipoli campaign failed in its military objectives of capturing Istanbul and knocking Turkey out of the war, the Australian and New Zealand troops' actions during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an ANZAC Legend became an important part of the national identity in both countries, shaping the ways their citizens viewed both their past and their future.

Read More at Wikipedia

NZ Wins World Schools Debating Championships in Athens! Congratulations to all Concerned - it was a great debate!!!

Team NZ - the Russel McVeagh New Zealand Schools' Debating Team won the World Schools' Debating Championships after defeating England in the Grand Final, yesterday in Athens.

In front of a packed auditorium at the Athens' College Theater in Psychico, a very impressive Team New Zealand beat England by a 6-1 margin, proposing the motion "That all illegal immigrants should receive amnesty".

On the way to the Grand Final New Zealand defeated Singapore, Scotland, Canada, Wales, Peru, the Netherlands, Chile, Bangladesh, and Germany.

New Zealand were runners-up at the 2008 Championships, losing on a 4-5 decision to England.

Christopher Bishop of the NZ Schools Debating Council says that its an amazing achievement for the team and reflects months of hard work. "This victory proves that New Zealand has some of the brightest and most articulate young people in the world", said Mr Bishop. "All New Zealanders should be very proud", he added.

It is the first time since 1995 that New Zealand has won the Championships, and the fourth time since 1988 (previous victories were in 1991, 1992, and 1995), making New Zealand the second most successful country ever to compete in the tournament.

The five person Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools' Debating Team was selected at the national finals of the Russell McVeagh New Zealand Schools' Debating Championships held in May 2008.

The team comprises Maria English (Captain, Samuel Marsden Collegiate), Holly Jenkins (Sacred Heart College), Jennifer Savage (Wanganui Collegiate), Tom Chen (Hillcrest High School) and Ben Kornfeld (King's College). The team was coached by Julia Fetherston (an Australian law student and champion student debater) and Kevin Moar (a policy analyst at the Ministry of Health), and sponsored by Russell McVeagh, New Zealand's leading law firm.

The World Schools' Debating Championships, a global competition for high school debaters, has been held each year since 1988. This year's tournament involves 39 teams, including England, Wales, Scotland, India, Pakistan, the USA, South Africa, South Korea, and Japan.

(Source : NZPA)

Congratulations, everyone...it was a great debate...(reminded me of my debating days at Wellington East) and the subject of the debate most appropriate for a country like Greece where illegal immigrants are a very real problem as is the issue of what should be done - morally and legally!! It is worth noting that the majority of countries in the championships were non native language speakers... The host nation, Greece, was one of 39 other countries which competed at the 2009 Championships, and won the prize for the best debating team from a country which uses English as a Second Language.

Waitangi Day - February 6!!!

Tomorrow is Waitangi Day - See how much you know about the Treaty of Waitangi...
Take the Treaty of Waitangi Quiz (Source: NZ History on line)

For all the things you wanted to know about the Treaty of Waitangi, click here to see what Wikipedia says.

For a picture depicting the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi click here.