Australians in Hong Kong

Australian International School Hong Kong

Australian International School Hong Kong serves the Australian community.

Located at 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, the Australian Consulate General and acts as the representative of the Australian government in Hong Kong. More informally known as The Australian Embassy, this place offers sanctuary to Australians in Hong Kong, as well as acting as a place of business and holding valuable information. The embassy provides specific information regarding the large Australian community in Hong Kong and quotes that “around 100,000 Australians are living in Hong Kong… and more than 600 Australian businesses have a presence in Hong Kong.” (Australian Consulate General, 2020).[10] Part of the embassy’s job is to provide Passport applications and Notarial services, as well as having offices focusing in Visas and Citizenship, The Australian Trade Commission, how to apply to study in Australia and the Australian Federal Police. Enquiries and booking appointments for all can be made through email found on their website. More recently the Australian government and its representatives in Hong Kong take taken an increased interest in resident Hong Kong students being able to have access to Australian education. The Australian Governments ‘Hong Kong Brief’ notes that there are “130 formal agreements… covering student and staff exchange, academic and research collaboration, and study abroad” between the two countries. (DFAT, 2020).[11] Perhaps even more interestingly, the Hong Kong Brief states that “as (of) July 2020, Hong Kong ranked 14^th as a source location for international students Australia…”, suggesting the large amount of previous Hong Kong resident students receiving an education in Australia (DFAT, 2020).

The Australian Association of Hong Kong is not a government organisation but a community driven association with a mission of hoping to encourage fellowship and friendship within Australians living in Hong Kong. Founded in 1954 by a group of Australian expatriates (more commonly referred to as ex-pats), the association aims for its member to get the most out of their new city, and celebrated its 60^th anniversary in 2014 (ozhongkong, 2020).[12] Through this community, Australians living in Hong Kong may have access to a variety of events such as book club, the ancient Chinese tile game Mah Jong, Australia Day BBQ, the Dragon Boat Festival and diverse selection of team sports. This Association is a great stepping off point for many Australians moving to Hong Kong for the first time. Being suddenly immersed in a new culture can be shocking and this institute helps those become accustomed with the traditions and expectations of residents living and working in Hong Kong (Asia Pulse, 2005).[13] For example, a simple greeting of two new individuals can become overly difficult and perhaps awkward. In Hong Kong the traditional greeting between two Asian ethnicities is a bow. Because of this many westerners see that as a sign of respect they should assimilate this behaviour. However a westerner bowing to an Asian ethnicity can be seen as a sign of disrespect, as you are not a descendent of that culture, so a hand shake is more suitable (World Trade Pres, 2010, p2).[14] It is moments and customs like this that the Australian Association in Hong Kong would be very beneficial to Australians living in Hong Kong.

A grand event for many Australians in Hong Kong, is the Dragon Boat racing festival, held every year for over 2000 years (Wong, 2013).[15] Hong Kong hosted the first ever Dragon boat racing festival in 1976 and has continued to hold it every year in June (Harris, 2012). [16]The popular sport stems from the celebration of the death of the beloved Chinese Poet Qu Yun. Wives tale and legend suggest that the racing began because Qu Yun drowned himself in a river; subsequently, the locals took to their boats hoping to find him. Unfortunately he was never found, so the locals went out every year to splash the water so that fish might not eat his body, therefore entering him into heaven (Wong, 2013).[15] This is a team sport and typically most boats contain twenty-two paddlers working together. The sport is a popular team event with many different categories, including professional, amateur, all men, all women, mixed, charity and local teams. Of particular note, there are many cancer survivor teams such as breast cancer women’s teams and prostate cancer men teams, all raising money for research and overall moral for the survivors. Specifically in breast cancer teams, doctors have suggested that this rigorous upper body physical activity has had significant positive effects on their health. For example Doctors Ibrahim and Al Homaidh concluded that “…postdiagnosis physical activity reduced breast cancer deaths by 34%, all cause mortality by 41%, and breast recurrence by 24%” in relation to six studies including many dragon boat racing participants (Harris, 2012, p4).[16] Not only are the physical effects of dragon boat racing positive, but the mental and emotional wellness drastically improves, as it encourages survivors to socialise and to “fight feelings of isolation” (May, 2017).[17] Australian ex-pats are also heavily involved in this fun sport every year. The Australian Association of Hong Kong has their own team, accrediting over sixty people participating in the event in 2019, making up 3 teams of men’s, women’s and mixed (ozhongkong, 2020).[12] The association also notes that many make it a social event, sitting on the sidelines and barracking for their favourites is accompanied with barbecues and fully catered services, making it a day out for the whole family and friends to enjoy.

Horse Racing is one of the most popular sports in Hong Kong and particularly popular within the Australian and ‘ex-pat’ community in general. The Australian Jockeys Association: Hong Kong is more of a union page for jockeys and workers of the racing industry in particular. The forum provides information concerning rules and eligibilities for entrance and application of the sport, clothing and equipment and weight restrictions etc. (AJA, 2016).[18] Interestingly the Association goes to significant effort to highlight Hong Kong’s stance on wearable advertising and paid agents, enforcing heavy fines for any illegal activity conducted. (AJA, 2016).[18] Again, the sport is popular in Hong Kong, and is an entertainment event of the year for many Australians living there. The Australian community particularly takes interest in 37 year old Australian Jockey, Zac Purton, who is reigning champion of the Queens Silver Jubilee Cup from February 2019, at the famous Sha Tin Racecourse, with more than $43 million worth of wins (Conifer, 2020).[19] Another major equestrian event in Hong Kong is the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, which takes place in April of each year. Once again located at the Sha Tin Racecourse, the group one thoroughbred race, is a 2000 meter event and has been run since 1975 by the Hong Kong Jockey club. Swiss watchmakers ‘Piguet’ sponsor the event and present winnings of over HK$14 million (World Trade Press, 2010, p15).[14]   Gambling is also a major past time at Horse Racing sporting events in Hong Kong, with “more than HK$73 billion (AUS$9.4 Billion) a year” being spent and drawing in the elite of Hong Kong’s socialites (Silverman, 1996).[20] Hong Kong also hosted the 2008 Olympic Equestrian events, due to complications of Beijing’s quarantine restrictions. Hong Kong had the previous experience of dealing with difficult and highly stringent import and export arrangement of world class horses (Lam, 2016).[21] The Hong Kong equestrian facilities and Olympic events attracted riders from all the globe. The ‘Hong Kong Jockey Club’ made an investment of over HK$1.2 Billion in building and renovating venues for the games, and were able to house and make arrangements for over 225 horses (Lam, 2016).[21] The 2008 Olympic Equestrian events in Hong Kong, also saw great success for the Australian Eventing team, with team members Lucinda Fredericks, Sonja Johnson, Megan Jones, Clayton Fredericks and Shane Rose, alongside coach Wayne Roycroft taking home the silver medal (Equestrian Australia, 2018).[22]

The Australian Football League Club in Hong Kong is the most recognisably Australian sport played in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Dragons, are the oldest team playing established in the 1990s and have a players' association of around 50 – 60 membered players (AFL-asia, 2020). The club encourages having a mix of Australian expats and local Chinese players, and has teams of men’s professionals, mixed amateur adults down to kids. The Hong Kong government encourages sport and physical activity for all, and has enacted different programmes to encourage communities to get active. One such programme is the ‘School Sports Programme’ launched in 2001, which highlighted the serious role of all local and international (i.e. Australian international) schools to encourage exercise and team sport during the school day and setting (Lam, 2016, p56). [21]The LCSD report that since the launch, over 90% of schools in Hong Kong participate in the programme (Lam, 2016, p56).[21]

The Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament, first held in 1975, is another popular sporting event among Australians in Hong Kong that takes place annually in either late March or early April, and is the seventh event of the World Series calendar. Rugby Union is a heavily followed sport in Australia and the tournament in Hong Kong has swiftly become the “biggest sports event in Asia” (Vittachi, 1994).[23]The Australian Rugby Sevens men and women’s team have both seen considerable success, notably the Australians women’s teams winning Gold at the Rio Olympics. Both teams have a grand following of loyal fans and many Australians, including ex-pats and visitors turn out to cheer on their team during this special event.  However, more recently the special event has become more than just a sporting fixture, with the Hong Kong tourism board striving to make it more of an unmissable social event. Vittachi calls it the ‘annual weekend party’ highlighting the festivals visitors eager entrance to clubs, pubs and many social gatherings, after a day of watching the rugby. Many young Australians travel to Hong Kong for the event, as part of their ‘backpacking’ travels and engage in culture throughout. Many Australians also take up the fun aspect of dressing up in costume for the Hong Kong sevens tournament. Such costumes include famous Australian lifeguards, Australian children television icons bananas in pyjamas, famous Australian politicians and even the Australian flag are all part of the fun. Overall, the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament is must see for many Australians living in Hong Kong and also for the many Australians visitors that travel to the country for great entertainment.

Australian food, especially its breakfast culture is a big hit with the Australian community in Hong Kong. Look no further than ‘Brew Bros’ located at 3 Hill Road, Shek Tong Tsui, Hong Kong, the epitome of authentic Australian coffee and the ever Australian egg and bacon role. However if you’re looking for food reminiscent of “Australian suburbia” and your local chook shop, take a look at ‘Chicken on the Run’ in Mid-Levels, No. 1 Prince’s Terrace, Hong Kong, for delicious chicken and chips alongside healthy summer salads (Lai, 2018).[24]

‘Hue’ is another fantastic restaurant in Hong Kong that serves modern Australian cuisine, in the desirable location of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. With a backdrop of one of the worlds most famous skylines, ‘Hue’ is placed at the centre of culture and sophistication surrounded by Hong Kong’s top pieces of art. It is the work of Australian Chef Anthony Hammel, that combines gourmet flavour and modern Australian taste. The ‘Hue’ website suggest that diners should “expect elegance and interesting flavours that will keep you coming back for more” and that the entire restaurant is the very best of “… a culinary showcase of modern Australian (cuisine) by Executive Chef Anthony Hammel” (HUE DINING, 2020).[25] Specific dishes include a twist on the classic Australian beetroot salad with goats curd and smoked eel, Australian raw Mayura Wagyu with nori crisp and yuzukosho cream, and slow cooked lamb shoulder dressed with smoked yogurt and green harissa (PressCentreAsia, 2020).[26]

• Australian diaspora
• Australians in India
• Australians in the United Kingdom
• Australian rules football in Hong Kong
• Hong Kong Australian
• Australia–Hong Kong relations
• Hong Kong returnee