| Daniel Lim |
THE annual royal get-together ceremony held in conjunction with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s 72nd birthday celebrations presented a golden opportunity for expatriates in the Belait District to personally meet-and-greet the benevolent monarch.
Among the thousands of people and residents of Belait District who turned up for the event was a group of expatriates attending the celebration under the banner ‘Outpost Expatriates Support Group’, Belait-Seria Section which is part of the Shell Outpost network established in 1995 to provide support for globally mobile Shell employees and their families.
One of the members of the group Celyn Lim explained that it was her first time participating in the get-together event, expressing excitement over meeting His Majesty in person.
She attended the event accompanied by her husband who is working for Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP).
“We are all very excited to personally meet His Majesty and to be able to shake hands with him would be a great privilege that we would always remember,” she said.
The sentiment was shared by Flo Corcutt, who along with her two daughters arrived at the event venue in the wee hours to not miss the chance to personally meet and greet His Majesty.
“The celebration is a special occasion for the people of the district and we too wanted to be a part of the jubilation.”
Her two daughters studying at Panaga School, Teraja Campus were also excited to meet His Majesty.
While His Majesty was visiting the tents set up across the venue, several expatriates of the group got the chance to greet monarch and some had the opportunity to take photos with the ruler to commemorate the occasion.
Over 100 expatriates were present at the Municipal Field in Kuala Belait yesterday and most of them expressed hope that they would be able to join in next year’s annual get-together event.