GOANS IN MELBOURNE CELEBRATE "MAY QUEEN BALL" WITH
STYLE
ALONG WITH GLIMPSES OF CARNAVAL
Goans - the people who claim descent from the tiny former Portuguese enclave
nestled in Western India, have made their presence felt on the 17th of May,
2008 when they all gathered along with their Aussie friends at the lately
refurbished and elegant St. Kilda Town Hall, for the first ever, May Queen
Ball, 2008, with memories of the Goan Carnival (Carnaval). The hall was
fully packed!
Amidst the beautiful décor, it was truly an enchanting night. As the guests
made their way to the hall, they were greeted by nostalgic Konkani music
that brought back the memories of old for many a Goan who has been here for
long. Besides the Konkani music in the background, the organisers had also
put up a slide show on the massive screen, depicting sceneries from Goa.
That was very touching and indeed brought back memories of Goa as well as
helped us to promote Goa amongst our Australian friends. And to top it up,
Newton Marques sang the Konkani song "Molbailou Dou" (words by late C.
Alvares) that brought out many Goan couples on the floor!
Kick started by the Goan Virtuoso Newton Marques, sharp on the dot of 7.15
pm as announced, the night began with lilting music presented by the band;
"Replay - 6 with Sandra" . This time, there was a brass section led by
Dallas Achilles included in the band and that made a whale of a difference
at the venue. Dallas led the fantasy introduction to the traditional Goan
'Marcha'. Incidentally, the 'marcha' has become a trademark highlight of
functions organised by Melgoans. Here, after a couple of rounds hand in
hand, couples were steered into two concentric circles, facing each other.
Each time the music stopped, the couples were encouraged to introduce
themselves in the local Goan style, and that was a hit. It was great to see
Australians and others speaking Konkani along with fellow Goans by their
side! In addition to promoting Konkani, this was a true ice breaker, and
soon the very mood in the St. Kilda Town Hall changed. Now everyone had a
new friend, and you know how that goes on!
The sumptuous buffet promised by Silver Platter [D & S Caterering] was
thrown open sharp at 8.30 pm and what a spread that was! Traditional Goan
dishes like Sorpotel and Xacuti were listed among the many other mouth
watering dishes that just made every one feel transported back to sunny Goa,
the land of their dreams. No sooner the buffet was done with, everyone was
back on to the floor enjoying the night to their hearts content. Twenty
five hopefuls for the May Queen contest were nominated by the judges and
given badges. While most couples enjoyed themselves tapping off on the
dance floor while some were busy catching up with old friends or meeting new
ones, was heard the fanfare of King Momo who made a regal entrance
accompanied by his consorts. The king just won everybody's hearts on the
night with the contestants circling around the King! This really brought
back memories of the Goan Carnival.
The May Queen Contest which was one of the highlights of the night was
exciting. With so many beautiful damsels on the floor, it was a hard ask
for the judges to zero in on twenty five only from the many on the dance
floor. From the Twenty five, seven were chosen for the final round and it
was a nail biting moment as the tallies were done under the watchful eyes of
many. And after a real pregnant wait, the final results were announced by
the Master of Ceremonies, Newton Marques. The May Queen 2008, Ms Giselle
Sequeira, a student doing her masters in Finance and Accounting at Deakin
University, all the way from Dubai, was crowned by Member of Parliament, Rob
Hudson who graced the occasion along with other dignitaries, including
Dympna Beard who was the first member of Parliament who spoke about Melgoans
and the Goan community in the House.
The first runner up was Andrea Noronha while the second runner up was
Lisandra Carvalho. It was a very close contest, and well, they were all
queens on the night!
Mr. Oscar Lobo, Co-ordinator of the event said that he was overwhelmed with
the turnout at the event and thanked everyone present. Mr. Lobo echoed Mr.
Rob Hundson's words to the Victorian Multicultural Council "Melgoans events
are show pieces of integration" and this was surely seen around the hall.
Mr. Lobo also mentioned that "We all need to work together to make union
perfect" to borrow the words of Senator Obama.
Our special thanks to Mr. Chris Burrows - ANZ Mortgage Franchise for giving
away the first prize of Return Ticket to Sydney to the May Queen and this
was supplemented by a beauty hamper provided by Ms. Rohini Ram of Roop Rani
Herbal Beauty Saloon.
We would also like to extend our thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Garvin & Margaret of
Highett Tattersalls, management of Cinnamon Club and Hindustan Spices for
giving prizes for this occasion. The spot prizes as well as door prizes
were given by Melgoans.
With the May Queen Ball, 2008 just gone by, all eyes are now set at the next
upcoming function which is the annual World Goa Day, slated for celebration
on the 23rd of August, 2008, at the Springvale Town Hall, Springvale. Please
mark this date on your calender. Detailed plans will be released shortly.
Many people left their bookings for the last moment and were unfortunately
disappointed that they were unable to attend our May Queen Ball. Therefore
the team at Melgoans urge you to book your seats as soon as you see our
flyer in Bharat Times or if the flyer is sent to you via e-mail. For
further enquiries of the forthcoming event, you may want to contact Mr.
Oscar Lobo on 0404 848 345.
