The Filipino Community in Liverpool and Districts came together to celebrate their 15th Santa Cruzan at All Saints Liverpool Catholic Chuch on 30th May 2010. The parade down the aisle of the church of the Ave Maria Angels and the bevy of Queens, demonstrated the variety of the beauty and dress of the Filipina.
No particular Filipina stood out for they all looked so ‘magaanda’ that is beautiful it was as if a shining light was beaming into the church. The Mass was celebrated by Father Chris Higgins, with the assistance of Father Anthony Bernard and Father Nards Mercene, thre Filipino Priest. After the Mass there was a Procession for the Novena of the Virgin Mary around the grounds, ending up in the Parish Hall to continue with the Celebrations.
Fil-Oz was proudly supported by the Visayan Association of Austalia Inc. and the Praise Family Apostalate, and the newly formed Alliance of Philippine Organisations (APCO) and their affiliates. Our special guests for the occasion was the Mayor of Liverpool, Ms Wendy Waller, the Federal MP for Werriwa, Mr Chris Hayes and his wife Bernadette; also the Local MP for Liverpool, Mr Paul Lynch, and for the first time to give her organizations support was Dr Cen Amores of APCO.
As always the entertainment is what gives us enjoyment during the night. The group that provided the guests with non-stop entertainment was the ‘Cumancheros’ whose music and song was a pleasure to listen to. The two speakers, the Mayor of Liverpool and the Federal MP for Werriwa enlightened us on how much the Filipino’s have contributed to Liverpool and the nation on a whole.
The added bonus of entertainers was, Sidney and Jay, the singing duo from “One Good Night” plus our very own “That’s Entertainment” Ms Terry Spencer. Also putting on a brave performance was Ms Alisha Buaya with her guitar and song. Last of all the donated prizes for the Raffles was more than we expected, with lots of tickets sold.
The event was a big success this year for in 2009 we had about 300 in attendance, this year we exceeded our expectations with a huge turnout of about 500 plus. For me as Vice-President I think we all should be proud of the contributions made that helped this event to be a success.
By Richard J Ford
Vice-President-External, Fil-Oz Liverpool and Districts.
PRO- Visayan Association of Australia Inc. VAA Inc
