Sarawakians at Perth Expo FOR the past five years, Sarawakians May and her friend Lesley never missed the big women’s annual event in Western Australia – the Perth Expo for Women. This is a special time of the year for the duo to enjoy a day out. They would be at the Expo early – from the opening until five in the evening. Lesley said they had plenty to “see and get very excited over.” “It’s our quality sisterly time together. We really feel great when we mix with other women and learn new technology, new products and new beauty regimes,” Joyce, another Sarawakian, said in passing. Helen Wong, also from the Land of Hornbills, nodded in agreement. Rina from Miri was enjoying her first visit to the Expo. She was very excited to see so many new food and health products being promoted, not forgetting the interesting displays of images and designs. According to a flyer, the Mundella EveryWoman Expo is a seriously big event created to celebrate everything that’s wonderful about being a woman. It was held in June this year at the Perth Convention Centre, Western Australia. More than 300 exhibitors took part. Sabah Tourism Board’s Carmelita Goh, tending to the Malaysia Tourism Exhibition, was happy to meet fellow Malaysians, especially from neighbouring Sarawak. She encouraged visitors to buy beads made by the Rungus. In the stall sat a Rungus woman Nanjuring Mantuku, clad in ethnic costume – rebugading blouse and kinoriki sarong. She demonstrated her bead-making skills and chatted away pleasantly in English. Her beautiful handwoven Rungus tribal costume and beads attracted many customers and admirers. Many attendees also flocked to the women’s beauty and fashion stalls for the special fashion parades and catwalk sessions. With special lightings, sound effects and spacious area, these magnificient stage shows were packing them in. The entrance tickets – in the form of a thick coupon booklet – entitled attendees to participate in various competitions and lucky draws. Ticket holders also had free treats of massage, food and wine sampling and other goodies. It was a really exciting outing for anyone with the time to try out the new products and established brand names. Many senior citizens were given free massage at stalls promoting Asian massage. One stall even had 10 chairs lined up for visitors to try the healing touches of its masseurs. Old timers moved freely from stall to stall on mobile wheelchairs, enjoying themselves and getting free treats. Those accompanied by friends could be seen trying out outfits, scarves and foods. One large company even had a celebrity chef demonstrating its recipes and giving out food samples the whole day. The chatty chef and his assistant gave very interesting comments and tips about their cooking ingredients and techniques. The studio kitchen, mounted on a low stage, was the centre of attraction for the crowd. Kirsteen Linggoh Pang, a Miri-born pharmacist and now Perth-based, took time off from work to help her mother-in-law’s jewellery business. Sited at the main entrance of the Expo, Subiaco Jewellery attracted much attention. Kirsteen was happy to see friends from Sarawak visiting the Expo while her mother-in-law gave tips on purchasing good quality gems. Not all exhibitors had profit in mind. The Australian Red Cross set up a stall to handle queries from attendees. The dedicated volunteers were charmingly pro-active when women from all walks of life approached to talk to them. Another participant at the Expo Helena Lau who was living in India when a tsunami hit the sub-continent, set up a stall to promote WEAVE, a brand of products made by female victims of the tsunami. The baskets, tote bags, storage baskets on display were lovely and practical. Helena’s friends from Malaysia and Singapore flew into Perth just to help her. WEAVE products were very popular at ther Expo. Her two-year stint in India helped her understand the suffering of the tsunami victims, prompting her to help these women weavers her life’s mission. During her stay in Chennai, she met many women struggling to survive. A good friend, Sarah Hii, also from Singapore, was with her in Chennai back then. They started helping out in the slums and other poor areas and in the course of their voluntary work, brought much needed relief to poverty-stricken widows and women with disabilities. Despite their plight, these destitute women had one thing in common – a willingness to work hard and the ability to weave exceptional baskets and bags from colourful polypropylene strands. Helena and her Sarah fell in love with their beautifully woven products which reflect the Indian love of vibrant colours. “I was touched and humbled by the strength of these women and their determination to make good,” Helena recalled. An inspired Helena then decided to market their products, saying WEAVE was set up as a symbol of hope and empowerment to create an income and opportunity for tsunami survivors and their families. Based in Perth now, Helena and Sarah continue to visit their “sisters” in Chennai and promote WEAVE around the region. They have also set up an outlet in Perth. Special designs for bags can be made on request. Helena and Sarah are only too happy to share their WEAVE mission with anyone interested in allievating women’s plight and supporting their endeavour. Acai, magical coconut oil, chocolates with chillies, Blue Cow Persian Feta Cheese were just some of the interesting products one could sample at the Expo. The women also got to swap culinary ideas during food samplings and demonstrations. A Mary Kay consultant said she had learnt so much since attending the first Expo several years ago. A remarkable friendship has also developed between her and a Mary Kay fan and they have been meeting very often in Perth. “The Expo was a good opportunity for me to develop my business. But I also gained a real sister during my first Expo here. I encourage more women to come and explore the opportunities at the Expo,” the consultant said. Read more: theborneopost/2013/08/04/sarawakians-at-perth-expo/#ixzz2bQ5QOZwU
Posted on: Thu, 08 Aug 2013 22:35:18 +0000
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