The Australian Ireland Fund - Events

The Sydney Garden Party : 24 October 2004

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The Australia Ireland Fund annual gathering in Sydney was blessed again with 'Irish weather' this year, but no amount of rain was going to put a lid on celebrations at Fairwater house, the harbour side home of Lady Mary Fairfax.

This year's event had a 'safari' theme and certainly by late afternoon the atmosphere in the marquee on Fairwater's spreading lawn was steaming with heat, humidity and humour as a marvellous spectrum of Australian society turned out for what is now a key event in the city's social calendar.

Kingsley Aikins, the president of the Worldwide Ireland Funds opened the day's proceedings with a very humorous and pointed address to a very familiar audience; Kingsley was previously the Industrial Development Authority of Ireland's representative in Sydney back in the 1980s. The Australian Ireland Fund chairman Charles Curran also addressed the event with news on the most recent fund-sponsored projects in Northern Ireland. Charles also welcomed three new life governors: financier Sir Ron Brierley, Nutrimetics co-founder Bill Roche AM and barrister Frank Curran.

Held just a few weeks after the Australia's Liberal Party government were returned to power for the fourth time in row, the new government led by Prime Minister John Howard was very well represented. Senator Robert Hill, federal Minister for Defence, Senator Helen Coonan, federal Minister for Communications and John Fahey AC, a former federal finance minister and Premier of New South Wales joined a crowd of about 480 people. The Irish ambassador to Australia, his Excellency Dermot Kelly and the AIF's Teresa Keating were also in attendance.

The highlight of the day's fund raising was a rapid- fire series of auctions by well-known Sydney auctioneer, Peter Baldwin. The most sought after items of the afternoon were a return trip to Europe purchased for Au$17,000, a holiday at the Chateau de Beauregard in France purchased for Au$13,000 and a manuscript of the John Lennon song 'Woman' for Au$11,000.
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Comedian Paul Martell delighted the crowd with his Northern Irish wit, while Irish music band 'Inish' had its audience dancing in the aisles.

As the AIF continues to receive strong support from Sydney's business leaders, a string of well known corporate figures dotted the Fairwater lawn including: Cameron O'Reilly and Brendan Hopkins of Australian Provincial Newspapers, advertising executive, Pierce Cody, Goldman Sachs stockbroker Ed Eason and publishing executive Anthony Kwok from Kerry Packer's Publishing and Broadcasting company.

Photo Index

1. Life Governors Bill Roche and Frank Curran

2. Governors Craig and Julie McIntosh

3. H.E. Ambassador Declan Kelly and Major Sponsor Richard Froggatt

4. Executive Director Teresa Keating, President and CEO Kingsley Aikins, and Director Jane Cosgrove

5. Lee Thomas, Chairman Charles Curran AO, and Lady Mary Fairfax AM OBE.

6. Emma, guest, Ashlea and Claudine

7. guest, Bill Roche, Frank Curran, Debra Curran and Bernadette Grace

9. The Girls from Tourism Ireland

10. Charles Curran Jr. and guests

11. Alan Stroey, Managing Director of Waterford Wedgwood and Team

12. Frank O’Connell and Guests

13. Enterprise Ireland and Guests

14. Governor Craig McIntosh, Pamela Regan-Fox and Governor Peter Cosgrove

15. Colin Hindmarsh and Ashlea

16. Angela Farr-Jones, Brendan Hopkins and Sarah Farley

17. Richard Weekes and guests

18. Graham Goldsmith, Senator Helen Coonan and Charles Curran AO

19. Bob and Eleni Longwell and guests

20. guests enjoying the day!

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