15 November, 2008

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian National Committee of Australia
259 Penshurst Street, Willoughby NSW 2068
PO Box 768, Willoughby NSW 2068
T: (02) 9419 8264 | F: (02) 9411 8898
E: info@anc.org.au | W:

{CONTACT: Haig Kayserian (Communications Officer) ~ 0403 317 903 ~
info@anc.org.au}

PROF. COLIN TATZ HONOURED AT ANC ANNUAL BANQUET

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, you
are more like 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."

The ANC Australia – Melbourne Chapter award was won by Victorian Scholar Dr.
Paul Bartrop on Tuesday.

The past week has been 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.

The Armenian National Committee of Australia is the peak public affairs body
of the Armenian-Australian community. ANC Australia advances the concerns of
the Armenian-Australian community.