by Bert Naik - Melbourne

Melbourne, Jan 28:A large number of Mangaloreans gathered at the beautiful Maribyrnong Park for the MCAV Summer outdoor event. Showers were predicted for the day, and this had dampened the spirit of people somewhat.

But contrary to all expectations, the day turned out to be just perfect, with a very pleasant breeze throughout. The gently flowing Maribyrnong river and the neat rows of palms on either bank was a setting that took many to the riverbanks around Mangalore.

The children enjoyed a game of cricket before lunch, while the grown ups went for a noisy round of bingo. The grand prize of the full house was won by Kathy, and what an apt win that was, considering that Kathy married very recently and arrived in Australia just a week ago!

The theme of the day was ice-breaking, and as the time passed by, it was evident that there was plenty of camaraderie among the many hither-to total strangers.

Bert Naik, the President of MCAV, welcomed the gathering, and pointed out that MCAV was celebrating its first birthday today, as it was born on the 28th January, 2006.

The participants enjoyed a delicious lunch - especially prepared for the event

To faciliate the ice-breaking, the attendees were split into four teams. Several games were held that pitted the teams against one another. Bert started with a trivia on several interesting facts on Mangalore. Elias Mascarenhas, the Treasurer, then took over compering and kept the rest of the afternoon crammed with many intriguing games that had the teams constantly trying to beat the others. The laughter from the participants was so loud that it attracted a large number of curious non-Mangalorean onlookers wondering what was going on.

Desmond Lobo, the Vice President, thanked the participants for their great support and participation.