FICQ’s Executive Committee formed for 2014-2016 By Prakruthi Mysore Gururaj Public Relations Officer FICQ THE election of Executive Committee of the Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland (FICQ) for 2014 2016 took place on Sunday, December 15, 2013 at Kenmore Library, Brisbane, and Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda was elected the president. FICQ is the umbrella body consisting of 26 Indian organizations representing people of Indian origin from mainland India, Fiji, South Africa, Malaysia, etc, now living in Queensland. A non-profit umbrella organization formed in 1998, FICQ provides a common platform to its member organizations representing the Indian communities in Queensland. The following are the other elected members of the Executive Committee (EC) of FICQ for the next 2 years as at 12th April 2014, where initial elected representatives
of the executive committee status got changed. - President: Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda (Queensland Telegu Assn.) - Vice President: Dr Indrani Ganguly (Bengali Society of Qld) - Secretary 1: Mr Naveen Kumar (Kannada Sangha Qls) - Secretary 2: Mr Praveen Karunambaran (Kairali Brisbane Inc) - Public Relations Officer: Mrs Prakruthi Mysore Gururaj (Kannanda Sangha Qld) - Cultural coordinator: Dr Preethi Suraj
Elections at Guru Nanak Sikh Temple (Gurdwara) Inala-Inc Amarjit S Nagi- Sunnybank RECENTLY, the Management Committee membership elections were held at the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple Inala (GNST). As the election process unfolded, it became abundantly clear that the roots of democracy, respect for the process and the law are firmly embedded in the GNST community and its workings. For an institution that was formally registered only last year, it is a matter of great pride for everyone involved in the GNST community that a very high standard of governance and integrity was expected by the members during the election process and was delivered in full measure by the management. It shows the strong commitment & the interest that the community has in GNST & its activities. Elections for the management Committee were conducted during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for yr 2014. Only 6 (six) applications were received for a total of 9 (nine) positions of the committee members. All six applicants were declared elected with three positions left to be filled later. Later on, it was pointed out that the GNST constitution requires all 9 (nine) positions to be been filled at the AGM to form a valid management committee. Since only 6 (six) positions were filled in at the AGM, the elections were declared unconstitutional, albeit on the basis of this minor technicality. Subsequently, a new notice was issued to call for fresh nominations for the member-
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ship of the committee and an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) was called to reelect the management committee. This extraordinary step was taken to ensure that even this trifling lapse in the election process is addressed and a strict compliance with the provisions of the Constitution is enforced. At the close of nominations date, 9 (nine) applications were received for the Management Committee membership this time. Following members were declared elected for the 2014/15 management committee by the returning officer Harjinder Singh Randhawa: 1. Rashpal S Heyer (President), 2. Amarjit S Nagi (Vice President), 3. Jarnail S Bassi (Treasurer), 4. Ms Kiran Vijai Deb (Secretary), 5. Ms Kashmir K Soomal, 6. Michael S Begeda. 7. Jaswinder S Bains. 8. Manjit Singh, 9. Major S Heyer. It was very heartening to note the presence and involvement of the younger generation during the committee elections, particularly in ensuring adherence to the rules, regulations and principles enshrined in the GNST constitution. What we saw during the elections, particularly very enthusiastic participation by the youngsters, should give us immense satisfaction and assurance that the fate this progressive organisation will be in safe hands in times to come. This is not the case in many other similar organisations that are often bogged down by the restrictive dogma and old ways.
(Malayalee Assn. of Qld) - Treasurer: Mr Ramanathan K (India Australia Society) - Asst. Treasurer: Mr Anjaneya Reddy (Queensland Telegu Assn.) - Festival coordinator: Mr Mul Chand (Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Qld) Updates on India House Project: In recent executive meeting held by FICQ, it has been agreed to focus and put more energy into its dream project around India House. Accordingly, a sub-committee has been appointed to work on India House Project and prepare a submission to Queensland government for possible funding. At this stage FICQ is fortunate to get a land offer of 2000 sq. meters (subjected various covenant terms and conditions) from one of the senior Indian community leader and some commitments from various Indian community members to kick start the
project. FICQ hereby appeals to broader Indian community from both regional and urban Queensland and various Indian business organizations for their possible support towards India house project. For more information about FICQ activities and also about India House Project please contact Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda, President of FICQ or Mr. Mahesh Joglekar, IHP sub-committee chair or undersigned. Updates on upcoming event by FICQ: The next exciting event of the year is Diwali 2014, which is tentatively scheduled to be held on Friday, 10th of October. Diwali the “Festival of Lights” spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. FICQ celebrates this festival every year in a very grand scale to enlighten the people of Queensland, which exhibits the spirit of unity in diversity. With Mr Mul Chand taking up the role as festival coordinator, and based on his previous experience, the event is assured to hold the trend of past glitz and glamour. Readers can find more about FICQ at our website, www.ficq.info.
Minister for Multicultural Affairs Commends Hindu Community Project in Gold Coast Courtesy GCHCA THE Queensland Minister for Multicultural Affairs heaved praises on the Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Association (GCHCA) for the outstanding progress it has made in a number of areas since its incorporation in 2012. In the Gold Coast Community Cabinet Meeting held in March, Minister Glen Elmes highlighted some of the association’s recent achievements including its successful bid to obtain multimillion-dollar land to develop a proposed Hindu Cultural Precinct in Arundel. Mr Elmes stated that this was not an easy feat for a young association and congratulated members of Queensland’s Hindu community for banding together to work towards this meaningful project.
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The Minister stated that the proposed precinct in Gold Coast was strongly supported by both local and state governments since it would greatly enhance the cultural experience of Queenslanders and increase the economic activity of the state. Executive Committee members of the GCHCA stated that a plethora of activities and events including spirituality workshops, dance and music classes, youth activities, weddings and other community celebrations will be hosted in the new precinct. Mr Rathinam Srinivasan, Treasurer of the Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Association revealed that the association had recently lodged a development application for this precinct and has also received consent and support from both the state and local governments. Mr Rathinam stated that GCHCA intends to hold a public consultation meeting to update the community about the progress the association has made to date and to receive feedback and suggestions from members of the public. This consultation meeting will be held on the 20th of June 2014 at Helensvale Community Centre (31 Discovery Drive, Helensvale) from 7.15pm onwards. This meeting will be held right after GCHCA’s monthly bhajan. “Everyone is welcome to attend. We invite the Hindu communities from different nationalities and language groups to participate in this consultation forum and express their views and preferences as we are in the process of finalizing the precinct design,” he said. The Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Association seeks the ongoing support of members of the community to make this vision a reality. Members of the public who would like to join the GCHCA can send an expression of interest to gchcan@gmail.com or call +61 7 5571 5808. Call Trudi on 07 3865 6533