Annual Report 2015-2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NEW SOUTH WALES INDIAN WELFARE ASSOCIATION

 

 

 

ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2015-16

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SERVING MEMBERS OF THE INDIAN COMMUNITY OF NSW

 

 

 

 

 

2015-16 AT A GLANCE 

 

2015-16 was another eventful year, which built on the fantastic efforts of the committee members of previous years.

 

 

GRANTS 

 

We received $ 6,500 from NSW Health Organ and Tissue Donation Service and Community Migrant Resource Centre to promote organ and tissue donation awareness among the Indian community.

 

 

 

KEY ACTIVITIES 

 

• Chair Yoga- presentation at the “Discovery festival of community of arts” hosted by Hurstville City Council and RAIN

• New Year and Pongal celebrations

• Life changes – Jeevan Dhan

• Annual Day

• Independence Day celebrations

 

 

Presentation of Chair Yoga at the “Discovery festival of community arts” hosted by Hurstville City Council and Resourceful Australians Network (RAIN)

 

 On 11 October 2015 members of NSW IWA presented a session on “Chair Yoga”. Our members practised for a few weeks to perform at this event. The verses were chanted in Tamil language.  The program was well received by the audience.

 

 

New Year and Pongal celebrations

 

 We celebrated New Year and Pongal on 17 January 2016 at Ermington Community Centre. The program included music and dance performances, which were performed by people of all age groups. We held a rangoli workshop to demonstrate the traditional art of rangoli, which was very well received.

 

  

 

 Life Changes – Jeevan Dhan (Donate life) 

 

On Saturday March 12 2016, a special program was organised in partnership with NSW Organ and Tissue Donation Service and Community Migrant Resource Centre. Attendance at this program was high and there was a lot of interest in this subject.  This program helped to increase awareness about organ and tissue donation within the community. Dr Deepak Bonagiri and the DNS nurse’s presentations were very informative and thought provoking. The audience also had the opportunity to witness the personal experience of donor families through a video presentation. This program also included a short, humorous play entitled “Life Changes”, produced by Mrs Kalpana Kashyap and her team. The play was presented by a team of volunteers who spent many weeks in preparation for the show.

 

 Dr Geoff Lee, MP, Member for Parramatta, the Chief Guest at the event, was impressed by the work of the NSW Indian Welfare Association and spoke about our efforts in the NSW Parliament on Wednesday 23 March 2016.

 

 

 

A copy of his speech can be viewed online at parliament.nsw.gov.au/Hansard

 

 

Annual Day 

 

On 14 May 2016, we celebrated our exclusive day for our members. Members and their families attended the event and showcased their talent. It was a great sight to watch participants ranging from ages from eight to eighty performing various types of cultural entertainment.  The highlight of the celebrations was the felicitation of senior members Smt Swarnam Naganathan and Smt Balam Lakshmanan. We also acknowledged the community work and achievements of Dr S Sundar.  

 

Our members actively participated in the display of a spectrum of creative work of our members. The exhibits included an intricate aircraft model, the traditional “Tulasi maadam”, exquisite quilts, Ikebana flower arrangements, wonderful graphic designs and serene hand paintings, a book published by one of our members, charcoal paintings and calligraphy exhibits. To top it off, there was recipe corner that boasted tasty, nutritious recipes for diabetics. A special photo booth was provided by one of our members for all attendees to take photos to capture special moments with their family and friends. The members also actively participated in the “Anthakshari “which was enjoyed by everyone. The program concluded with a delicious lunch.

 

 

Independence Day celebrations 

 

Independence Day celebrations were held on 31 July at Hills Sports High School. The event was a huge success with children presenting a fashion parade on freedom fighters. Children as young as six participated and presented the roles of various known personalities from India. The display of talent was a delight to the audience. Indoor games were conducted all attendees.  The program concluded with a game of “Bingo”.

 

 

Outdoor Activities

 

Approximately 50 members participated in the picnic during the year.

 

 

 

24 October 2015                               Picnic to Somersby falls

 

 

 

23 November 2015                           Picnic to Parramatta Lake

 

 

 

2 April 2016                            Picnic to Hunter valley gardens

 

 

 

Monthly Meetings
 

 

11-Jul-16	Travels of Mr and Mrs Sambamurthy
9-May-16	Mothers' day celebration
11-Apr-16	Multicultural New Year themed celebration
14-Mar-16	Seniors' rights - Information session by Ms Nalika Padmasena, Solicitor, Senior Rights' Service
22-Feb-16	A special meeting to pay homage to all members who passed away recently
9-Nov-15	Information session on "Neuroplasticity" by Mr Nagarajan
14-Sep-15	Fathers' day celebration
17-Aug-15	Independence Day celebration

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Membership

 

At the end of June 2016 out of 190 members 85 members had paid their subscription fees for 2015-16.Of these 65 were family memberships and 20 single memberships. The managing committee encourages all members to pay their subscription dues in a timely manner.

 

In 2015-2016,11 new members have joined the association.

 

 

Our web and social media presence

 

We have a dedicated website which is maintained and updated with our activities. The website is also a means for new members to enrol in our association. Our website includes information about the Association, yearly activities and links to useful information for seniors.

 

In 2015-16, we created a Facebook page, which is very popular among the Indian community in NSW. The Facebook page has provided a leverage point to promote our activities in the community and has increased our visibility.

 

 

Condolences

 

During 2015-16, our association lost some members who played a key role in IWA activities. We pay our homage to their departed souls:

 

 

• Sri E S Krishnan

• Sri A Venkataraman (Founder member and Ex-President)

• Smt Seethalakshmi Janakiraman

• Smt Lakshmi Iyer

• Sri Malli Iyer (Ex-President)

 

 

Acknowledgements

 

We wish to acknowledge your enthusiastic participation in the events this year and look forward to your continued participation in the future events of this Association.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 Sujatha Jaishankar

 Secretary 

 NSW Indian Welfare Association