Each October, the Governor of SA hosts a special farewell party for departing international students who would be completing their degrees. And this year is no exception.
On Friday afternoon, as the sun shone brightly overhead, I crossed North Terrace to reach the corner with King William St, where a pair of massive white gates proclaimed the entrance to the Government House – a property which was normally off-bound to everyone but authorized personnel.
After presenting my invitation to a smiling guard, I walked along the smooth driveway into a world quite separate from the hustle-bustle outside on North Terrace. Every surface was covered in lush greeneries. In the centre of a large stretch of neatly-trimmed lawns, stood a white rectangular building with impressive stone pillars. Across from the Government House, a big white marquee has been erected, into which guests were being ushered to be seated.
The presentation commenced soon after I received a drink from a passing waiter. At the end of the speeches, I was rather touched by the sincerity with which the Governor had thanked all the international students for choosing Adelaide as a study destination.
Outside the marquee, the students were now chattering merrily in little groups. A dozen of round tables were dispersed on the lawn, each holding a bottle of wine, their pure white tablecloths fluttering in the light wind. Waiters in white shirts were negotiating their ways through the crowd, carrying plates of drinks and cocktail food with dazzling variety: spring rolls, satay chicken, cheese tarts, biscuits with tuna and cream.... A few feet away, a girl in high school uniforms was daring her friend to take an oyster shooter.
‘Excuse me,’ I felt someone tapping my shoulder, ‘Could you please take a photo for us?’ I turned around to see a girl holding a camera, standing next her was none other than the Governor himself, with a kind smile spreading across his face.
A short queue soon formed next to us. I took the cameras, one after another, from excited and expectant students. The cameras clicked away madly, capturing the special moment of receiving farewell personally from the Governor, witnessing what was clearly to be treasured piece of memory for many future years to come.