PR-06-2022 
19 February 2022

FilAus golfers in Melbourne support DFA fellowship tournament

It was a perfectly sunny day with whiffs of white clouds when some 28 golfers among the Filipino community in Melbourne got together on 19 February 2022 at the Centenary Park Golf Course in Frankston North, some 55 kms from Melbourne CBD.

Three weeks prior, retired Ambassador Zen Collinson informed Consul General Maria Lourdes Salcedo of an effort to help raise funds for DFA retirees through friendship golf games. She said that support can still be extended remotely even while in Melbourne.

After a short introduction through FilCom leader and Presidential Awardee for Filipinos Overseas Walter Villagonzalo, Melbourne PCG was able to contact Boie Manaog, retired PNP/PSG official. He said that there are at least two big groups, the Australian Filipino Golfers (AFG) and the Aussie Pinoy Social Golf Club (APSC+GC). “We hope to be able to organize a bigger group next year,” he said.

Consul General Salcedo also took the opportunity to announce the consular services offered by Melbourne PCG, particularly on dual citizenship, passporting and notarial services. “You no longer have to travel to Canberra or Sydney,” she said.

According to Ambassador Collinson, the Melbourne fellowship game managed to raise A$963.00 for the DFA retirees and some goodwill. A Zoom meeting for the global-wide tournament on 21 February was attended by Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario.

“I submitted the scorecards and pushed for the inclusion of Melbourne players, They won in 5 categories out of 16! Really good showing,” she said. END.

A public golf course, Centenary Park has one of the best golf courses in Melbourne.