Celebration week!

This has been a week of celebrations starting with my son´s birthday on the 4th of September, my husband´s on the 5th, and then a very important event on the 6th which was my son´s Graduation ceremony.

The ceremony was held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre and attended by the graduates and their families. When we arrived the foyer was already teeming with students and families in an excited mood, taking photos, talking, students talking to colleagues...

Before the ceremony in the foyer of the Convention centre

After the graduates were called to take their allocated seats, the guests were ushered in and the ceremony started just after 7pm., with the entrance of the academic procession of university dignitaries wearing traditional academic dress, who took their seats on the stage. We were all requested to stand and the National Anthem was sung by a Soprano, and the Vice-Chancellor opened the proceedings with a speech.

The Graduates sitting in the middle of the auditorium and the guests are starting to take their seats

A soprano sings the National Anthem

The graduates waiting to be called onto the stage

Then the Chancellor was called, and row upon row of students in their scarlet gowns with hoods edged in different colours according to the graduate´s degree colour - violet for law degrees, green for science degrees, blue for art degrees, pink for Masters...were called onto the stage, their name was announced and their diploma was handed to them by the Chancellor.
The various faculties of Bachelor students were first, then the Masters, and the few last ones were the Doctors of Phylosophy (Phd), who then took their place on the stage, sitting beside the other Professors who represented each of the University´s faculties.

Walking on stage towards the Chancellor

The Deputy Vice-chancellor, also made a speech and I was deeply touched and emotional when two diplomas were awarded posthumously to two  students who had died - one a young girl from the Singapore campus, who died without completing her degree but who was an exemplary student with very high marks throughout her degree, and the other an older gentleman who died with cancer, but who even through his chemotherapy continued studying and finished his degree a short while ago. A family member of each student was called to the stage to receive the diploma, and was given a very long and deserving ovation.

Almost at the end of the ceremonies, an honorary degree was granted to Mr Sydney Corser (AM OBE CitWA) (AM - member of the Order of Australia,OBE - Order of the British Empire, citWA - Western Australian citizen of the year), a man with a most fascinating life history.
Sydney finished his schooling in 10th grade, started his working career at the age of 17 as a carpenter, later became a successful businessman first as a builder, then as a residential property developer. He was instrumental in implementing the use of the concrete slab in the building of housing in Perth.
He decided to further his studies and graduated from university at the age of 55. He has been a very active member of various Board of Directors in private and public companies, as well as being a very active sailor from the age of 17, having won various championships.
Now, at the age of 82 he is less involved, but still enjoys mentoring those in need of support and advice, and he urged the graduates to find a mentor to help them in their future life.
He quoted a very interesting phrase: "You can see further if you stand on the shoulders of a wise person". True indeed!!

Mr Sydney Corser making his acceptance speech

The ceremony came to a close with hundreds of balloons dropping into the central rows where the graduates were sitting, to the applause of the audience.

They were then asked to exit row by row into the foyer where coffee, tea and biscuits were laid out for students and guests.
It was time for more photos with the diploma this time, hand in the hired gown and then we went to dinner to an overpriced Chinese restaurant near the Swan Bells Tower, to celebrate this wonderful occasion. Michael was very proud of his achievement, and although he is already working in his field of study it was the culmination of the recognition of his efforts, and we as parents were very proud to be able to participate in this occasion.

Michael holding his B.Sc. diploma

A-Z of Australia - N is for Northbridge

Northbridge (formerly known as "North of the Bridge" and "North of the Line" when still part of the CBD) is a suburb north of the Central business district, known famous or infamous for it´s nightlife.

It can be reached by foot from the Perth railway station and the Wellington street bus station, or by the free "CAT bus" (central area transport).
Originally a swampy area it was later drained in the 1860´s by convict labour, so construction could start. In the 1890´s due to the gold boom, many hotels were built to accommodate prospectors and rich people.
During World War I, the elite moved out of the city, and due to European immigration, Northbridge was populated mainly by Greeks and Macedonians.  Perth´s first Orthodox church is here located.
Post war European migration brought a lot of Italians to Australia with a culture of the outdoor alfresco lifestyle and outdoor cafés, which was introduced to this area.

Nowadays the suburb contains a wide range of ethnic restaurants with cuisines ranging from Asian to Mediterranean, as well as being the hub of Perth´s nightlife.
It can get quite rowdy on the weekends with drunken youngsters and a lot of Policemen always present to keep problems to a minimum.
The few times I have been, I never encountered anything out of the ordinary and we had a good time eating out in the Chinese district or going to a movie in the beautiful Cinema Paradiso in James street, but then we probably weren´t there that late at night when the youngsters are out in force and we didn´t go into the bars either!
Cinema Paradiso is an attractive building with a lovely Art-Deco foyer, with four small cinemas showing mainly foreign language and independent films and is also home to Perth´s film festivals.

Foyer of Cinema Paradiso (photo from their site)

The Piazza with the gigantic screen and funny illuminated seats

Street Sculpture

The entrance to the "Chinese Quarter"

A - Z of Australia - M is for Mandurah

Mandurah - originally named Mandjar (meeting place) by the Noongar people who inhabited the South west of WA, was changed by the Europeans to Mandurah possibly due to mispronunciation.

Once a sleepy fishing and crabbing village, located about 70km south of Perth, Mandurah has grown to become one of the top tourist destinations in WA, with first class accommodation, an arts centre and cinema complex, good beaches and the attractive suburbs with million dollar houses built around the man made canals, that crown Mandurah as the area with the most expensive real estate in the Perth regional area.

A boat seems to be an almost compulsory attachment to the mansion

There are still some blocks of land available...just bring your boat!

Apart from a tourist destination, it is also the gateway to the Southwest region of WA, as well as being  a retiree paradise for Perth retirees, due to the good road and train connections into the city, since the opening of the Perth to Mandurah railway line in December 2007.

The centre of Mandurah is built around the Peel inlet and Harvey Estuary which is twice the size of Sydney harbour. This freshwater system feeds into the Indian Ocean, and this area is a haven for pelicans, dolphins, whales and the Blue Manna crabs that have it´s own festival -  Crabfest - held yearly in March.

There are numerous boat tours around the canals, where you might be lucky and spot a couple of dolphins. In December the must see is a Christmas lights boat cruise, when all those fancy houses put on a light show.
If you travel by car, there is plenty of free parking in the city centre and surrounds, which I find is a huge bonus for the day visitor, so don´t miss a chance to visit this iconic destination.

One of the parks on the way to Dolphi Quay shopping centre

Pedestrian bridge to the Dolphin Quay shopping and Marina

Dolphin Quay Shopping centre and Marina

Enjoy some lovely crisp fish and chips by the waterfront (or wedges as I ordered, above) 

The birds were out and about on the Flame trees

Pelican

Little Venice - the canals around the blocks of apartments near the town centre

Mandurah War Memorial

Another view of some houses by the canals

Aerial view with Marina on left side, Little Venice across through the bridge and on the other side (top) view of houses by the canals.

A - Z of Australia - L is for London Court

One of the most visited buildings in the inner city of Perth would be "London Court" - a small shopping mall that reminds you of Old England. London Court attracts local and international visitors with its old world atmosphere and unique architectural style, in contrast to the sky scrapers that surround it.

London Court entrance in St.George´s Terrace

This wonderful building was built in 1937 in the Tudor style, for a wealthy miner and financier - Claude de Bernales, as a combination of commercial and residential property.

In 1978, the National Trust of Australia listed the building as heritage, making it impossible to change the facade and main structure of this beautiful court.

Inside the mall, the Tudor style extends to the tiled floor, narrow stairs to the upper shops and workshops, cute little lead windows, gargoyles, window boxes with flowers, shop plaques, flying banners and two knights in their armour, making a visit to this building a very special shopping experience.

There are lots of mini shops such as jewellery stores, shoe shops, souvenir and antique shops, gourmet chocolates and cafes. Even if you don´t shop here, you can wander through the open roofed arcade to admire the architecture and maybe sit down for a coffee and a pastry while you watch the crowds walk by. Several staircases lead you to the second and third floors and you are then able to admire London Court through the arched iron openings and feel yourself transported to an old era.

London Court´s retail mall links Hay street to St.George´s Terrace.

London Court in "red" on this map of Perth´s CBD

At the Hay street entrance to the mall, the clock - a replica of the "great clock" at Rouen in France,  chimes every 15 minutes. Above the clock, four knights knows as "Tournament of armoured knights" circle in the window when the clock chimes.

Hay street mall entrance to London Court

At the St.George´s terrace entrance, there is another clock, this time a replica of "Big Ben". Above this clock in a window is a miniature of St.George battling with the dragon. (1st photo)

Inside the mall - small shops with awnings and window boxes with flowers . Note the ornamental rubbish bins at left.

As you can see from the city centre map, between Hay street and Murray street, both closed to traffic, there are lots of little malls linking the two streets, but London Court is certainly the most emblematic and interesting to visit.

Tutorial - Box with crackle varnish and decoupage

When I met up with Carole from the lovely blog Piglet in Portugal, in June, while I was in the Algarve, I gave her the prize she had won for commenting on my 100th post competition.  

As my suitcase was already overloaded at my departure to Europe, I decided I would buy the box and painting materials in France, it would be easier, and I wouldn't run the risk of crushing the box either.

(Carole wrote about our meeting in this post and I wrote about it in this post.)

Originally I had planned to paint the box in pink and put some "piglets" made out of clay on the lid.

I went into a crafts shop in Martigues, where my daughter lives, but probably because I couldn't explain my idea in French, and my daughter wasn't available to go with me during the week... I was unable to buy the clay.

But I liked some of the painted boxes they had on display, and with a bit of "Franglish" I conveyed my wishes to buy the materials to paint something similar. 

Materials used:

Papermache Box, 1 soft brush, Primer, 2 contrasting acrylic colours, crackle varnish, Mod Podge, 1 sheet of silk paper or 1 serviette with desired design, bottle of "paillettes" (sequins) in glue and spatula to apply it.

1 - Because it´s a Papermache box, it has to be primed first, inside and out, otherwise it will absorb too much paint, and will need a few coats to cover it well.
If using a wooden box, first sand it with fine sandpaper, wipe clean and apply a primer.

Waiting for the crackle varnish to dry...

2 - Apply your first colour and let dry. You can paint first the dark colour and then light on top or the the other way around. I used both versions in my box, as I wanted the lid and the body of the box to be different colours.
3 - Apply the crackle varnish generously without going over the same spot twice and let dry.

4 - When dry, apply the second contrasting colour generously, also without going over the same spot twice. You will notice the cracks starting to appear. Let the paint dry well.

After applying the second colour, the cracks start to appear

5 - I chose to leave two of the corners without the Crackle varnish, as I wanted to glue some silk paper in those areas for added interest. The paper was cut to size and glued with Mod Podge. The inside of the box was also painted. To finish the box, the edges between the paper and the paint were sealed with a product that had gold "paillettes" - sequins in glue.
The whole box was then painted over with mod podge to act as a glossy sealer. You can use a gloss varnish if you wish.

The sequins in the glue paste, will then become transparent when dry

One side of the box

the other side of the box

The lid - P for Piglet

Details of the crackle and the lid with the gold "paillettes"

 Hope you enjoyed my tutorial and are inspired to do something similar. It´s easy, entertaining and relaxing too.