Curtin Sarawak to mark Australia Day with ‘Aussie Sausage Sizzle’

Miri – 21 January 2015 – Following the success of its first ‘Aussie Sausage Sizzle’ in conjunction with Australia Day last year, Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia (Curtin Sarawak) will be holding a similar outdoor barbecue for about 300 of its staff this 26 January to mark Australia Day 2015 at its campus.

In addition to its staff members, members of Curtin Sarawak’s campus council, local government officials and representatives of the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur have also been invited to join the festivities.

The event will feature typical Australian barbecue fare prepared by staff of the university, Australian music and TV entertainment, a booth selling Australia-themed souvenirs, as well as a raffle.

Last year, the event was attended by over 250 staff members and their families, as well as a number of invited guests who included Chair of the Curtin Sarawak Council Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. George Chan, Counsellor (Education) at the Australian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur Kate Welsh, and expatriate staff of the neighbouring Tenby International School Miri.

Professor Mienczakowski, an Australian, said he is glad the ‘Aussie Sausage Sizzle’ has been made an annual event as it is a great way to start a new year at the Curtin Sarawak campus, as well as celebrate Curtin Sarawak’s association with Curtin University, Western Australia’s largest and most multicultural university, and the excellent relations between the peoples of Australia and Malaysia.

“We are proud that Curtin Sarawak was one of the first foreign branch campuses to be established in Malaysia due to the foresight of government leaders in Sarawak and Western Australia, as well as those at Curtin University and in the local community, who saw a huge potential in providing an affordable Australian education to students in Malaysia and the surrounding region,” he said.

Curtin Sarawak was established in 1999 in a joint venture between Curtin University and the Sarawak state government. In addition to being Curtin’s first offshore branch campus (a second was established in Singapore in 2008), it was also the first foreign branch campus to be set up in East Malaysia. It is now among the top-rated, and one of the most internationally-minded, campuses in Malaysia.

Professor Mienczakowski added that events such as the ‘Aussie Sausage Sizzle’ serve to strengthen the international outlook of the campus community, which now comprises over 3,600 students from more than 40 countries and over 400 staff from some 15 countries.

Australia Day is celebrated annually on 26 January to commemorate the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788.

In contemporary Australia, the celebrations reflect the diverse society and landscape of the country and are marked by events for the community and family such as official community awards and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new immigrants into the country.

VIPs and staff barbecuing at last year’s Aussie Sausage Sizzle.