From the Publisher

WELCOME to our August edition; August is here, and so are the Westerlies, Ekka and India Day Fair. This year we are seeing a large influx of Dandiya and Garba teams coming down after the lockdown. This year would have to be a record-breaking year for these performances. The Royal Queensland Show (Ekka) is Queensland's largest and most loved annual event, attracting, on average, 400,000 people. Run by the RNA and staged at its original birthplace, the Brisbane Showgrounds, the Ekka brings the country and city together for a true celebration of agriculture.

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JOURNALIST/ CORRESPONDENTS

• Thakur Ranjit Singh (NZ)

• Thilliar Varnakulasingham (NZ)

• Shalendra Prasad (Fiji)

• Rama Gaind (Canberra)

• Ml. Nawaaz Ashrafi

• Imam Muhammad Aslam

• Pastor Joseph Dass

• Haji Abdul Rahman Deen

• Jitendra Deo

• Nimisha Modi

• Ranjita Pillai (Immigration Matters)

• Awadhesh Sharma

• Peter Lane Rai

• Shailendra Singh

• Ravi Vastrad

• Amod Datar

• Ashok Attri

• Gagan deep Tandon

• Brian Sullivan (Photography)

• Rajesh Chand

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The Ekka showcases the best of Queensland, attracting more than 21,000 competition entries from woodchops to giant vegetables, 10,000 animals from beef cattle to cats and dogs, world-class live entertainment, award-winning food and wine, carnival rides and show bags, family shopping, educational activities and much more. The iconic show has been running since 1876 and is full of traditions, a unique atmosphere and childhood memories that have been passed down through generations of families.

The second iconic event in August is GOPIO Queensland’s India Day Fair, launched in 2011. Below is an extract from the president's report as presented on 1st November 2011:

“India Day Fair was held on 14 August 2011 at Roma Street Parklands Amphitheatre. GOPIO Queensland successfully organised its first India Day Fair on 14th August 2011. The venue was chosen for its unique location and the perfect setting for showcasing local talents in a performance arena. The whole event was pitched on the performance angle rather than a festival.

The audience could sit down and view the performances from anywhere in the amphitheatre and, for that matter, from the stall area as well. The venue did come with its challenges. It is not an accessible venue to facilitate any event, but the benefits greatly outweigh the little obstacles and challenges.

GOPIO Queensland introduced an Annual Lifetime Achievement Award this year. The committee trialled a nominationbased award; GOPIO Qld Executive Committee may review this.

The GOPIO 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is Dr Ashim Majumdar, a well-known public relations champion among the members of the various Indian communities, politicians, and friends in Queensland. He is a lifetime leader in living memory, and it has been well demonstrated through the following leadership positions in various community services organisations such as ex-president of Bengali Society of Qld, Patron of Bengali Society of Qld, ex-president of FICQ and Deputy President of Vedanta Centre of QLD.”

So, the above is an extract from the president's report of 2011.

It will be in its thirteenth year this year; there have been many challenges over the years. Nevertheless, GOPIO Queensland has been able to host the event year after year. Still, this year GOPIO Queensland could not secure a Queensland Government grant as the previous committee needed to apply in time, which posed s financial burden on the committee. The last funding arrangement was on a rolling basis but expired in 2022, and the committee had to reapply.

On a lighter note, I was thrilled to visit Fiji for a few days and attend the Khalsa College reunion in Ba, Fiji. The event was mainly arranged via virtual meetings under the leadership of Qamar Azad of Indonesia; attendees came from Fiji, the USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

I was honoured to be the MC for the event, Brisbane Indian Times donated the name badges and assisted with Banner artwork etc. For an event that was mainly planned from overseas, it was a resounding success.

Locally I must congratulate Shen Flindell for a very successful Ashu Babu Memorial concert, the longest one. It could have been a Sangeet Mela, it was well presented, and the entire concert was a pleasure to witness. Brisbane Indian Times was once again a proud sponsor, and I was honoured to have presented the certificates to the participants.

Queensland Treasurer has been busy speaking to the community, and this year I listened to his talks on three different occasions, including Minister Leanne Linnard’s business networking and Joe Kelly MP’s business breakfast.

Congratulation to Amritpal Singh and Harlin Kaur on a beautiful wedding at Brisbane Sikh Temple, followed by a lavish reception and Kedron Wavell RSL in Chermside.

Congratulations to Shyna Lal on turning eighteen; I enjoyed being the MC for your milestone birthday in Melbourne.

Congratulation to DJJS on a very successful Mata Ki Chawnki in Gold Coast; it was a pleasure to join the incredible musicians and singers with my Octapad.

On this note, I like to say goodbye, until next month. Happy reading,

—Umesh Chandra OAM Publisher