SYDNEY: The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) has awarded the 2008 Friend of the Armenian-Australian Community Award to political scholar and genocide recognition activist, Professor Colin Tatz at its Annual Banquet.
Over 250 guests attended ANC Australia’s premier event on Friday evening at Dee Why RSL’s Gallery Room, and applauded Prof. Tatz as he accepted the prestigious award.
“I feel like more than a ‘friend’ to the Armenian-Australian community, we are family,†he said after being handed the award by ANC Australia President, Mr. Varant Meguerditchian.
Prof. Tatz, who has recently helped uncover archives highlighting Australian relief efforts during the Armenian Genocide, told the audience his hope was that major governments including the United States of America and Australia will see past political lines and enter a period where humanity and human rights takes preference.
Prof. Tatz was born and educated in South Africa. At the University of Natal he completed his BA (Law), BA (Hons) and MA (Hons) in political science. He came to Australia in 1961, and in 1964, he was awarded his PhD from the Australian National University, for work on the policies and practices of Aboriginal administration in the Northern Territory and Queensland. In 1982 he took the chair of politics at Macquarie University, Sydney, from which he retired on 9 July 1999.
Prof. Tatz is a Founding Director of the Australian Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the Shalom Institute, University of New South Wales. In 1997 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Natal University.
Prof. Tatz joins Peter Collins, Bob Carr, Joe Hockey and John Watkins on the Friend of the Armenian-Australian Community Award honour roll.
Mr. Meguerditchian said: “We congratulate Prof. Tatz. He has been instrumental in the advancement of the Armenian cause in Australia, and our community’s distinguished partnership with him is deserving of this and many honours.â€
Meanwhile, the ANC Australia – Melbourne Chapter award was won by Victorian genocide scholar Dr. Paul Bartrop on Tuesday.
The past week was dubbed ANC Australia Advocacy Week, and has been headlined by ANC America board member and long-time community activist, Mr. Raffi Hamparian. Mr. Hamparian has joined ANC Australia in meetings with over 40 legislators in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne in a highly successful awareness effort highlighting issues of concern to Armenians and Armenian-Australians.
The delegation’s trip to Canberra resulted in West Australian Senator Chris Ellison’s call, in the national Senate, for Australia to recognise the Armenian Genocide. This address was three weeks after the Hon. Joe Hockey did likewise in the Australian Parliament’s House of Representatives.
Mr. Hamparian addressed the ANC Australia Annual Banquet on Friday, delivering an inspiring speech which called on the community to lead the peak public affairs body in their fight to bring justice to the Armenian cause.
ANC Australia Advocacy week continued with a photo exhibition dedicated to the Armenian Relief Fund of Australia, titled 'An S.O.S From Beyond Gallipoli', and 'Armenian Family Day 08', which brought together hundreds of community guests at HASG College's Ingleside campus for a day of fun, food and activism.
