The 'Hottest' Gathering of the Year
The scorching February heat was no match for the passion that our guests brought along to WAGBA’s New Year’s Reception, held on the 1st of February at Matilda Bay Restaurant and Bar in Perth. This inaugural reception of the Association provided an outstanding opportunity for some 100 attendees to mingle, to network and to kickstart the hopefully successful year 2024. The general consensus of the evening was that it was most definitely the “hottest” gathering of the year.
The event officially commenced with a warm welcome by WAGBA President Stephan Kirsch, who shared with the audience that it had taken WAGBA 39 years to hold its first ever New Year’s reception. Stephan continued to express his gratitude to all the attendees for their attendance, while he also acknowledged our esteemed guests the Hon Sabine Winton MLA, Minister of the Western Australian Government; the former Honorary Consuls of the Federal Republic of Germany Torsten Ketelsen OAM and Bill Hassell AM, the Hon John McKechnie AO KC (who was recently awarded the Australian order for outstanding contribution to the West Australian community) and his wife Beth McKechnie, , the Honorary Consul of Austria Wilfried Wimmler, Dr. David Honey MLA – Shadow Minister for State Development, the Hon Mike Nahan, former Leader of the Opposition in Western Australia, the Hon Alannah MacTiernan, former State Government Minister, the President of SAGSE Pamela Millar, and key representatives from the event sponsors - CEO of EcoGraf, Andrew Spinks, Thomas Hansen CEO of Röhlig Logistics and Michael Cosmelli GM of Röhlig Logistics.
The Hon Sabine Winton MLA and Dr. David Honey MLA were invited to greet all attendees. Both highlighted in their speeches WAGBA’s role in promoting business relationships and supporting the diversification of the economy between Germany and WA – specifically with regards to industry projects as part of WA’s transition to clean energy – as well as the Association’s role in broadening cultural connections. At the end of, Minister Winton’s speech she reminded attending guests of her German prowess, which was met with cheers and applause for her valiant effort.
The CEO of event sponsor EcoGraf, Andrew Spinks, shared with attending guests the company’s achievements in key developments such as supporting mining endeavours in Tanzania – which was recognised by the nation’s federal government, its endeavours in developing mineral recycling in Europe, as well as its well-earned reference in the US White House by the Biden Administration.
Finally, the President of SAGSE WA, Pamela Millar, gave a brief speech on the creation and background of the organisation, and its plans to send even more students on exchange to Germany this year.
Attendees were served with delectable finger foods and free flowing drinks throughout the event – paired with the cool evening breeze, beautiful riverside view, and wonderful company, the event definitely stands to be one of the highlights of 2024, despite the year having only just begun.
WAGBA would like to extend its heartfelt appreciation to all the esteemed guests of honour, specifically to our sponsors – Ketelsen Enterprise, EcoGraf Limited, and Röhlig Logistics Australia – for their generosity, and also to our dedicated members and supportive friends for their invaluable contributions in making this event an outstanding success. We look forward to seeing you at our next (hopefully cooler) event!
