Australian & New Zealand Association of South Korea

 The annual ANZA / ANZCCK Charity Ball is over for another year, and what a great night it was! 

On May 10 2008, almost 300 guests took our 1970's theme 'Shake Your Groove Thing' very seriously, and arrived at the Grand Hyatt in all manner of 70's attire from dreadlock wigs and 8-inch platforms, to smoking jackets and Farrah Fawcett-styled hair. One Ambassador who shall remain unnamed arrived resplendent in his dinner suit from the 70's, while another wore a lovely pair of trousers that were (unintentionally) an identical match with the table cloths!

 The Grand Hyatt's Ballroom had been turned into a 70's nightclub for the evening, with an array of neon signage, and lava lamps centering each table. There was also plenty of disco decor to remind us all of our misspent youth. The colourful 70's sunglasses provided on each table were a huge hit and were worn all night through the dinner and dancing.  

Our celebrity DJ all the way from Sydney - Scott Pullen - had people dancing between the tables before they even sat down to dinner. His fabulous music packed the dance floor until almost 3am with a great mix of 70's songs, mixed with some Aussie and Kiwi anthems.  

The Grand Hyatt served an exceptional 6-course meal, complimented by premium wines from Australia and New Zealand. Dessert was a chocolate LP record, with the stylus resting gently on a piece of pineapple! The ever-popular Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc and Cape Mentelle Cabernot Merlot were also served.  

Our annual Ball is ANZA's main fundraising event each year, and through our charity pledges, raffle, and live and silent Auctions, the 2008 Ball raised a total of 34.5 million won for our four selected Korean charities:

• Raphael House, a home for 12 severely disabled children in central Seoul.

• The Jeon Jin Sang Center in south-west Seoul, which plans to establish an 8-bed Palliative Care unit for inpatients and their families.

• Children from low-income families who have received a cochlear implant, and need Speech Pathology for at least two years to learn how to hear.

• Non-government funded Low Vision Centers throughout Korea who require visual magnifiers for client use in training and equipment trials.

Thanks to the generosity of our 2008 Ball sponsors, we will be able to give each charity at least 8 million won, which will make a great difference to the lives of the individuals they care for.  We look forward to visiting each charity to present our donations.

We are indebted to all of our very generous Platinum, Gold, Silver and prize sponsors. In particular, we would like to thank Macquarie, Rio Tinto, Chanel, Emirates, ANZ, Mercedes Benz, KEB, Diageo, Muju, Transpack, DHL, Adidas and Campbell and Co.

 Judging by how many people were still shaking and grooving the dance floor at 2am, the evening was a great success.  Thanks to all who assisted in presenting our members and guests with such a memorable Ball, especially the ANZA Ball Committee led so ably by Anne Duncan and Sally Gurr (pictured above with Scott Pullen).

 See you all at next year's ANZA / ANZCCK Ball!

 Diana Underwood

ANZA President