FIWAA Excellence award for Deepa

For Deepa Kandathil Matthews success is a way of Ii fe, and she is willing ro work tireless ly towards it. As South Asian Regional .Manager for CQ U niversity, Deepa has proved that success did not come m her b)' accident. le came by making the right choices and cuJcivating the right habits. Deepa was one an1ong three winners who won d1e Federation o f Indian Women's Association In Australia (FIWAA) Award in the category - Women successful in their own field. The event, organised by the FIW\X/J\ was a part of the lncernaciorutl Woman's Day celebracions on ]\. larch 31, in wh ich d1e contribucion of women in va rious fields was valued and acknowledged. The awards nig ht was attended by Hong Lim, MP Member for Clayton; Dr S.K. Behera, Consul General of India; and Vasao SrinivasanPresident of Federation of Indian Association of Victoria (FIAV)

The FTWAA prov ides end1Us iascic support to multicul tural women in Australia b y pro viding encouragement, re levant resources and community bonding.

Deepa migrated to Melbourne from Mumbai, India io 1991 when Australia was experiencing a recess ion and jobs were hard co come by. She moved to Nlildura m work ar a TAFE College As a woman of Indian origin in an Australian country town ar drnr time, stresses and challenges were realities of Deepa's Ii fe; however she t ook them all in her stride. EvenmaUy she m oved back to Melbourne and srarted working with Victoria University as a Diversity Officer (p reviously known as EquiL-y Officer), develo ping a Managing Diversity

Phn at Victoria U ni versity char was nomi nated by the State Government as having the Best Agreed outco mes. She was inv ited by the scare gove rnment co be part of a reference group that reviewed Managing Diversity Policy, and also facilirared a session ac ilie Divers ity Works Conference Deepa then went on to work with CQ Univers iLy and rapidly progressed cowards her current role as Somh Asian Reg io nal Marketing Manager She m1vels extensively to Sourh Asia to atrend meetings with U niversities, gove r nments and prospeccive srndents. Deepa holds several governance posirions w id'llll the co m munity, including a five-year nomination on the B oard of the E quity Research Centre. She also holds membership of d1e Commu11ity Advisory Committee of d1e Ro yal Women's Hospital Board, the Australian lnstirnte of Company Directors, Board of d1e Soul Food Women's G roup and Board of ?vf.ission for J<jds, and is advisor to the Family Health Institution, India and member of ilie Educacion Commiccee of the

AIBC. She has been the Assi stanr Secretary of the :Mar Th oma Church, Treasure r o f the women's group of the l\far Thoma Church and a member of me Darebin Ethnic Communicies Council.

Closer to home, Deepa's family supporrs d1e Australian registered trust, Mission for All who a ims to make a d i fference to the lives of descirute and u11ClerprjviJeged children in India and around the world rhrough funding their education. PrimariJy focused on professional education, the trust also assists scl10ol children with fees. Currently there are two srndents who are receiving funds by d1e cruse to complete a Bachelors degree in t ursing and Bachelors o f Engineering. A nother beneficiary was als o assisted ro finance a Laboratory Technician Course in Mandiram Hospital in India.

As a hobby, Deepa has a genui ne flair for public speaking and has been an active keynote speaker at several events. She is actively involved wjchin the community, raising awareness for issues of social justice like domestic vi olence, equal opportunity for women and women's health. She provides voluntary training and management consultancy co nor- for-profit organisations across the world, including free training on strategy and policy development, marketing and

Aw ard- winner Deepa Matthews bu siness, and personal educs.

Deepa's impressive list of engagemenrs includes selection on FIAV's (Federation of Indian Associations in V icrorja) domestic violence panel and involvement with the White Ribbon Day evenrs.

As a mother of cw o so ns, Deepa continues to s uccessfully blend family life wid1 professional aspirations. "It can be a constant juggle between work, family, so cial and com munity commjm1encs, bur I chrjve oo the cl1aUenge,"

What~on

VSA Trivia Ni ght

Saturday 19 May, 5:30pm for a 6pm start at As h wood Ha ll - 2 1A

El ec t ra Aven u e, As h wood, Mel Ref: 61 A 1 1. Tri v ia, pizza an d snac k s, whi l e drin ks ca n b e purc hased at the ba r Reg ist er you r teams now, maxim um 6 p l ayers per team Cost:

Adults: $ 1O; Ch ildren : $5. Register by ema il: sh a ron.l.dhi ll on @gmail. co m or ca ll 04 10 400 245

Sahitya Sandhya

Sunday, 20 May, she sa ys "I always ser realistic expec tations for m yself and I wor ked part time till my boys were old enough co look afrer themselves I ow rhat they have g rown inco socially- conscious, well -balanced young men, 1 can dedicate my cime and energy towards m y career and cowards conrributing to the community," she adds. Going by her passion and dedica tion , it is obvious that the purpose of life for Deepa is li ving a life o f purpose!

Preeti Jabbal

1:30pm - 4pm at snacks, tea and coffee tabla and Adrian Sheriff mrsi ndiaquest.com, or Northcote Seniors' will be available after the at BOITE. call 0 4 32059798. Ha ll, 18-A Bent Street, functio n. Please RSVP

Northcote in advance for catering Mrs / Ms India Quest Join the Maribyrnong

(Mel. Ref:30 D7) purposes to Nalin Sharda, Saturday, 2nd June, Swifts FC

Nearest train station is Secretary, 6pm o n wards at Maribyrnong Swifts FC, Northcote (on Epping NRISA & Coordinator, T ho rn b u r y T h eatre, a women's soccer club Li ne); nearest tram stop Sahitya Sandhya 859 Hig h St, Th ornbu r y, that actively promotes No 34 l s on the H igh on 03 99194678 Vic 307 1 For m ore women and girls soccer Street (on Bundoora or Mob: 0402 108 5 12 informati on v isi t at all levels is looking for bound trams). NRISA www mrsind i aquest. gi rls (under 18) to form and Sahitya Sandhya Musical performance com orwww a Junior Girls soccer are jointly organizing Saturday 26 May, 8pm t h ethornbu r yt h eatre. team for the upcomin g a literary evening of onwards at World Music com To pa rticipate an d season. Those interested, poetry and songs ca lled Cafe, 1 Mark Street, fo r entry ti ckets and p lease contact Mag at Laug hter a nd Bea uty Fitzroy, Vic. Balvinder sponso rshi p e nqui ri es, magda len.li m@gmail.

(Ka vita & Geet Sammelan: Singh will perform on the emai l anami k a2_i n @ com or 0405 247 348 for Hasya aur Hasina) Free sitar with Sam Evans on yahoo.com, o r anamika@ further details.