On 12th October, the Spanish community celebrated the Spanish National Day in Brisbane.
TASSCA (The Australian Spanish Socio-Cultural Association) was in charge of organizing this event, which was sponsored by the Tourism Council of the Madrid region. TASSCA is a Brisbane-based non-profit association that aims to promote Spanish culture in Australia. The association is open to all those interested in Spanish culture, but most of the members are Spanish expatriates and families.
Brisbane City Council illuminated the iconic Victoria Bridge with the colours of the Spanish flag, at the request of TASSCA. Many of the Spanish residents in Brisbane gathered on the esplanade on the banks of the Brisbane River to take photos of the illuminated bridge and send them to friends and family in Spain.
For Alfonso Vega, Honorary Consul of Spain in Brisbane, “the lighting of the Victoria Bridge and other emblematic buildings of Brisbane is a very beautiful sight and we are proud to see Brisbane dressed in the colours red and yellow on this day”.
In the evening TASSCA organized a reception in a central location also on the river bank. The tourism council of the Madrid region invited Spanish teachers from local schools and universities to the function. Interest in learning Spanish has increased greatly in recent years in Brisbane and some schools organize study trips to better understand the Spanish culture and language. Representatives from Australian travel agencies also attended. In the opinion of one of these guests, Simone from “My World Travel Concierge” agency, Spain is becoming a fashionable destination for Australian tourists although it is currently limited to large cities such as Madrid and Barcelona.
The Victoria Bridge was illuminated with the colours of the Spanish flag and some of the Spanish residents in Brisbane who attended the celebration.
The honorary consul of Spain in Brisbane, Alfonso Vega, is in the center, with representatives of the Department of Education International of the Queensland Government and Spanish teachers from two schools in Brisbane.
