{"id":2821,"date":"2026-09-10T11:32:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T11:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/?p=2821"},"modified":"2026-09-10T11:32:27","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T11:32:27","slug":"a-time-for-renewal-australian-embassy-extends-ethiopian-new-year-greetings-emphasizing-peace-and-renewal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/a-time-for-renewal-australian-embassy-extends-ethiopian-new-year-greetings-emphasizing-peace-and-renewal\/","title":{"rendered":"“A Time for Renewal”: Australian Embassy Extends Ethiopian New Year Greetings, Emphasizing Peace and Renewal"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Yohannes Lijalem<\/em><\/p>\n

Addis Ababa (AMECO)\u00a0\u2014 Patrick Orchard, Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Addis Ababa, has delivered an official greeting to the people of Ethiopia and the global Ethiopian diaspora to mark the arrival of the Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash<\/em>) and the upcoming celebration of Meskel<\/em>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Highlighting the unique atmosphere surrounding the turn of the Ethiopian calendar in September, Orchard described the transition as a moment of optimism and fresh starts across the country.<\/p>\n

“September in Addis is a season of color, celebration, and new beginnings,”<\/strong> Orchard said during his official video address posted by the embassy’s fakebook page . “Most importantly, September marks the beginning of a new year in Ethiopia and Enkutatash, a time of new beginnings, renewal, hope, and looking forward to what lies ahead.<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

Emphasizing the wider significance of the holiday season, Orchard pointed to the role of national celebrations in fostering togetherness, particularly as the country looks toward the future.<\/p>\n

“It is also a special season of celebration, with Meskel just around the corner,”<\/strong> he noted. “At a time when peace and unity are so important, the new year is an opportunity to come together, strengthen bonds, and look ahead with renewed hope for a peaceful year.”<\/p>\n

Turning his attention to the cultural symbols of the season and the global Ethiopian community\u2014including the significant diaspora residing in Australia\u2014the Australian envoy extended warm well-wishes for the year ahead.<\/p>\n

“As the beautiful Adey Abeba flowers begin to bloom, I would like to wish all our friends across Ethiopia, as well as Ethiopians and people of Ethiopian descent in Australia and around the world, a very happy new year and a peaceful Ethiopian New Year,”<\/strong> Orchard stated, concluding his message with the traditional Amharic greeting: “Melkam Addis Amet!”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Background: Ethiopia\u2013Australia Relations<\/strong>
\nDiplomatic relations between Australia and Ethiopia carry a rich history dating back to the mid-20th century. Australia established a resident embassy in Addis Ababa in December 2010 to deepen bilateral engagement and represent Australian interests to the African Union (AU) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). Ethiopia maintains an embassy in Canberra.<\/p>\n

Bilateral ties are rooted in strong humanitarian, medical, and development partnerships. Among the most prominent enduring connections is the legacy of Australian doctors Catherine and Reginald Hamlin, who founded the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in 1974. Development cooperation also spans agricultural research through the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), dryland farming initiatives, and educational exchanges funded by the Australia Awards scholarship program.<\/p>\n

In addition to diplomatic and institutional links, Australia is home to a growing Ethiopian diaspora\u2014centered largely in cities like Melbourne and Sydney\u2014that serves as a vital bridge for trade, cultural exchange, and people-to-people connections between the two nations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Yohannes Lijalem Addis Ababa (AMECO)\u00a0\u2014 Patrick Orchard, Deputy Head of Mission at the Australian Embassy in Addis Ababa, has delivered an official greeting to the people of Ethiopia and the global Ethiopian diaspora to mark the arrival of the Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash) and the upcoming celebration of Meskel. Highlighting the unique atmosphere surrounding […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-2821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-world-wide"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2821"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2824,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2821\/revisions\/2824"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2821"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ameco.et\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=2821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}