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Saturday, October 3, 2009

Para pelajar sambut Hari Raya di Brisbane

BAGI para mahasiswa dan mahasiswi Brunei yang menuntut di seberang laut, suasana sambutan Hari Raya di negara asing mungkin tidak sehebat mana jika dibandingkan dengan kemeriahan di tanah air sendiri.

Namun bagi Muhammad Saufi, 23 tahun, mahasiswa tahun pertama yang menuntut di University Selatan Queensland (USQ), merasakan peluang berhari raya buat kali pertama di perantauan tetap mengembirakan kerana dapat berkumpul dengan rakan-rakan terutama sekali dalam majlis terbuka Hari Raya.

“Berpeluang bertemu dan beramah mesra dengan masyarakat Brunei sedikit sebanyak dapat mengubat rasa sedih dan rindu akan kampong halaman, “kata Muhammad Sufi.

Muhammad Sufi adalah diantara enam pelajar yang berjaya mendapat biasiswa Kerajaan bagi mengikuti kursus sarjana pertama dalam bidang perdagangan (pengurusan dan kepimpinan) di USQ. Kursus berkembar ini dimeterai diantara UBD dan USQ dan mengambil masa 4 tahun.

Muhammad Saufi berkata perjalanan menggunakan bas mengambil masa kira-kira 90 minit dari USQ ke Brisbane kerana ketiadaan perkhidmatan lain seperti sistem pengangkutan keretapi yang menghubungkan Toowoomba dan Brisbane. USQ terletak di Toowoomba kira-kira 132 km dari Brisbane.

Muhammad Saufi

Muhammad Sufi tidak bersendirian hadir di majlis rumah terbuka Hari Raya yang di adakan di Kelvin Grove. Rakan-rakan seperjuangan dari USQ seperti Siti Norsalizzaayati Abd Kudus, 22, and Norhashimah Amanuddin, 20 juga turut hadir bagi sama-sama memeriahkan sambutan tahun ini.

Nurizyyan

Bagi pelajar Universiti Teknologi Queensland (QUT) pula, Nurizzyan Sapar, 20, peluang menyambut Hari Raya memang dinanti-nantikan. “Tahun ini adalah kali pertama saya menyambut Hari Raya di negara asing. Walaupun suasana agak berlainan, namun kemeriahan tetap dirasakan,” jelas Nurizzyan, yang mengikuti kursus sarjana pertama dalam bidang kawalan pemakanan dan khasiat selama 4 tahun.

Rakan lain yang mengikuti kursus yang sama di QUT ialah Nazura Hamizah Salleh, 21. Bagi Nazura, tahun ini merupakan kali kedua menyambut Hari Raya di Brisbane, sementara seorang lagi, Dk Hjh Nur Hafilah Pg Hj Damit, 21, yang mengambil jurusan ekonomi dan kewangan, terpaksa melupakan hasrat berhari raya di sisi keluarga buat kali kedua tahun berturut-turut.

Majlis sambutan Hari Raya itu telah dihadiri oleh kira-kira 60 orang terdiri dari mahasiswa dan mahasiswi Brunei mewakili Universiti Queensland (UQ), QUT dan University Griffith (GU), ahli keluarga dan masyarakat Malaysia. Majlis berkenaan adalah anjuran masyarakat Brunei yang mendiami Perkampungan Kelvin Grove dan telah diadakan pada hari pertama dan ke enam Hari Raya.

Joyous occasion for Bruneians in Brisbane

Brunei community in Brisbane celebrates the 6^th day of Hari Raya today (25^th Sept) with open house gathering still being held in Nathan, Mt Gravatt, Milton, South Bank and Kelvin Grove.

This year, Hari Raya in Australia falls on the 20^th September, right in the middle of peak time for most students finalizing their assignments for submission before the mid-semester takes a one week break.

However, juggling between studies, daily life and celebration is normal but prerequisite for students. They have to decide what their top priority is without neglecting other matters which can help them to develop mental strength in the face of adversity while studying abroad.

For three Brunei students studying at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), making a long trip to Brisbane provided an opportunity for them to mingle openly with other Brunei students for the first time.

USQ, located in Toowoomba, is a city of about 95,000 people, 132 km west of Queensland’s capital city, Brisbane.

Mohammad Saufi Haji Mohd Amin, 23, said he has to take a bus ride to Brisbane because there is no train connecting Toowoomba and Central Brisbane. "It is rather exhausting since the journey takes about 90 minutes to reach the destination,” Mohammad Saufi Haji Mohd Amin said.

Mohammad Saufi, a first year twinning program student in Management and Leadership (Bachelor of Business) between USQ and UBD was travelling with his colleagues, Siti Norsalizzaayati Abd Kudus, 22, and Norhashimah Amanuddin, 20.

While spending their semester break in Brisbane, they stayed with Mohammad Saufi’s sister in Bowen Hill, an inner city suburb, well-known for its RNA Showground where Ekka Festival is held in August every year. It is about 10 minutes drive from Brisbane city centre. His sister is completing her final year in Information Technology program at QUT (Queensland University of Technology).

“We are taking a 4 year bachelor’s program. We have completed two years in Brunei and this program will run one year in USQ before finishing our course for another year in Brunei,” Mohammad Saufi said.

For Nurizzyan Sapar, 20, celebrating Hari Raya abroad was the last thing she wanted to think off. However, studies take priority and admittedly she missed her family and friends in Brunei. This is the first she is celebrating Hari Raya in a foreign country. Nurizzyan is taking a 4 year program in Nutrition and Dieticians at QUT (Queensland University of Technology).

She was not alone though. Her other colleague in the same program, Nazurah Hamizah Salleh, 21, has decided to celebrate this joyous occasion for the second consecutive year in Brisbane.

It went out to Dk Hjh Nur Hafilah Pg Hj Damit, 21, as well. She has to make sacrifices and put her studies before her family to make sure she does well in her studies. She is in her second year undergraduate program in Economic and Finance.

Nurizzyan

Meanwhile, Brunei Students Society Brisbane (BSSNBE) celebrated theirs at one of their members house in Milton, located just a few minutes’ walk from Brisbane city centre. Last year, BSSBNE held its Hari Raya gathering at UQ (University of Queensland).

The festive season was also celebrated in other part of Queensland. Brunei students in Griffith University (both Nathan and Mt Gravatt campuses) were enjoying their gathering with similar spirit and comradeship. Some 20 students are undertaking various courses at these two universities and most of them are privately funded.

In Kelvin Grove Urban Village (KGUV), the gathering was held at one of Brunei’s residences and was also attended by Malaysian students, residing in the vicinity of the village. Hari Raya is the ideal occasion for forgiveness and reflection. This year’s celebration may not be the same from previous year and would not be similar for next year’s celebration.

However, whatever the differences, distances and boundaries, coming together for Hari Raya gathering is a must and the world would be incomplete without it. The once-a-year community gathering such as Hari Raya would certainly provide a welcoming relief for the students and their family members to wish each other well and seek for forgiveness.

The semester resumes on the 5^th of October.

Bruneians celebrating Eid-Fitri in Brisbane

Bruneian community in Brisbane has joined thousands of Muslim population across Australia in celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri which falls on 20^th September this year.

More than 50 students and their families gathered at St Lucia’s Monroe Park, a stone’s corner away from the University of Queensland’s (UQ) main building. Other Bruneians gathered at other places such as at Lutwych and the Gold Coast mosques to perform Hari Raya prayer.

Most of the students, including in-service officers, representing several universities in Brisbane joined other congregators as early as 6.30am to hear sermons delivered by one of UQ’s Muslim Society members from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi students forms the largest Muslim community not just at UQ but spread out at other universities in Queensland, numbers reaching more than 1000 people.

“This is the first time I celebrate Hari Raya prayer abroad. My family joins me at this festive occasion,” Mahali said.

Meanwhile, to mark the arrival of Syawal, students at Kelvin Grove Urban Village (KGUV), performed Takbir on the eve of Hari Raya. The event, held at one of the Bruneian’s residents, started with Surah Al-Fatihah recited by Cikgu Malek Abd Hamid, a final year in-service student in urban development degree at QUT.

The thanksgiving prayer was read by Hj Rahim Omar, another in-service student, taking up dual degrees in Nursing and Health Management at QUT. More than 30 people and their family members attended the gathering

Currently, there are about 100 Brunei students in Queensland, either on government scholarship or privately funded. They enroll in the first degree, masters and PHD. Some of them are taking foundation courses, prior to pursuing bachelor degree in their respective fields.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Protest takes up the sky

An ingenuous way to show dissatisfication as a result of prolonged, unsolved negotiation on wages increase demanded by the Queensland Teachers' Union (QTU) has gone up in the sky. Today is supposed to be a strike day by about 35,000 state teachers across Queensland, the second of its kind this year, demanding an 18 % increase of their wages to get parity with other states because they claim that Queensland teachers are the lowest paid teachers in Australia. However, it doesn't materialise as the QTU agreed to abandon the strike as the Bligh's government is willing to offer an interim pay rise of $2000-a-year.

Initially, the teachers planned to hold a rally in front of the Parliment House in downtown Brisbane, but, they changed course, hiring a plane instead to vent their frustration up in the sky. The Bligh's government is repeatedly sticking to their early offer of an increase of just 12.5 % for the next three years.

A trail of smoke, created by a plane forming the word "Bligh" with "X" mark underneath

It is interesting to see what will the major papers have to say in tomorrow's issues and what will be the government's response to this latest debacle. Let's just wait for the update to appear in this blog.

A right check sign appears to 'win' the QTU struggle over wages hike

Tahlil ceremony for Griffith Uni undergrad

A Tahlil ceremony was held recently (1/8/09) for the late Hjh Surinah Hj Tahamid, an undergrad student at Griffith University in Queensland, who passed away while on a semester break in Brunei on July 17, 2009. About 20 of her close friends and colleagues, some are currently studying at various universities in Queensland attended the religious gathering.

A section of her colleagues offering prayers

The function which took place at Brisbane’s Kelvin Grove Urban Village (KGUV) commenced with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah led by Hj Rahim Omar, an undergrad student in nursing and health management at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). This was followed by the mass reading of Surah Yaasin and ended with a thanksgiving prayer read by Hj Rahim.

Her friends and colleagues from UQ and QUT

The late Hjh Surinah, an officer at the Ministry of Health is taking an undergrad course in community health since 2007 at Griffith University (Logan Campus) and is expected to finish off her degree course by the end of this year. She was just celebrating her 41st birthday when she died and her sudden demise shocked KGUV residents with many of her colleagues and friends describing her being a cheerful and helpful person. “She would be sorely missed and fondly remembered for keeping us in stitches with her hilarious spontaneity.”

Her roommate (4th from right) and other colleagues (GU, UQ & QUT) and friends

Saturday, July 18, 2009

In loving memory of the late Hjh Surinah (1968-2009)

The news of the sudden demise of Hjh Surinah Hj Tahamid on July 17, 2009, a final year in-service student of Griffith University has shocked Bruneian community at Brisbane's Kelvin Grove Urban Village (KGUV). We were having a family gathering when the devastating news broke out at about 8.30 pm (Brisbane time) on the day of her death. We were all speechless and wondered what might be the cause of her death and what more hearthbreaking, she was organizing her own's birthday function, one day after her 41st birthday (fall on July 16).

She was due to return to Brisbane on July, 26th to finish off her undergraduate studies in Community Health at Griffith University (Logan Campus) and was expected to graduate at the end of this year. She resides in the surburb of Logan, about 45 mins train travel from Brisbane since 2007 and this year, another in-service student from the same ministry (MoH) joined her at Logan, taking up the same program at the university.

The late Hjh Surinah is a cheerful, helpful and wonderful person to get along with and she used to spend most of here free time staying one or two days at KGUV eventhough she was preoccupied with study load especially during the weekends.

Our hearts and thoughts are with her family and we will be holding a Tahlil prayer in this coming week at KGUV. May Allah the Allmighty bless her soul ... AL-FATIHAH