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Aussie, Aussie, Aussie News |
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| AACC-SF Newsletter |
February 2015 |
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| Presidents Message |
Welcome to our first newsletter for 2015!
January kicked off with our premiere event, the Chevron Australia Day Ball, with our largest attendance ever. The AACC also supported the G’day USA program which was in full swing with a number of events here in San Francisco. We also partnered with the Mostly British Film Festival earlier this month which featured an afternoon of Australian film.
Our first networking event for the year will be held on 25th February, so hopefully you can join in at the Hotel Zetta. Details below.
Most of you wouldn’t be aware I’m writing from Australia, where I’m on an extended stay through the southern summer. I’m fortunate that during these months I’m able to remain connected to the AACC and the SF Bay area. The ease in which one can be anywhere in the world and maintain connections remotely still amazes me at times. Communications via smartphone, video conference and other web-based tools ensure accessibility and connectivity.
I’m also increasingly aware of how global we have become – on recent walks around Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane CBDs, I’m struck by the plethora of brands that we have in SF that have arrived in Australia over the past few years. These include Costco, H&M, Pottery Barn, Sephora, Subway, Uniqlo, Williams-Sonoma and Zara. In the tech space, Australians have readily embraced Uber, AirBnB, MeetUp, Yelp and so many others. Netflix is poised to officially enter the market in the coming months, causing much jockeying among current providers to protect their franchises. These services are having the same disruptive effect in Australia as we see in the US where existing businesses are being forced to reinvent themselves in order to stave off this competition and to remain viable over the longer term. Australia Post is forecasting its first full-year loss in more than 30 years with a 56 per cent decline vs year ago. Like the US Postal Service this decline is marked by the downturn in the letters business, yet growth in the packages business is still not enough to offset the letters decline. I note with interest an unexpected alliance between a bricks & mortar and on-line vendor – a newly announced partnership between Woolworths/Big W and EBay. They’re testing a new service where on-line orders through EBay may now be delivered to a local Woolies or Big W store for consumer pickup. I expect these services will impact Aust Post as well as UPS/Fedex as these types of alliances/partnerships expand their geographic reach.
My conclusion from all of these observations is that we as members of the AACC are well positioned in this hub of activity. I’m left with little doubt that many Australian entrepreneurs & business owners aspire to enter the US and the SF Bay area is their preferred launch market. Many Australian companies have successfully expanded into the US market including Aconex, Corporate Traveler/Flight Center, Switch Automation etc, all AACC members. Many I’ve spoken to who have spent time in SF & ‘Silicon Valley’ comment on the unique vibrancy and energy of the community and are inspired by it. It is therefore my continued goal for the AACC to facilitate connections between the Australian and American communities here in the SF Bay area and in doing so, deliver undisputed value to our membership.
As always thank you for your continued support.
Jackie
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| Aussie Night Out! |
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Wednesday February 25, 2015
Hotel Zetta
Playroom
55 5th Street, San Francisco CA 94103
Please RSVP for catering and space limitations
For an evening of networking with the AACC to welcome current and prospective members. Open to all Aussies and those interested in Australia!
Exclusive access to the Playroom, an amazing space offering a Billiards Table, Shuffle Board, Video Games and a giant Jenga.
Full cash bar, with special discounted event pricing on beer, white and red wines. Delicious bar snacks will be available for purchase, by Chef Jennifer Puccio of The Cavalier Restaurant.
Business card drawing
One night deluxe room accommodations at
Hotel Zetta and breakfast for 2 at The Cavalier
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| ANZAC Service & BBQ - Save the Date |
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On behalf of the Australian and New Zealand communities in San Francisco, it is our honour to invite you to attend the annual ANZAC Day service to be held in San Francisco on Sunday 26 April 2014.
ANZAC Day is observed by the people of Australia and New Zealand in official recognition of the first time the two young nations fought together overseas
in a major way.
This historic event took place in 1915 at Gallipoli on the Turkish Peninsular and is commemorated by expatriates, as well as their countrymen at home, acknowledging the ultimate sacrifice made by so many at that time and in subsequent conflicts.
Following the ceremony at the Log Cabin, there will be a BBQ with light refreshments and a no host bar. There is also plenty of room for a game of cricket or footy.
Date: Sunday April 26, 2015
Location: Log Cabin, Presidio – San Francisco
Time: 11am Service, 12:30pm BBQ
RSVP to open March 2nd.
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| PGA Looking for Volunteers |
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The 2015 World Golf Championships - Cadillac Match Play is looking for volunteers!
Enjoy a behind the scenes experience as the top 64 golfers in the world compete head-to-head, April 27 - May 3 at TPC Harding Park.
All volunteers will receive:
- Nike uniform package
- Daily access to tournament grounds when not volunteering
- Weekly grounds ticket for a guest
- Commemorative volunteer pin
- And much more!
or call 415-566-7287.
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| Colin Hay in SF - Meet and Greet for Members |
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Colin Hay at the Palace of Fine Arts
Sat, March 21, 2015
Doors: 7:00 pm / Show: 8:00 pm
Palace of Fine Arts
Colin Hay may be best known as the lead singer for Men At Work, the platinum selling Australian band that topped worldwide charts in the 80s with anthems like “Down Under”,“Overkill,” and “Who Can It Be Now?” Hay’s justifiably proud of his place in pop history, but since moving to Los Angeles in 1989, he’s made 11 solo albums and is confident that Gathering Mercury is the best of the lot.
AACC Members received reduced ticket price of $35 and premium seats. Colin will also meet with with the group before the concert.
And the promotion code: SFAUSSIES
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Chevron Australia Day Ball
Huge thank you to all the sponsors, guests, donors, volunteers and partners for making the Chevron Australia Day Ball one of the most successful to date. We were delighted to have our largest crowd and the attendance of the Australian Ambassador Kim Beazley, the US Ambassador to Australia Jeff Bleich, Mrs. Bill Lane, Cameron Daddo, Chef Jason Gould, Aussie Comedian Dan Ilic, Auctioneer Gordon Stirling, and our corporate supporters.
Check out the event photographs here..
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Air New Zealand "Mates Rates" 11% off flights from SFO to Australia
An exclusive offer for AACC members... PROMO CODE SFOAACC
Use a promo code for fare discount and fly on our brand spanking new 777-300 from SFO to AKL and on to Australia. Non-stop connections to 8 cities are in the same terminal and your bags are automatically checked to your first arrival point in Australia. Easy-peasy. Also...
Business Premier, Star Alliance Gold, Airpoints Gold and Gold Elite passengers are
invited to our lounges on departure and during transit in Auckland. In the lounge, you can shower, change and grab a snack before the final leg of your journey. Arrive rested and refreshed so you can hit the ground running!
Auckland lounge single use passes are $55 @4hrs from departure and $85 for 4+ hrs.
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| Summer Golf Scramble - Save the Date - Friday June 5th |
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The AACC is pleased to join the BABC Northern California and the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce for their Fifth Annual Summer Golf Scramble. This fun tournament, held at San Francisco's prestigious Presidio Golf Course, offers companies an opportunity to enjoy a unique way to entertain clients and employees, participate with the Bay Area international business communities as well as support the efforts of the International Chambers of Commerce.
Ticket price includes: range time/balls, golf cart, 18 holes of golf, on-course games, competitions and trivia questions throughout the course. tee prize, lunch, dinner and dinner beverages.
11:30am Registration
12.00pm Lunch, Putting Contest & Driving Range
1:00pm Shot Gun Start – Tee off
6:00pm Dinner and Awards
$200 - Members Individual Ticket
$760 - Members Foursome
$220 - Non Members Individual Ticket
$840 - Non Members Foursome
Dinner only:
$55 Members/$65 Non Members
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| AACC Contributor - Katherine Hosie |
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What’s the Quality of Your Excuses?
I was asked last week what the most important qualities were in anyone that wants to be successful. My answer took two seconds: Self-Awareness and Responsibility.
The first part of my work, leadership diagnosis, is like turning on a light bulb. It takes 2-3 hours and once it’s done, people see themselves more clearly than ever before and the lion’s share of Self-Awareness is addressed (although it requires further vigilance and self-reflection to maintain and grow).
Responsibility though? That’s another story. Here are some of the things I listen for in anyone I know or work with: 1) Blame, 2) Justification, 3) Denial, and 4) “Brilliant Logic”.
Read on...
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| New AACC Business Members |
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In the fast paced world we live and work in, traditional management just doesn’t cut it. To be successful, organisations must be agile and courageous through implementing leadership at all levels, and that’s what we’re all about.
LIW is a global leadership consultancy committed to delivering immediate and sustainable business impact through aligned leadership, rather than individual leaders. This fresh perspective results in common goals and a common language across your entire organisation.
Our simple, high impact approach to building leadership helps organisations of all shapes and sizes get things done. We do this using a proven framework we call, Ola.
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News |
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Passports:
Once you or your children are registered as a citizen of Australia you are required to enter Australia on an Australian passport. If you are registered as an Australian citizen (either by birth or by descent) and you attempt to shortcut the system by obtaining an Australia visa (ETA) on an US passport, you may run the risk of being delayed or even denied boarding in the US for your flight to Australia.
As a dual citizen of Australia and the US, you are required to keep passports up to date.
Please refer to our website for information on passport applications.
Please remember to travel with both your Australian and US passports as a dual citizen when travelling to Australia. You will be required to present your Australian passport when you enter Australia and your US passport when you re-enter to the US.
Emergency Management
Text First, Talk Second
Preparedness experts universally agree that during an emergency and its immediate aftermath, communicating via SMS text messaging should be your first choice
Non-essential calls shutdown wireless phone service and prevent 911 calls from getting through and prevent emergency personnel being unable to communicate with each other.
A single one-minute phone call takes up the same bandwidth as 800 short SMS text messages.
Text messages get through even when the network is congested. Even if it gets a "busy signal" on its first try the text system will continue to keep trying to deliver your message. This makes text messaging perfect for sending non-emergency messages like “R U OK” and “I M OK”
Make time to chat with your family and discuss your plans in the event of an emergency.
Facebook
The Embassy of Australia posts regular updates about all things Australia on their facebook page www.facebook.com/AustraliaintheUS
Twitter
The Ambassador also has a twitter feed twitter.com/AusAmbUSA
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| Become an AACC Member today! |
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Individual Membership $95
Family Membership $150
Small Business Membership $250
Corporation Membership $650
Benefactor Membership $2500+
Would you like to get more involved - the AACC is always looking for great to people to join our volunteer team. Join us as a committee member - please contact Dawn at dawn@sfaussies.com
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| Upcoming Events |
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February 25, Aussie Night Out
March 21, Colin Hay Performance
April 26, ANZAC Service & BBQ - 100th Year Anniversary
June 5, Aussie, Swede, British Golf Summer Scramble
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Copyright © 2012 {AACC}. All rights reserved.
Contact email: {dawn@sfaussies.com} |
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