Newletter April 2020

Welcome ANiB’s New Board of Directors!

On 1 April 2020 the ANiB Annual General Meeting was held as a virtual meeting. We would like to thank all members who participated as well as those who voted! ANiB is pleased to introduce you to the 2020 board of directors:

• Alison Prior Chair
• Fleur Hutchings Vice Chair
• John Pescod Treasurer
• Dr Rory Donnelly Secretary
• Dianne Weller Events & Communications
• Alia Papageorgiou Public Affairs

Due to the large amount of interest we received for the advertised board roles we will be putting together an advisory board with senior members of the community. If you are interested in being involved please send us an email. Stay tuned for more details!

Find our more about the new Board members on our website!

A huge thank you to outgoing board members Raf, Tematai and Emma for their hard work and commitment!

Outgoing Chair Rafael Jaron, Treasurer Tematai Carbou and Secretary Dr Emma Job played a fundamental role in establishing ANiB and have worked hard to ensure that the traditions of both the Australia Society and Australian Business in Europe (ABIE) have continued over the years. We cannot thank them enough for their commitment and dedication over the years. We wish you all the best in your future endeavours and look forward to seeing you at future events!

Embassy Briefing

In these extraordinarily difficult times, all of us at the Australian Embassy would like to pass on our best wishes to all Australians and their families in Belgium. We hope you are staying healthy and coping as well as possible in the circumstances. It was heartening to see that, despite the constraints of social distancing, our small but strong ANiB community held its Annual General Meeting virtually. Congratulations to the new board members – we look forward to working together. And a big thank you to the former members for your contributions.

The Embassy is currently operating with skeleton staffing arrangements, but we remain open and functioning. Our focus is on core priorities for the duration of the crisis:

1. Continuing to provide consular and passport services, including keeping our travel advisories and relevant information for Australians up to date.
   • We have put links to a number of relevant websites on the embassy’s website including https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/
   • The Australian Government has imposed very strict restrictions on entry into Australia. States and Territories have also imposed movement and border restrictions. Details are available at:
     https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/travel-restrictions
   • If you wish to return home to Australia, very limited flight options are still available, but it is uncertain how long these will operate for.
   • The Embassy website also includes links to information on the measures announced by the Belgian federal government. The main site is: https://www.info-coronavirus.be.
     The Belgian government’s COVID-19 hotline is – 0800 14 689
2. The Embassy is also doing a range of things to support the government’s response to the pandemic. This includes a big focus on keeping supply chains open. Australian Ministers have been in contact with their EU counterparts. Attention is already beginning to focus on how to coordinate global action to ensure a swift economic recovery.  Notwithstanding the obvious constraints, the work by Australia and the EU toward a comprehensive and ambitious bilateral FTA is continuing to the extent possible. While it is clearly not possible to carry on business as usual in the current circumstances, Australian and EU officials are maintaining momentum through tele- and videoconferencing.

Please stay in touch and let us know if the Embassy can assist.

Australian Business in Europe (ABIE)

ANiB is the Belgian Chapter of ABIE. 
All members of ANiB are automatically members of ABIE and can join events at member rates. 
In this difficult and commercially uncertain time ABIE is doing its best to maintain engagement with members and support of the network. While we have had to postpone all the events scheduled for the coming months we are pleased to be able to offer you the possibility of participating in a webinar on Wednesday the 8th April at 10am on a subject of particular interest to many of you at the moment: Covid-19: what impact on employment?

If you’re interested in joining the event please register here.

Other News

Events:

All events have been cancelled until further notice.

On-line Drinks

Meet us online for Friday night drinks every Friday at 8 pm. We can’t meet face-to-face but that won’t stop us from getting together for a chat and a drink! Join us online on House Party every Friday at 8 pm and meet some other Aussies trapped at home around the city. If you’re keen to join us please send us a message on facebook or email us for the link.

Infectious disease expert Dr Emma Job talks to us about her role in the fight against COVID-19

Whilst the healthcare system is working over time to fight Covid-19 on the frontlines, scientists are hard at work pipetting away in labs to understand more about the virus, develop treatments and pushing forward, at astonishing speeds, to develop a new vaccine. As lockdowns continue across the world the main message from the World Health Organization in order to control the virus is to #testtesttest. The upscaling of patient sample testing in Belgium, from 2500 tests per day to 40,000 – 50,000 per day, is currently underway. One of our ANiB members is volunteering her time to the cause, Dr Emma Job, an infectious disease scientist working for Janssens, the pharmaceutical division of Johnson and Johnson. “Infectious disease scientists have been training for this moment since the beginning of their careers.” said Emma. “For me to be able to put my skills to work and be a small part of the larger fight against Covid-19 will certainly be a highlight of my career.”

ANiB Business Showcase

Easter is fast approaching and Erin The Redhead Chef has some extra baking time on her hands! 

You can now order your Hot Cross Buns, Choc Cross Buns and Paleo Keto Gluten-Free Buns. These delicious handmade buns will be baked fresh & delivered to your door on Good Friday, the 10th April.

Minimum ordering options are:
– 12 Hot Cross Buns €12 OR
– 12 Choc Cross Buns €12 OR
– 6 Hot Cross Buns & 6 Choc Cross Buns €12  OR
– 12 Paleo Keto Gluten Free Buns €16

All buns can be frozen & thawed at a later date…if they happen to escape being eaten over the Easter Weekend. Delivery costs are included for the Brussels/Antwerp area. If you live outside of these areas, ask Erin what the delivery possibilities are. Multiple orders will have delivery discounts applied. Place your order before midday on Wednesday the 8th April
Payment is via bank transfer, your buns will be delivered in accordance with the current social distancing measures in place.
How to place your order? Send a message to The Redhead Chef on Facebook or on +32497771021! Stay safe, stay home and eat buns.

Do you have other suggestions for our newsletter? Please let us know. We are always looking for ways to improve our network and strengthen the Australian community here in Belgium.