HELVETIA, AUSSIE-STYLE ON THE SOUTH COAST (vOLUNTEERS)
Introducing Rural Coordinator Monica Kampfer. - Scroll for Monica's reports
Without any encouragement from the Swiss Community Care Society, a fellow compatriot living on the South Coast has been doing her bit among other Swiss, to promote the pleasure of Swiss traditions and companionship from the old country.
Monica and partner Kurt have around 35 friends with a Swiss connection – either descendants, or married to Australians, who meet for the particular enjoyment of speaking Schwiizerdütsch – local Swiss dialects. Some like to meet throughout the year, and others on 1 August.
Whilst they used to gather for a first of August celebration at different places along the South Coast, Monica tells us that in recent years, she has hosted the event at her property as there was plenty of room for families, especially if the weather was bad.
Naturally these celebrations included a delicious Swiss-Aussie buffet, decorations and traditional folk music. Now, due to the effort of organising such an event (and we can see from the photos how beautifully this was done) the friends are meeting once again in different restaurants in Tuross, like the seafood and Thai restaurant Pickled Octopus, on beautiful Tuross Lake.
'Some of us make the effort to keep Swiss traditions alive, because we enjoy it so much', says Monica.
'At the customary time of year we bake Grittibänze, Wiehnachtsguetsli and we colour Easter eggs'. Monica does not have far to go to obtain her super fresh eggs. SCCS is fortunate to have such an enthusiastic and creative member. We thank Monica for sharing the photos on this page.
august 2025 update from monica kamPfer
1st of August 2025 at Sophie and Franz Keller's farm near Brogo Dam
Our active South Coast Rural Coordinator Monica Kampfer has once again sent a photographic report of a wonderful Swiss gathering this year. Here are her comments.
Brogo Dam is upstream of Bega on the NSW South Coast. There, at the home of Sophie and Franz Keller, 30 of us met to celebrate our national day, and everyone brought a surprise plate. Josef from Sydney brought delicious Bratwürste for the grill for all non vegetarian, and we enjoyed other treats as well. Swiss friends of Raymond Kropf picked him up from the Eden retirement home and he was able to stay overnight with Sophie and Franz, otherwise the trip back would have been too far for him. Raymond was overjoyed to see his old friends and to speak in French and Swiss German again. - MK
Note: If any of our members have a few photos and some text of a Swiss event in your area, feel free to send them to me (Regula). Your contribution doesn't need to be a long or formal 'report'. It could just as well be a photo of the one Swiss person you have visited or helped in some way, maybe a selfie with both of you in it. Don't forget to ask whether it's OK with the people in photos if they're shown on our website or magazine.
a may 2025 update from monica kamPfer
1st of August 2024 gathering at the Bodalla pub
A few years ago in a pub in Moruya on the south coast of NSW, German-speaking people started a Stammtisch – a regulars’ corner, where we meet every first Wednesday of the month. While half of the participants are Swiss-born we all have fun with our dialects and of course High German. Our fellowship involves helping each other where we can, and visiting elderly Swiss negotiate the modern world. We enjoy baking cakes, going to the movies in Narooma or just having a plouderä – a chat, or gossip. We often have visitors from Switzerland, and it’s nice to introduce them to our Swiss friends here Down Under, often learning to our surprise that they share a mutual acquaintance in Switzerland.
Swiss friends enjoying a raclette lunch