SYDNEY—Hours before sunrise last Aug. 19, a crowd of nearly a thousand people was reported to have gathered at the 1880s railway station in Sydenham, a suburb 8 kilometers south of this city’s central business district. Trainspotters mingled with regular commuters at the new concourse to get on the 5 a.m. inaugural service of the...
Author: Angelina G. Goloy (Angelina Goloy)
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Leonardo da Vinci in overwhelming view
MELBOURNE—These excerpts are from what is believed to be the world’s first résumé on record: “I have plans for light, strong and easily portable bridges… I can give complete satisfaction…in architecture and the construction of buildings public and private; and in conducting water from one place to another…. In case of need I will make...
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Uluru: In the heartland of the world’s oldest living culture
SYDNEY—Can you see it from up here? I asked my daughter Giselle while I was looking out the window as the plane descended. If it’s on this side and it isn’t cloudy, she replied. Seconds later, it came into view: Uluru, the mammoth red rock that is Australia’s most iconic natural landform and one of...
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Punlaan School provides fertile ground for women empowerment
Long before women empowerment became a global movement, Filipino women had been holding their own in the home and the community. In precolonial times, they held equal status with men. Colonizers may have redefined their role in society, but they strove to defy their demotion, asserting their rights and capabilities while rallying around one another. ...
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Filipino peace-builder is among recipients of 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award
Champions of holistic health care, food sovereignty and environment conservation, education for all, and women in peace-building are the recipients of the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award. They are Dr. Ravi Kannan R. of India, Eugenio Lemos of Timor Leste, Korvi Rakshand of Bangladesh, and Miriam Coronel-Ferrer of the Philippines. Following the global online announcement made...
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Life (and death) on the edge
SYDNEY—On the premise that the best way to explore a place is on foot, Sydney in Australia fares well on travel experts’ lists of most walkable cities in the world. Road quality, safety, convenience, and the wonders of nature are among their indices. There’s a range of walks to choose from—bushwalking, dog-friendly circuits, wilderness...
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From pandemic to epic: amazing graces
SYDNEY—Up till boarding time at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, I continued to receive calls and text messages from friends wanting to know if I was proceeding with my trip. My departure for my nth visit to my daughter Giselle in Sydney would have been uneventful if not for the concern roused by news about...
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2022 Magsaysay Awards: To make the world a better place
Making the world a better place is a never-ending task. Just as every generation experiences a need, there will always be people who see that need and commit themselves to filling it.This was the sense conveyed by the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) during the online program announcing the 2022 winners of the prestigious award...
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Coming home to Manila in the pandemic: inward journeys
SYDNEY—“This is your captain speaking. We shall soon commence our descent into Melbourne …” I felt a lump in my throat. Every year when I visit my daughter here, I make a side trip to Victoria’s capital to see a dear friend from college. The pandemic paused the practice, and now, after three years, I...
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Filipinos in Australia keep ties to motherland, enrich adopted home
SYDNEY—Pancit canton, pork barbecue, chopsuey, inihaw na tilapia, sinigang, and the star of any Filipino table, Cebu lechon belly—what a lunch treat for a group of Pinoy Sydneysiders, one of whom felt a hankering for Pinoy food. I thought: How apt that we were feasting today, June 12, Philippine Independence Day. One among our group...