Announcement: Education UK Exhibition on 26 March 2008

Dear members and friends,
The British Council will be organizing an Education Exhibition in Kuching on 26th March 2008, at Asajaya Room, Holiday Inn Kuching. Please spread the word around to family and friends who are planning to study in the UK.
The following are a list of UK institutions which will be participating in this event:

Bangor University www.bangor.ac.uk
Bellerbys College www.bellerbys.com
Bosworth Independent College www.bosworthcollege.com
BPP College of Professional Studies www.bpp.com
Cambridge Tutors College, London www.ctc.ac.uk
Concord College www.concordcollegeuk.com
EF Brittin College www.ef.com/brittin
University of Hertfordshire www.herts.ac.uk
The University of Hull www.hull.ac.uk
University of Leeds www.leeds.ac.uk
London Metropolitan University www.londonmet.ac.uk
Middlesex University www.mdx.ac.uk
Northumbria University www.northumbria.ac.uk
The University of Nottingham www.nottingham.ac.uk
University of Plymouth www.plymouth.ac.uk
University of Portsmouth www.port.ac.uk
The University of Reading www.rdg.ac.uk
University of Sunderland www.sunderland.ac.uk
Universities and Colleges Admission Service (UCAS) www.ucas.com

There will also be a series of seminars on the same day. Please refer to the schedule below:

Do take this opportunity to speak to the representatives of the university of your choice. See you there!

 

Happy Chinese New Year 2008

SBAA wishes all members a very Happy Chinese New Year and a prosperous and healthy Rat year ahead!

 

SBAA Rural Charity Outreach II: Kampung Empasak Medical Screening

Dear Members,

On 28 November 2007, Wednesday, Henrick was invited to an exco meeting of the “New Century Lions Club of Kuching Emerald” (specifically for members below 35yrs of age), and learnt about their next rural outreach project – Kampung Empasak, about 45mins drive from Serian, which consists of 11 families (total 61 persons) who were displaced by the Batang Ai HydroDam project. They have also conducted a site visit on 18 Nov, and revealed that these displaced families live with very poor hygiene and sanitation. The resident polution is mostly made up of elderly folks and young children. Their plight was brought to the Lions Club’s attention by the local parish church.

This church will be organising a x’mas party on 20 Dec, thurs (public holiday), for about 120 children (under 12yrs old) from this village and 2 other villages in this region, and the Lions Club has initiated a donation drive for these chidren as well as for 11 families from Kpg. Empasak. Apparently the children from Kpg. Empasak no longer go to school as they were bullied out by other children, so the parish church organises a twice monthly class of sorts for these displaced children.

As SBAA has excess medicine from our first rural outreach project, and that some of the medicine had been repacked into smaller satchets (with valid shelf-life), we could put some of this to good use, following a medicine checklist and survey. Some supplements and basic care can be distributed during this x’mas gathering on 20 Dec, which can be a good opportunity for some of us from SBAA to go along for a day-trip survey. Meanwhile, the Lions Club is planning for a follow-up visit, tentatively on 20 Jan 2008 , Sunday, for a possible health screening, which we could contribute also.

Please let me know by this week if you are interested in going to Kpg. Empasak on 20 December. It’s a great opportunity to spread some Christmas spirit and end the year on a high note!

Regards,
Sereni
Chairperson of Social Activities
You are also invited to come along this Sunday 9 December 2007 for a survey trip. Carpool leaves at 7am at RH Plaza, returning before noon on the same day. Please RSVP by Friday 7 December by calling Henrick at 012 887 0555.

 

Press Release: Sarawak British Alumni Association delivers humanitarian aid to Long Singut, Kapit

Sarawak British Alumni Association delivers humanitarian aid to Long Singut, Kapit

In April 2007, the Sarawak British Alumni Association (SBAA) launched a humanitarian programme – Rural Charity Outreach Programme (RCOP) – geared towards rural communities of Sarawak. The executive committee identified the remote village of Long Singut in Kapit as the first recipient of this programme.

Being a Kenyah settlement close to the Malaysian-Indonesian border, a journey upriver by long boat to the settlement from Kapit town takes about two days, depending on the Sungai Balleh tide. The 600-resident village has no schools, clinics nor hospitals. The village had been frequented by flying doctors. Following a tragic helicopter crash near this area in 2005, a “no-fly” zone has been imposed on the area. Since then, no medical personnel had attended to residents in Long Singut due to its difficult accessibility.

As such, the SBAA organized an expedition to Long Singut, via Sibu and Kapit town, from 26th to 30th July 2007 together with volunteers from the public, a medical team from Sarawak General Hospital and Kapit Division Health Office to conduct a medical screening for the residents, as well as send general supplies kindly donated by the public in support of this project. SBAA would like to thank its main sponsor Swee Joo Berhad for generously donating RM7,000/- for transportation of the goods and team to Long Singut.

The expedition team consisted of Henrick Lau (SBAA President), Sereni Linggi (SBAA Social Activities Chairperson), Dr Law Siik Tien and Christina Jong from Sarawak General Hospital, and volunteers from the public, namely, Patrick and Lesley White, Edouard Raguideau, Robert Stanley, Donald Tan, Marina Foo and Rose Au. A separate group from Kapit who provided the logistics and protocol needed for the trip, included YB Alexander Nanta Linggi, Jefferson Jamit, Wilfred Billy Panyau, Penghulu Jampi, Madu ak Penghulu Jampi, David Tan, police personnel and longboat drivers plus crew. The medical team was further supported by Dr Matthew Gabriel, Anthony Alas and Mail ak Ribut from the Kapit Division Health Office, Dr Norhasnizal and Ding Min Lueng from Kapit Hospital, and Dr Xavier Sim from Sarawak General Hospital.

SBAA would like to thank all members of the public who had donated general supplies for the residents of Long Singut, which was transported overland to Sibu in a four-wheel drive convoy led by Ryan Wong (SBAA Sports Chairperson) a weekend prior to the main expedition. SBAA would also like to thank Jambu Restaurant, Bing!, Fit-4-Life Gym and Tun Jugah Shopping Mall which kindly acted as collection centres for the donation drive.

SBAA would like to further thank Earth Alliance, Dr Sea Hoe, UMH Pharmacy, Lions Club of Kuching Metro, and Kapit Hospital which contributed medical supplies for the programme.

A documentary video on the Long Singut expedition, which will premiere with the Sarawak Association based in London, is produced, shot and directed by Robert Stanley, and edited by Esther Ting, Morgan Then and Josiah Chieng, with technical support from Moorey Mohammad and Frost Lee at ITFusion. SBAA wishes also to thank Matthew Ngau, a local sape musician, Valerie Mashman and British Council Kuching for their kind contributions.

Overall, the trip was a success and the SBAA committee is currently working on a follow-up to the needs of the villagers in Long Singut as well as identifying other villages to include in its Rural Charity Outreach Programme.

The SBAA, which was registered in 2004, would like to appeal to more British graduates and British residents in Sarawak to come forward as members of a very wide and established professional network. For more information on the Sarawak British Alumni Association, please visit our website http://sbaa.wordpress.com/ or contact Henrick Lau (hp: 012-8870555, email: henricklau@gmail.com) or Fam Boon Kim (hp: 012-8085928, email: rfbkim@gmail.com)

 

UK Pre-Departure Briefings Organized by British Council on 11 August 2007 and 18 August 2007

Full time students applying to study at an institute of higher education in the UK for the first time are strongly encouraged to register at the annual UK pre-departure briefings organized by British Council. In recent years, changes have been made to UK immigration rules, in particular on rules governing the issuance of student visas.

SBAA accepted an invitation from the Education Manager of British Council Sarawak, Mr Adrian Hon, to participate in both pre-departure briefings in Miri and Kuching, in order to provide an insight into life in the UK from an alumna’s perspective.

SBAA’s Chairperson of Public Relations, Fam Boon Kim presented the following topics during both pre-departure briefings:
1) Things to pack
2) Budgeting
3) Managing your studies
4) Accommodation
5) Experiencing Britain and beyond
6) Introduction to SBAA, its activities and programmes

The pre-departure briefings were a success, with attendees of over 100 in the Kuching briefing. For the record, pre-departure briefings prior to 2007 were only held in Kuching. For the first time this year, British Council organized 2 additional pre-departure briefings in Sibu and Miri respectively for the benefit of students residing outside Kuching.

SBAA wishes to thank Adrian Hon of British Council for kindly extending his invitation to us. We hope that our input has been helpful and we look foward to more colloborations in the future.

Here are pictures taken from the Kuching UK Pre-Departure briefing at Hilton Hotel, Kuching on 18.8.2007.

For further details on how you can help as an alumni in the annual UK pre-departure briefings, please email us at sbaa.admin@gmail.com.

 

Announcement- upcoming UK pre-departure briefings organized by the British Council

Calling all students who will be going to the UK this autumn!

If you or your family/friends are going to UK to further your tertiary education this coming autumn, do register with Education Uk to attend the following pre-departure briefings:

11 August 2007
JW Marriot Hotel, Miri (2-4pm)

18 August 2007
Hilton Hotel, Kuching (2-4pm)

Register here.
All registrants will receive the following freebies from British Council:

Please also contact the Chairperson for Education, Dr Addy Kho for the following useful manuals on studying in the UK as well as scholarship and finance information. The following guides are available for reference:

 

Announcement- Peter Joyce in Sarawak!

SIR ISAAC NEWTON VISITS PUSTAKA NEGERI SARAWAK!

PUSTAKA NEGERI SARAWAK IN COLLABORATION WITH BRITISH
COUNCIL MALAYSIA PRESENTS TO YOU A SCIENCE DRAMA
PERFORMANCE BY SIR ISAAC NEWTON HIMSELF!
Title
A Science Performance by Mr. Peter Joyce
Venue
The Auditorium
Pustaka Negeri Sarawak,
Jalan Pustaka, Off Jalan Stadium
93050 Petra Jaya, Kuching, Sarawak
Date & Time – 2 shows
Mon 30 July 2007, 2:00pm – 3:00pm
Tue 31 July 2007, 11:00am – 12:00pm
Admission
Free of Charge
Members of the public who wishes to attend can contact:
6082 442000
Ms. Shirlyn (ext 217)
Puan Sabarina (ext 207)

ABOUT PETER JOYCE
Peter Joyce, was formerly the curator for the National Trust of Britain where he
helped to design the Science Centre. He was trained at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and
Drama and in the final year won the College Radio prize. He immediately started work for Theatre
North, a Sheffield based company touring theatres of major cities in the North.of England.
He followed this with a solid history of repertory all over the UK, spending two years at the
prestigious and pioneering Vic Theatre in the Round at Stoke on Trent, and has played major roles
in the West End for the RSC. He has taken many parts in TV including such firm favourites as
Minder, The Professionals, The Bill and Emmerdale, and has many credits in the world of TV
Ads.- voiceover and appearance. He has worked for BBC Radio Drama in several productions and
some of his titles have been heard on ‘Oneword’ Radio – the only radio station devoted to ‘talking
books’.
Nowadays, Peter has two companies, ‘Assembled Stories’ and ‘ Past Present Science’ for which he
travels the world performing his one man shows about Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton. He had
worked internationally at schools and universities, along with the UK’s Institute of Physics and the
Royal Institution. Additionally, he has also worked with the British Association for the
Advancement of Science, Space School UK and the Royal Society of Chemistry. In this capacity he
has worked for such organisations as the Association of Science Education, Trinity College,
Cambridge and the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is perhaps the only actor in the world to have
worked for the two RSCs !!!!
Teachers, parents, students as well as members of the public are welcome to attend The Science
Drama.

A collaboration between:
Pustaka Negeri Sarawak British Council Malaysia

 

Announcement-SBAA PUB QUIZ on Friday, 20 July 2007!!

Dear members and friends,
please mark your diaries for our July event- SBAA’s pub quiz which will be held at the Jambu Restaurant next Friday, 20 July 2007 @ 7.30pm. Please bring along your family and friends to this event. The set menu is priced at RM35 per pax.

On another note, we are still accepting donations for the SBAA Rural Charity Outreach Project- we wish to thank all donors who have graciously sorted out their used clothing and given them to us in support of our project! Keep the donations coming and do take note that we will be accepting donations until 20 July 2007, which coincides with our pub quiz night.
Join us next Friday for an evening of good food and loads of fun!

See you at Jambu!

 

Announcement- First Annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit in Kuala Lumpur

First Annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit
Nikko Hotel Kuala Lumpur (3rd-5th August 2007)United Kingdom and Eire Council for Malaysian Students (UKEC) would like to invite Malaysian student leaders and students from Universities and Colleges in Malaysia and all over the world to participate in the first Annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit which will be held tentatively from the 3rd (Friday) August till 5th (Sunday) August 2007 at Nikko Hotel, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Tentative plans for the summit includes:

1. Keynote address and lectures by prominent foreign and local figures:

• Tan Sri Lee Lam Thay ( Chairman, Program Khidmat Negara) CONFIRMED

• Mr Ho Kay Tat ( Group Editor-in-Chief for Nexnews Bhd which publishes The Edge and The Sun newspaper) CONFIRMED

• Dato Dr Munir Majid ( Chairman Malaysia Airlines System, and Chairman KL Business Club KLBC) CONFIRMED

• Tan Sri Wan Zahid Noordin (Chairman, The Higher Education of Malaysia Report Committee – The Zahid Report) CONFIRMED

• Dato Seri Jawhar Hassan ( Chairman, Institute of Strategic International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia )CONFIRMED

• Dato Johan Raslan ( Chairman, Pricewaterhouse Coopers Malaysia)CONFIRMED

• Dato Seri Leftenan Jeneral (B) Zaini Mohamad Said (Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa, Malaysia’s highest gallantry award for his role during the Al Mau’nah siege) CONFIRMED

• Dato Zarinah Anwar (Chairman, Securities Commission Malaysia) CONFIRMED

• Dato Dr Dzulkifli Razak (Vice Chancellor USM/Chairman,Malaysia’s Vice Chancellor’s Group) CONFIRMED

• Dato Tony Fernandes ( CEO, Air Asia Berhad) CONFIRMED

• Tunku Abdul Aziz (former UN special advisor for ethics) CONFIRMED

• Prof Emeritus Mohd Ariff Karim ( Director, Msia Institute of Economic Reseach) CONFIRMED

• Prof Emeritus Dato’ Khoo Kay Kim (Historian University Malaya) CONFIRMED

• Karim Raslan CONFIRMED

• Karam Singh Walia (TV3)
CONFIRMED

2. Constructive discussions on international and national issues, among others:

• Globalisation/Role of 3rd World Countries in the UN
• Malaysia’s Foreign Policy
• Malaysia’s Economy/Corporate Lessons for the Young and Bright
• The Potential of Malaysia Evolving as a Vibrant Islamic Financial Hub
• Corporate Governance/Ethics/Transparency
• Unity in Diversity/Dasar Ekonomi Baru
• Education
• Environmental Governance in Malaysia (Karam Singh Walia)
• Role of Mass Media in Malaysia
• Vision 2020 – Are we on the right track?

3. Networking opportunities with prominent individuals and fellow Malaysian student leaders from all over the world.

UKEC is inviting Malaysian student leaders from the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Egypt, Jordan, South Korea, Japan, India, Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine, Indonesia and all public and private university students in Malaysia. Compare and relate your experiences with others!

UKEC need YOUR participation and support to make this event a success and hope it will surpass the success of Project Amanat Negara IV held recently last Easter at the Malaysia Hall London
(refer to New Straits Times 15 April 2007)

Please contact alia.sidek@ukeconline.com to participate! Places are limited. For further information and enquiries, please contact firdaus@ukeconline.com or ain@ukeconline.com

 

SBAA RURAL CHARITY OUTREACH PROJECT- July 2007

RCOP poster

Dear fellow members and alumni,
Here’s a preview of our promotional poster for SBAA’s Rural Charity Outreach Project. Keep an eye on your favourite hang out spots such as Bing!, Jambu, etc as these posters will be coming out in full force very soon.

We appeal for your donations and support in this project. Please do not hesitate to contact Henrick (012-8870555) or Kim (012-8085928) for further details.

Reach out to the people of Long Singut and make a difference to their lives.

Thank you for your support.