BIT OCT 12 ISSUE

Brisbane

A Divis ion of Qld Multicultural Times

Volume 10, Number 1Saturday, October 13, 2012

Telephone: (07) 3356 0102 Fax:(07) 3352 7693E-mail [email protected] God is One, we respect all Religions

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Full story page 6 Mr Frank Lowy AC delivering the inaugural Australian Multicultural Council lecture at Parliament House Canberra onSeptember 19.

Inaugural Australian Multicultural Council Lecture

2 - THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, October 2012

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Brisbane Indian Times welcomes letters to the editor. Please ensure that letters do not exceed 300 words. All letters, must have a full name,residential address and a phone number. Hard copy letters must have legible signature. Only your name and suburb are published. Initialsand pen names are not accepted. All correspondence to the editor is assumed to be for publication unless marked otherwise. The editorreserves the right to abridge, alter (edit) or withhold any correspondence without explanation. Opinions expressed must be genuinely held bythe letter writer. Please send your thoughts and opinions to:The Editor, Brisbane Indian Times, PO Box 197, Taigum Qld 4018 or email: [email protected]

Inside Letters to the Editor.......................2

Migration Matters...........................4

Local News.................................5-21

Business News...............................20

Who, What, Where, When..........24

Diwali Events / Greetings.......27-29

Health & Well Being................32-36

Astrology.........................................36

Real Estate................................37-39

Business Directory/Classifieds...40-41

Whats On................................42-43

Bollywood & Entertainment...44-45

Sport..........................................46-47

Indian TimesBrisbane

A Div isi on ofQld Mult icultura l Time s

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JOURNALIST/ CORRESPONDENTS:

Ram Jattan (UK)

Thakur Ranjit Singh (NZ)

Thilliar Varnakulasingham (NZ)

Shalendra Prasad (Fiji)

Dhaval Vyas (India)

Rama Gaind (Canberra)

Sudesh Aggarwal (ATONews)

ML. M. Nawaaz Ashrafi

Imam Muhammad Aslam

Sundar Gopal Das

Yadavendra Das

Pastor Joseph Dass

Haji Abdul Rahman Deen

Janeth Deen

Jitendra Deo

Atul Dighe (Spiritual Science Research Foundation)

Mehraban Farahmand (Bahai International)

Kiran Goel (Immigration Matters)

Jatinder Kaur

Vinaya Natarajan (Inspire - Prem Rawat)

Peter Lane Rai

Parth Raval

Shobhana Shet (Spiritual Science Research Foundation)

Gurjeet Singh

Matt Young (Sport)

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WELCOME to the first issue of our volumeten, and what an amazing journey it hasbeen. This year seems to be the tenthanniversary year for many groups, Accesscommunity services celebrates its tenthyear, so does Ba Soccer Sports and Socialassociation. QFFA also celebrates its tenthyear. Brisbane Indian Times and BrisbaneBabas Band are also in their tenth year.It is very satisfying to see that the seeds

that were planted years ago come tofruition and flourish. I salute all who have put in a lot of effort

in carrying forward the shared vision.There have been challenging times for allbut all have survived the turmoil. Theunderstanding that an entity is above anyindividual and so leaving aside inevitablepersonal differences hardworking membershave kept the flame alive.Access services have already celebrated

their 10th anniversary, Ba Soccer Sportsand Social club have their celebration on21st October, while the main Body QFFAcelebrates its tenth anniversary on 4thNovember. I wish all the organisers successwith their functions and celebrations.

Our publication, Brisbane Indian Timeshas from day one been transparant to thecommunity, the owner/publisher are known

to the community and there is no hiddenagenda, the paper has maintained its quali-ty and style. Editor Trudi Tarres has beenthere for the entire duration bar a fewprints, her hard work, dedication and atten-tion to detail is commendable. I must makea special mention of our advertisers withoutwhose support the journey would not havebeen possible.A special thank you to all our contributorswho tirelessly month after month submitinformative editorials. At this point I once again encourage all

associations to submit newsworthy articlesfor publication. Many proactive associa-tions have a dedicated PR officer who keepsending in their news.Our event notification service and web list-

ing of events has become very popular, alot of effort goes into keeping that up todate. The upcoming events section is updat-ed every Wednesday. We like to support all non profit / commu-

nity events and hence we have a free listingof upcoming events in our newspaper. Inorder to accommodate all events we requestthat organisers send their upcoming listingas a 8cm x 13cm poster in JPEG format.This obviously does not apply to any spon-sored events, for full details please contact

Trudi. On the Multicultural arena I would like to

congratulate Taiwan Friendship associationon the national day and sports, BrisbaneMalayalee Association on their Tug of War2012. At the Access services we witnesseda great variety of multicultural perfor-mances.On the federal level I attended the first

Australian Multicultural Council's lecture atParliament house, another great eventwhere we got to witness a bipartisan sup-port for Multicultural Australia. It wasamazing to hear Mr Frank Lowy AC speak,what a remarkable achievement comingfrom such humble beginning.

On the International scene GOPIOMauritius has been instrumental on organis-ing a mini PBD there. In conjunction withMOIA the mini PBD in Mauritius will beheld from 26th to 28th October. A delega-tion from Brisbane will be attending thehistoric event. GOPIO International confer-ence and 2013 PBD will be held in Kochiin January 2013. A GOPIO Internationalwomen's conference is being planned forNew Zealand.

Until Next month Happy reading!Umesh Chandra

Brisbane Indian Times is a monthly newspaper published in English. No material, including advertisementsdesigned by Brisbane Indian Times, may be reproduced in part or who without the written consent of themanager. Opinions carried in Brisbane Indian Times are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsedby Brisbane Indian Times. Brisbane Indian Times will not be held liable for any advertising / editorial con-tent - Advertisers supply/approve content therefore should any content be deemed inappropriate it is theadvertisers responsibility. While every effort has been made to capture the true likeness to colour printing isan art and therefore we cannot guarantee an exact matching of product to image. Refund / Credit is not givenas a result of the previous mentioned. All correspondence should be addressed to: Brisbane Indian Times, PO Box 197, Taigum Qld 4018. PH:(07) 3356 0102 Fax: 3352 7693 - [email protected]

Letters to the Editor

From the Publisher

BIT NOV 2012 DEADLINES - DIWALI ISSUEADVERT BOOKING / EDITORIALS - 26 OCTOBER

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, October, 2012 3www.indiantimes.com.auCall Trudi on 07 3356 0102

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4 THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, October, 2012 www.indiantimes.com.au Call Trudi on 07 3356 0102

Next SkillSelect Invitation Roundsto be held in OctoberIN OCTOBER, two invitation roundswill be held for skilled independentand skilled regional provisional visasubclasses covering a total of 2000persons. These rounds will be on 1October and 15 October 2012.The information below lists the maxi-

mum number of invitations that willbe issued in each round, by visa sub-class.1 October 2012 Visa Subclass Skilled - Independent (subclass189)Maximum No. 900Skilled - Regional Provisional (sub-class 489) Maximum Number 10015 October 2012 Visa Subclass Skilled - Independent(subclass 189)Maximum Number 900Skilled - Regional Provisional (sub-class 489) Max No. 100Longer Tourist visas for parents ofAustralians - towards the end of 2012DIAC will be implementing changes inlate 2012 for parents of Australian citi-zens and permanent residents. Parentswill be able to apply for Tourist visas tovisit Australia for longer than the cur-rent 12 month restriction. Under thisarrangement recently announced by theMinister for Immigration andCitizenship, Chris Bowen MP, thedepartment will consider granting on acase-by-case basis:* Tourist visas of up to five years'validity which provide a stay of up to12 months on each entry to those par-ents who are outside Australia and arein the Parent (subclass 103) visa queue* Tourist visas of up to three years'validity with 12 months' stay on eachentry will be considered for parentswho are outside Australia and are not inthe Parent visa queue.These changes will allow parents whomeet the criteria for a Tourist visa tohave regular extended visits with their

family in Australia without needing toapply for a new visa on each visit.Under these flexible arrangements, inaddition to meeting all legislativerequirements for a tourist visa, parentswill be expected to hold private healthinsurance to cover any healthcare costsduring their stay and will have a visacondition limiting applications for fur-ther visas while they are in Australia.Like all tourists, parents granted Touristvisas are expected to maintain extendedperiods of absence between visits toAustralia.Online visa checking phases out theneed for visa labelsThe Department of Immigration &Citizenship are introducing fees inorder to obtain a visa label in yourpassport. Visa labels have not beenrequired in Australia for some time andare no longer routinely printed andphysically placed in passports. Instead,online checking is preferred and pro-vides visa holders more timely andsecure information as to their entitle-ments.

In late 2012, subject to legislativeapproval, the department expects toimplement a charge of AUD70 for thisdiscretionary service. This is expectedto further make visa labels in passportsthe exception rather than the rule.Australia bound international commer-cial airlines and cruise ships verify withAustralian authorities that passengershave an Australian visa before theytravel to Australia. This verification isconducted through the electronic travelsystems, generally at the time of issu-ing a boarding pass. In 2012-13, enhancements to VEVOwill include: providing registered migration agentswith more comprehensive details of avisa holders current entitlements enabling all visa holders to accessVEVO using their visa grant number orvisa evidence number without havingto contact the department to get a pass-

word improved self-service password resetfunctionality for organisations a PDF print option for visa holdersrequired to provide evidence for theirvisa status to third parties (for example,real estate agents and mobile phoneproviders) enabling organisations and visa hold-ers to access VEVO using mobiledevices such as smart phones, tabletsand other portable devices. Sponsored Family Visitor (Subclass679) visa: Holiday Cut Off DateDIAC has announced that applicationsfor Sponsored Family Visitor (Subclass679) visas for people wishing to travelto Australia during the December holi-day period should be submitted (ascomplete applications) to theDepartment by Friday 2 November2012.DIAC cannot guarantee applicationslodged after 2 November will beprocessed in time for the Decemberholiday period.Review of Queensland GovernmentSponsorshipThe Queensland Government BudgetSpeech, delivered by Treasurer andMinister for Trade, the Hon TimNicholls MP, contains the news that theQueensland Government will undertakea review of criteria for state sponsoredskilled and business visas. TheTreasurer stated that Queenslandsonerous criteria was restricting the abil-ity of employers to hire employees withcritical skills and restricting the flow ofcapital and investment into the state.In the 2011-2012 financial years, theQueensland Government sponsoredjust 212 visas.

This article is intended to provide general infor-mation on migration issues and does not consti-tute migration advice, and no responsibility isaccepted by Kiran Goel or AIEES for the accura-cy of material appearing in the Brisbane IndianTimes.

(Ms Kiran Goel MARN: 0639149)

Recent news about Australian Migration Regulations

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www.indiantimes.com.au6 THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, October, 2012 Call Trudi on 07 3356 0102

THE Minister for Immigrationand Citizenship, Chris Bowen MP,the Minister for MulticulturalAffairs, Senator Kate Lundy,Member for Greenway, MichelleRowland MP, and Senator forTasmania, Lisa Singh, recentlyannounced the inaugural membersof the Sub-Continent Ministerialconsultative Committee.I extend my congratulations to the new

members of the Sub-Continent MinisterialConsultative Committee, who will play animportant role in informing the governmentof the views of their community, MrBowen said.The Sub-Continent Community has madea valuable contribution to Australian cultur-al, social, and economic life and it is timetheir views are heard.

Senator Lundy said the members of thenew committee were distinguished individ-uals who would serve their communitywell. The new committee will provide avaluable conduit for leaders from the Sub-Continent community to engage withGovernment and continue to contribute tothe success and prosperity of our nation,Senator Lundy said.Australians from the Sub-Continent com-

munity have made a robust contribution tothe cultural richness of our nation over gen-erations through hard work, drive andstrong families. Ms Rowland said that the members of the

Sub-Continent Committee will be able to

build upon the significant contri-bution the Sub-Continent com-munity has made to the strengthand prosperity of Australia.

The members of the Sub-Continent Ministerial Consult-ative Committee have all demon-strated significant experience inworking with their communitiesand I look forward to working

together to achieve positive outcomes forthe Sub-Continent community. Senator Singh added that she was pleased

to be co-chairing the committee with MsRowland. Australias Sub-Continent com-munity is as large as it is vibrant, MsSingh said.This committee provides an opportunity

for leaders across Australias Sub-Continentcommunity to have direct input into gov-ernment policy. The Ministerial Consultative Committee is

comprised of 17 members drawn from Sub-Continent leaders around Australia. Anilbelieves he is the only person fromQueensland on the committee.The Committee will meet regularly with

the co-chairs and at least twice a year withMinisters Bowen and Lundy. TheGovernment will also hold an annual forumfor the committee to facilitate access to thePrime Minister and other senior govern-ment ministers.

Anil is looking forward to contributinglocal issues and ideas.

QEII Jubilee Hospital Pharmacist Anil Vermahas been chosen to be a member on the Sub-Continent Ministerial Consultative Committee

Anil Verma.

Farewell functions for Holy Hajj performersIT is obligatory for the Muslimsto peform their pilgrimage toMecca to sight the holy Kabaonce in their lifetime if they havethe means. During this journey oftheir lifetime they also visitMedina and perform many otherreligious rites. Every year millionsof Muslims from all over theworld flock to Saudia Arabia toperform their religious duties. The

estimated number is approximate-ly four to five million, being thebiggest religious gathering in theworld at any one time.As in the previous years many

from Brisbane prepared them-selves to go on this sacred jour-ney. Three functions at differentcentres were organized to farewellthese people and pray for theirsafe return.

The first one was held atRochdale Mosque on 8 Septemberwhich was organized by theIslamic Society of Queensland,the second one was organized by

the Queensland Association of FijiMuslims at Darra Mosque on 22September and the last one by theAl-Mustapha Institute of Brisbaneat Logan West CommunityCentre, Wineglass Drive, Hillcreston 30 September, 2012.

At all these gatherings manylearned Imams and Maulanas gavelectures on the importance of thispilgrimage, the fifth pillar of

Islam and also spoke on thesequence of religious rites thatare to be performed and observedon this trip.

All the programmes were wellattended and ended with duasfor all those undertaking this jour-ney. Dinner was also provided toall attending these functions.

May Allah accept their Hajj.

Shahban Ali

Inaugural Australian Multicultural Council Lecture

From page 1

IT is not often that we see both sidesof politics agree on issues, onSeptember 19 in the main committeeroom of Parliament house, I was priv-ileged to be present at the inauguralAustralian Multicultural Council lec-ture to witness a bipartisan support forMulticulturalism in AustraliaThe televised lecture was delivered

by Frank Lowy, chairman and co-founder of the Westfield Group,world's largest retail shopping centrecompany. He has been the Chairperson ofFootball Federation Australia, he is a mem-ber of the FIFA World Cup OrganisingCommittee, the founder and chairperson ofLowy Institute for International policy.

He served a ten year term as a member ofReserve Bank of Australia, he also servedas a director of UK media group, DailyMail and General Trust plc for ten years. Hehas been conferred a honorary doctoratefrom University of New South Wales, He isa Companion in the general division of theOrder of Australia, He served for severalyears as president of Art Gallery of NewSouth Wales.Mr Lowy is married to Shirley and lives in

Sydney. They have three sons- David, Peterand Steven.Frank touched on the Muslim protest in

Sydney, he said "while the protest was pos-sible because we have a multicultural soci-ety, this eruption did not devalue the pow-erful dynamic of multiculturalism whichhas been developing here for more thansixty years."He then went on to discuss his journey to

this country and reflected on his humblebeginnings, "these are the experiences thatshaped the young man I was, when I arrived

in Sydney on Australia Day in 1952." In closing Frank said "I want to say that the

starting point for any discussion onMulticultural society must be the recogni-tion that migration is an act of ambition andimagination. And act of bravery too.To imagine a better life for you and your

family and to make the leap of faithrequired to leave behind all that is familiar,calls for a special kind of courage. If welook at the new arrivals to Australia fromthis perspective, our capacity will be graterto welcome them warmly and to help themmake a new home here as one of us. That isas Australians." Aunty Jeannette Phillips did the welcome

to country followed by the official welcomeby Judge Rauf Soulio, chair of AustralianMulticultural Council. Prime Minister TheHon Julia Gillard delivered the openingaddress and introduced Mr Frank Lowy AC,leader of opposition The Hon Tony Abottmoved the vote of thanks. It was hearteningto see the bipartisan support for Multicult-uralism in Australia.The Prime Minister and leader of opposi-

tion both mingled with the invited guests atthe Champagne supper that followed thelecture.

Renowned Ghazal singer, Chandan Dassperformed live at a concert paying trib-ute to late Ghazal kings Medhi Hassanand Jagjit Singh called "Tum KhanChale Gaye".

The function was held at McGregorState School Hall on Sunday 7 October.Chandan Dass was accompanied bysinger Dr Roshan Bharti, who sang someMedhi Hassan numbers and did othernumbers from his new album.Chandan Dass did a few Jagjit Singh

numbers as a tribute and the rest he didfrom his own compilation.

He also did quite a few audiencerequests at the end of the program. HafizAli, the obvious choice for a compeer for

a Ghazal night pleased the audience withhis delightful and poetic manner.Nigel, a new comer in the sound game

did a marvellous job of the sound con-trol, so much so that he was called up onthe stage by Dr Roshan Bharti.

The crowd pleaser was definitely theamazing keyboard player ArifLateefkhan, his magical fingers createdmesmerising interludes to the cheer andclaps of the audience.Arunesh Nair of Sydney accompanied onthe tabla. The concert was so good,despite being a Sunday night the audi-ence stayed back for the full concertduration which concluded around11:30pm.

Chandan Das concert in Brisbane


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Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Qld AGM 2012

President: Jitendra Deo.

THE Annual GeneralMeeting of the IslamicSociety of Qld Inc washeld on Sunday 23September, 2012 at theCommunity Centre Hall,Nerida St, Rochedale.With the finish of thegeneral business, electionof the new executivecommittee was heldunder the Chairmanshipof Br Mohammed Khalid,Secretary of the IslamicCouncil of Queensland.The following officebearers were elected for

a term of two years.President: Br Haji Rahat AzadSenior Vice President:Br Haji Imam AliVice President:Br Mohammed ShamimSecretary: Br Haji Mahabub AliAssistant Secretary: Br Fareed AliTreasurer: Br Sayeed Ali

Assistant Treasurer:Br Asgar AliCommittee Members:Br Haji Shahban Ali, BrHaji Mohammed Shafiq,Br Haji Sheikh Sahib, BrAnwar Aiyaz Ali

The new Presidentthanked the out-goingcommittee for the hardwork they did in the chal-lenging circumstances.He also outlined the mile-stones to be achieved inthe new projects andactivities to be taken inthe coming years.

Shahban Ali

THE annual General meeting of EthnicBroadcasting Association of QueenslandLimited was held on Sunday 23September at the premises of Radio4EBFM, 140 Main Street, KangarooPoint. The guest speaker was RobertCavalluci assistant minister forMulticultural Affairs Queensland.Fred Milner from the Slovenian Group

received his life membership, Fred hasbeen a volunteer since 1979. The vacan-cy of treasurer was filled unopposed byCassimatis, Minas.Five new board members elected were

as follows; Liassi, Stavros, Lio, LevaleFale, Paramanathan, SabapathyMahalingham, Wickramatunga, Jayan-tha, Zanuttini, Renzo.Despite all the challenges the radio sta-

tion is doing well, and is in a stablefinancial condition, the digital Globalprogram is attracting attention. Many

presenters have taken up spots on thedigital section.The meeting recognised the changing

mode of media and the challenges itbrought with it. Many traditional meth-ods are more as valid as they previouslywere.

New office bearers for Islamic Society of Qld Inc.

Vice President: Anil Karan. Vice President: Rajesh Chand.

Secretary: Hari Chand. Treasurer: Mul Chand. Asst. Secretary: Pranesh Pal.

THE Arya Prathindhi Sabha had their AGMon September 16 and the above office bearerswere elected. The committee Members are MrDick Sen, Mrs Latchmi Singh, Dr SukhvirSingh, Mr Ajit Singh, Mrs Pradhan, MrBhupendra Sharma, Mr Balbir Singh, MrsAruna Deo, Mrs Nirmala Ray, Mrs SushilaPathik and Mrs Shobha Singh.

The Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of QueenslandInc. was formed and registered in Brisbane inDecember 1990. The objectives for this organ-isation are: To establish religious institutions and toappoint ministers of religion and other respon-sible officers to maintain the institution To promote the tenets of Vedic philosophywithin the members and well wishers of theassociation To establish and organise Arya Samaj's andto promote Vedic Havan Yajna.

To promote Vedic teachings, Yoga, Hindiand Music ClassesMaharishi Swami Dayanand founder of Arya

Samaj laid out ten universal principles whichreflected the Vedic way of life i.e. societybased on truth, love, justice and righteousnessfor all, without distinction of colour, caste,creed or race. The ten principles embracethree basic duties that human beings ought toundertake in this world. The first is what theyshould do with respect to GOD, second whatthey should do with themselves and third whatthey should do with respect to others.The goal of Arya Samaj has been to make thisworld noble. This can be attained by physical,spiritual, social and moral development of theself which in turn will lead to doing good toothers, respecting others and denouncing evilsof human society by promoting message ofthe VEDAS.

Radio 4EB AGM

Peter Rohweder station manageraddresses the attendees at the AGM.

A large number of members attendedRadio 4EBs AGM.

QUEENSLAND University of Technology students Guild supported by CulturalSociety of India, Brisbane, hosted their second Dandiya Dhoom on 30 Septemberat the Refectory of QUT Kelvin Grove Campus.The organising team Anisha, Sajan, Kritika, Shruti and many others did a marvel-

lous job of attracting a recordaudience for the second yearin a row. Many student vol-unteers assisted with theorganisation and running ofthe event.

The live Garba andBollywood performance wasprovided by Brisbane BabasBand who performed foralmost five hours continually.The students were moved by

the support of the widerBrisbane Indian commuity

QUT Students Host DandiyaDhoom 2012

4EB Global journey...GLOBAL is a digital radio channelwhich broadcasts an eclectic mix ofmusic from around the world. The chan-nel focuses on world and traditionalmusic sung in a variety of languages aswell as new releases from all around theworld. Several popular broadcastersfrom Radio 4EB broadcast programmeson Global.There are now a number of different

locally produced language programsbroadcast on Global. The channel is alsofocusing on programs broadcast inEnglish that appeal to cultural audiencesuch as Swara Lahari (Carnatic Music),The Bollywood Show, and Inner Voice(positive philosophy program).The channel is committed to bringing new

news and information with weekday programThe Wire and the new weekly show FairComment. This is an opportunity to hear more local pro-

grams providing information and entertain-ment on a daily basis. Eventually, Global willbroadcast more local produced language pro-

grammes with the Punjabi and several othercommunities working on new programs to goto air soon.Global is truly diverse, providing news, infor-

mation and entertainment in a wide variety oflanguages with programmes involving peoplefrom all parts of the community and can alsobeing heard online via the live stream at4eb.org.au.

4EB broadcaster Aneel Mazhar working in the GlobalDigital Studio.

RUGBY fans counting down to the upcomingBledisloe Cup Test in Brisbane will have achance to meet a few of their favourite players.

Both the Qantas Wallabies and All Blackshave confirmed they plan to visit the QueenStreet Mall this month.The Australian team will kick off the festivi-

ties with their visit on Thursday 18th Octoberwith the Kiwis booked in for Friday 19thOctober. Fans will have the chance to meet members of

the Qantas Wallabies on Thursday 18 October,at the Queen Street Mall Stage, as well asupstairs at Rebel Sports, thanks to Gilbert,from 1pm until 3pm. The players will signautographs and merchandise, and theres greatgiveaways including tickets to the sold outthird Bledisloe Cup Test at Suncorp Stadium onSaturday 20th October.For those whose heart lies across the Tasman,

the All Blacks will be on hand on Friday at theQueen Street Mall Stage.

The All Blacks will be available for a specialsigning session from 10:30am while also pro-viding lucky fans with a rare insight into theirpreparations for Saturday nights game. Kiwi fans will be given the chance to get the

signatures of their favourite players.

For more information visitwww.bnecity.com.au

Qantas Wallabies and All Blacksto visit Queen Street Mall

ScheduleThursday 18 October

(1pm-3pm) Qantas Wallabies signing @ Queen Street Mall Stage

& Rebel Sport

Friday 19 October (10:30am 11:15am) All Blacks signing

@ Queen Street Mall Stage


Gurmat Camp at Brisbane Sikh Temple

By Gurjeet Singh

GURMAT Camp was organised underthe supervision of Mrs Devinder KaurBains and Mr Rupinder Singh atBrisbane Sikh Temple, 2679 LoganRoad, Eight Mile Plains on 29September, 2012. About 45 childrenfrom the ages of 3.5 to 15 yearsattended the camp. The theme of theCamp was the Life History of GurooNanak Dev Jee.

Children were divided into various

groups and were provided with infor-mation on the life of Guroo Nanak DevJee through slide shows, work sheets,question/answer time, movie session,art and craft and quiz. Bhai Narinder Pal Singh helped the

kids to learn and perform Kirtan of aShabad where a camp student SahibjeetSingh performed on Tabla. The open-ing and closing Ardaas was by a 7years old camp student Harjap Kaur. Inthe end the children performed on thestage for about what they have learnt

through out the day. Gurjap Singh whois just 3.5 years old was able to recitethe Mool Mantar and first pauree ofJapujee Sahib. Bhawan Jot and HarjapKaur sang Shabads on Harmonium as apart of their presentation.

The Camp concluded at 5:30 pm withthe distribution of Prizes to all partici-pants. We are thankful to the parentsand the Committee of Brisbane SikhTemple Inc. for organizing such educa-tional camps for children.

FOREIGN Minister Bob Carr today (25 September,2012) welcomed the commencement of Indias OzFest, a four-month celebration of contemporaryAustralian culture in 18 Indian cities including Delhi,Mumbai and Jaipur.Oz Fest offers hundreds of thousands of Indians a

chance to experience Australian films, literature andartistic performances, Senator Carr said.With support from the Australian Government, Oz

Fest is a great opportunity to promote Australiaslinks with India and to market Australian talent over-seas.Oz Fest will open on October 16, 2012 in New

Delhi with performances by Geoffrey GurrumulYunupingu, didgeridoo virtuoso Mark Atkins andIndian artist Anoushka Shankar. Later events include: Performances by youth bands Karnivool andSheppard in Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi; A match between the Jaipur and West Australianpolo teams in Jaipur; A roadshow by the Melbourne InternationalComedy Festival; A tour of Indian cities two of the judges fromMasterChef Australia; The premiere of Australian feature film Save YourLegs! at the Mumbai Film Festival; and Appearances by Australian childrens author andillustrator Fran Lessac at the Bookaroo ChildrensLiterature Festival in Delhi.Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris, household

names in India through MasterChef Australia, havebeen named Oz Fest Ambassadors together withAustralian Bollywood star Pallavi Sharda and crick-et great Brett Lee.Oz Fest is supported by a Federal contribution of

around $1 million from the Department of ForeignAffairs and Trade, and over $2 million from Federal,state, university, institutional and corporate partners.

OZ Fest in India

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From here to the world and back

www.indiantimes.com.au THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, October, 2012 11Call Trudi on 07 3356 0102

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NRI Dr. Anita Bist announces the release of her bookMasala for Retirement for the Indian Diaspora TRANQUILITY, New Jersey,September 18, 2012: Dr Anita Bistannounces the release of her bookMasala for Retirment: How to addZEST to the Rest of Your Life. Theauthor uses the Indian word masalawhich means spices, as a colourfulmetaphor for all the important lifeareas that make up a successfulretirement lifestyle.There are over 30 million Indians

living abroad according to CensusBureause worldwide, says authorDr Anita Bist. In the United States

alone, there are approximately 3 mil-lion NRIs. Also, there are over 1million NRIs each in Canada, GreatBritain, South Africa and the MiddleEast according to their StatisticsAgencies.Indians living abroad have always

faced East West conflicts whenadjusting to a new life in a differentculture. In most cases, these immi-grants arrived looking for economicopportunity but when faced withretirement, many of them are tornbetween wanting to return to their

native land or to continue staying intheir adopted countries with theirchildren and grandchildren, contin-ues Dr Bist, a first-generation immi-grant herself.They have nostalgic memories of

their younger days and seek torecapture those feelings n the land oftheir birth during their older age.

Her book Masala for Retirementspeaks of the where to retire? con-flict NRIs face when planning theirretirement as well as other importantissues such as filling your retirement

time, staying healthy, supplement-ing your retirement income andfinding a sense of purpose. Theauthor shares client stories, self-assessments and practical stepsto plan your successful andmeaningful retirement.

For more information please visit www.masalaforretirement.comor contact the author at [email protected]


T. 07 3420 5570M. 0438 105 640E. [email protected]

Seniors Week Multicultural DinnerFIJI Senior Citizens andSatsang Association ofQueensland Inc organ-ised a MulticulturalDinner and entertain-ment event duringSeniors week celebra-tions. This functionbrought together manydiverse cultures underone roof. The who's who of the

Multicultural communi-ty were present at theevent. The involvementand support ofTaiwanese and Africancommunities werenotable, however, manyother communities werepresent.

The event was well coordinatedfrom parking to VIP seating every-thing was well thought of and manyvolunteers assisted for an effectiveexecution of the plan.President Surendra Prasad, OAM,

the convenor of the event is nostranger to Queensland's multicul-tural community, and the guest listwas a reflection of this.Amongst the speeches and cultural

items, outgoing PoliceCommissioner Bob Atkinson wasfarewelled and Commissioner elect,Ian Stewart was welcomed.Professor Sarva Daman Singh didthe honours, Mr Ian Stewartreceived both his and Mr BobAtkinson tokens of appreciations.Outgoing Commissioner BobAtkinson could not be present.On 8 September, in the lead up to

the Seniors week celebration, the

Annual Qld Suburban ofOrigin Soccer Tournament(picture page 24) was alsoorganised with the assis-tance of Sanatan Sportsand Social Club. Ten teams took part in the

tournament, six mainteams and four Veteranteams. For the very firsttime Veteran teams tookpart in the tournament. Nadi won the main trophy

while Qld Sangam took therunners up, in the veteranscategory Bula Seniorswere the winners with BaMasters being the runnerup.

Reynold Narayan wasdeclared the best and

fairest player of the tournament.Mr Prasad said that since the

inception of Fiji Senior Citizensand Satsang Association of Qld,they have been celebrating Seniorsweek, and from last year haveengaged other communities in thecelebration.

A marked feature of the celebra-tion is the annual presentation ofannual life memberships to its

members, this year's recipi-ents Bach Raj, Pali Raj,Shiu Shankar and RamNarayan received their cer-tificates from Mrs ArchanaSingh, The HonoraryConsul for India inQueensland.

The event was supportedby Lord Mayors SuburbanInitiative Fund organisedthrough the Councillor forWishart and Councillor forHolland Park.

President FSCSAQ Mr Surendra Prasad presents new PoliceCommissioner Ian Stewart with a token of appreciation. Pictured right, Professor Sarva Daman Singh.

President FSCSAQMr Surendra Prasad with Honorary Consul for India in Qld during thelife membership presentations.

Ten Year celebration for AccessCommunity Services

Australia's leaders in set-tlement, employment andtraining, Access CommunityServices Ltd celebrated itstenth anniversary onSaturday 6 October atKingston Community Centre(Old Butter factory). Thegrand celebration began witha VIP reception followed bythe official program in thetheatre. The festival stylepublic event outside beganafter the VIP lunch.CEO Gail Ker thanked all the

guests for joining them in thecelebrations, dignitaries includ-ed Federal Minister forMulticultural Affairs, MinisterKate Lundy, Judge RaufSoulio, Australian MulticulturalCouncil, Gary Page, ExecutiveDirector of MAQ, Mr RobertHoitink, Qld State Director forDepartment of Immigration andCitizenship, former speakerJohn Mickall, People ofAustralia Ambassadors, UmeshChandra, Warren McMillan andmany others.

Minister Kate Lundy said,"Our world class settlementservices are the backbone ofour migration program. Theyprovide newly arrived migrantsand refugees with the supportthey need to adjust to a new lifein Australia and to start makingpositive contribution to ourongoing economic, social andcultural development".

Access Community ServicesLtd (ACSL) is Australia'sleader and specialist in settle-ment, employment, employ-ment and training support ser-vices to migrants and refugeesin Logan City, Ipswich Cityand Gold Coast. They are acommunity based, not for prof-it company Limited by guaran-tee, originally established inLogan City in 1984.The ceremonies included mul-

ticultural performances, guestspeeches and a special AccessJourney Film presentation.Some of the recipients ofAccess services spoke of theirpersonal moving experiences.


Report by Sushyanth-HYA

ON Saturday, September 29 2012, the VedicCultural Centre of Australia (VCCA) organ-ised the event Mahaa Vishnu SahasranaamaLakshaarchana at the community centre inthe North Western Sydney suburb ofQuakers Hill. This event was held in orderto promote the To-Be-Established Vediccentre in the suburb of Greystanes as wellas gather enough donations and sponsors.The Vedic Centre is planning on hostingmany such Hindu cultural activities for thefast growing Hindu community in Sydneyand Australia. The event was attended bymore than 150 families, making this a verysuccessful event for the VCCA.The Mahaa Vishnu Sahasranaama is per-

formed to ensure the welfare of the personand his/her family and also general welfareand prosperity of everyone in the communi-ty. Each Naama that is chanted by the peo-ple has the power to vibrate across the cos-mos and galaxies to eventually remove allnegativities. In this event, over 100,000Naamas were chanted across 2 batches,with an average of 55 people participatingin each batch. This was then followed by aSri Lakshmi Sahasranaamavali that hadover 60 women participating. The LakshmiSahasranaama is performed by women as

this is in tribute and devotion to theGoddess Lakshmi, who is believed to bringabout wealth, prosperity, fortune, beautyand also protection of people from misery.

The Priest Shri Venkatraman from theMinto Shiv Mandir chanted the Namaavalisthat were repeated by the participants whoalso offered flowers whilst chanting. Theflowers offered by the devotees were col-lected at the end and offered to the maindeity on the stage. The pooja started at 9.00am and went on until 1.00 pm. Then theprasadam was distributed. Numerous volun-teers helped to make the event a grand suc-cess. Shri Ramarathinam, ShriSubramanian, Shri Varadarajan and ShriRamakrishnan assisted Shri Venkatraman

on the stage to perform the pooja. Smt andShri Prem Aroras family, Smt Subhashreefamily, Smt Usha ,Smt Kavitha and theirteam prepared prasadam and deliciouslunch for the over 200+ attendees. SmtKala, Shri Divakar and Shri VenkateshPrasad were at the reception to welcome theparticipants and to guide them into the hall.Shri Rajesh and HYA youth volunteers

helped out with the seating arrangementsand offering other assistance needed by theparticipants.

Smt Jayanthi Narayanan and Smt UmaRajesh were responsible for setting up thealankaram for the laksharchana. Smt RaniSundar,Smt Yogam and Smt Bhavani madebeautiful garlands for the Bhagwan.

Mahaa Vishnu Sahasranaama Laksharchana 2012

9 OCTOBER, 2012: Mr Terry White,Chairman of the Board of Metro SouthHospital and Health Service launches anew program promoting better mentalhealth for migrants and refugees byaddressing the stressors of settlement fol-lowing migration. BRiTA Futures forAdults and Parents is an innovative newprogram developed by the QueenslandTranscultural Mental Health Centre to pro-mote better health and prevent mental ill-ness in our multicultural community saidMr White. This new program focusing specifically

on Adults and Parents complements twoexisting programs for primary school agedchildren and adolescents. BRiTA Futureshas been a very successful program con-ducted with hundreds of kids from immi-grant and refugee backgrounds acrossQueensland said Rita Prasad-Ildes,Manager of the Centre. It has been run in

the community and in schools and manyschools with a significant culturallydiverse student population have adoptedthe program in their curriculum. The feed-back we have been getting from the kids isthat their parents need this program aswell. BRiTA Futures is a group program that

works with adult migrants and refugees tobuild resilience to better cope with thestresses related to migration and adapt in anew country. This program focuses on thepsychological and emotional side ofmigration and helps people understand thepsychological processes they mayencounter and provides skills and tools tocounter such issues as inter generationalfamily conflict which is so common inimmigrant families said Ms Prasad-Ildes.The Centre is currently recruiting programfacilitators for a training course to com-mence in November.

A BRiTA Future for migrantsin our community

Multicultural Fiesta lightsup Inala skyHUNDREDS of families visited theVietnamese Catholic CommunityCentre, Inala, in Brisbane's south-west,for the annual Multicultural Fiesta onSeptember 22.

Children, teenagers and adults weretreated to an array of entertainment,foods and cultures on display.

Vincent Do, of the Ethnic YouthMinistry Council - who organised theevent with the Ethnic Ministers' Groupand the Centre for MulticulturalPastoral Care - said about 6000 peopleattended."We've noticed a trend in the last three

years that the numbers are increasing,"he said.Mr Do said the day gave a variety of

cultures the chance to represent their regionthrough dance and song as well as "tofundraise for their community".

Vietnamese, Korean, Indian, Chinese,African, Filipino, Timorese, Italian andIndonesian communities were represented.

Bishop Brian Finnigan opened the eventafter a welcome from Centre forMulticultural Pastoral Care directorUrsuline Sister Anne Surtees.

The magic show and fireworks displaywere among the popular attractions.

Dancing fun: Sisters of St Paul de Chartres help withbamboo dancing at the Multicultural Fiesta in Inala.

Brisbane Babas Band performing at the Multicultural Fiesta in Inala


BC

C42

37-Q

-BR

IO

Make sure your home and yard can weather the storm.

Visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/beprepared or call Council on (07) 3403 8888. If you need an interpreter, call 131 450 and ask to speak with Brisbane City Council.

Be prepared this summer

BC

C58

55-B

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AFTER the success of the sec-ond India Day Fair, GOPIOQueensland President ShyamDas hosted a valedictory dinnerfor the hard working commit-tee, volunteers and supportingorganisations. The dinner func-tion was held at Rangla Punjab

restaurant in New Farm.President Shyam Das thanked

everyone for making India DayFair 2012 a huge success. Aftera sumptuous dinner and finewine everybody was ready toparty. An ANTAKSHRI com-petition was organised,

Shekhar Kapoor was chosen tobe the anchor an he did a mar-vellous job of it. Backgroundmusic was provided by ParthRaval and Umesh Chandra ofBrisbane Babas Band. Thecompetition got fierce andsome hidden talents were dis-

covered on the night.

A thoroughly enjoyable night

in the good GOPIO spirit and

tradition, planning for 2013

India Day Fair has begun, to be

a part contact President Shyam

Das.

Probably, nowhere else in Australia hasmore than 20,000 Indians congregateat any one time in one location, nowhereelse!, but the annual Queensland IndianBazaar. Australian Indians, whove calledAustralia home comprises of Indians frommany parts of the world enriched with dis-tinct languages, faith and culture. Theyinclude Indian migration from Fiji, India,African continent, New Zealand, UK, USAand from European countries. The ICA Indian Bazaar has stood tall in the

14 years in spite of unfortunate and avoidableincidents where the Indian name wasmaimed, shamed and unceremoniously sub-jected of ridicule by the Local press. Remoteand isolated Indian misdemeanors were gen-eralized to purport attempt to taint the Indianname. Like any true blue Aussie, were stoodwith dignity and heightened our determina-tion to be the best Australians we could be!

The 14 year old Queensland IndianBazaar. The Indian Cultural Association Incfor 14 years proudly presents QueenslandIndian Community's single biggest event;THE INDIAN BAZAAR. In the last fourteenyears it has turned into a 2 days festivalattracting over 20,000 people from all walksof life. Indian bazaar is a showcase of IndianCulture with food, fashion, art and entertain-ment. INDIAN BAZAAR 2012 will be held at the

Mount Gravatt Show Grounds, 1644 LoganRoad, and Mount Gravatt from Friday 19October and Saturday October 20th 2012. OnFriday the gates will open at 4.00pm and thebazaar will conclude at 10.00pm. OnSaturday the gates will open at 10.00am andthe program will continue till 10.00pm.

GOPIO Queensland Valedictory dinnerINDIAN BAZAAR -Australia largestgathering of Indians

Another family fun day....Crescentsofbrisbane.org

THE 9th annual Fun Run, the flagshipevent of Crescents of Brisbane, saw over350 men, women, boys and girls of verydiverse backgrounds take part inCresWalk2012 at Orleigh Park, West End.

All finishers were presented with aCresWalk2012 finisher's towel and therewere a host of random draw prizes thatincluded a two night's stay at the HiltonApartments in Surfers Paradise.

The Haje Ebrahim Patel/Crescents ofBrisbane Special Achievement Award for2012 was awarded to Imam Abu AhmadGhazaleh by Kemal Omar of Crescents ofBrisbane who spoke of Imam Ghazaleh'slong and generous involvement with thecommunity.To view full list of winners / race times

please visit www.crescentsofbrisbane.org/CresWalk2012/CresWalk2012_Main.htm


HINDUS are highly upset with Americanpolitical satirist & TV host Stephen Colbertfor depicting them as a tribe of some stockyprimitive furred creatures jumping in thewoods.

Talking about diversity at the recentDemocratic National Convention in "TheColbert Report", Colbert said: Everywhereyou looked, there were black people, Asianpeople, Latinos, Jews, Sikhs, Hindusandsimultaneously showed the picture of anAfrican-American, an Asian, a Latino, aJew and a Sikh. But while depictingHindus, he showed what appeared to be agroup of stocky primitive furred creaturesjumping in the forest.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statementin Nevada (USA), said that showing Hindusas primitive furred creatures was highlyinsulting and unacceptable to the one bil-lion strong Hindu community spread world-wide, including about three million in USA.Hinduism was the oldest and third largestreligion of the world with a rich philosophy,Zed added.Zed, who is President of Universal Society

of Hinduism, asked Colbert to issue a pub-lic apology on his show, besides an officialapology from Philippe Dauman, Presidentof the parent company Viacom.Rajan Zed says that according to a Pew

Forum survey last year, Hindus top in edu-cation in America as compared to any otherreligious group; Hindus have second high-est income levels in the country, secondonly to Jews; and Hindus have the lowestdivorce rate in the country. While nationaltotal is 11%, 48% Hindus have post-gradu-ate degrees, followed by Jews at the secondplace at 35%. While national total is only18%, 43% of Hindus come in $100,000+income category, survey added.

Zed argued that instead of applaudingHindus for continuing with the traditionalvalues of hard work, higher morals, stresson education, sanctity of marriage, etc.,amidst so many distractions; Colbert choseto humiliate us apparently for higher ratingsaimed at mercantile greed.Colbert should have ascertained his facts

and done his home work before lampooningthe entire community for wrong reasons,Rajan Zed stressed. "The Colbert Report" is an Emmy Award-

winning series hosted by Stephen TyroneColbert on Comedy Central television chan-nel, owned by Viacom, leading globalentertainment content company headquar-tered in New York. Sumner M. Redstone isExecutive Chairman of Viacoms Board.

QPS meets the Muslim communitywww.crescentsofbrisbane.org

MUSLIM community leaders metthis with outgoing PoliceCommissioner, Bob Atkinson, thenewly appoint Commissioner, IanStewart and other senior police todiscuss issues arising in the after-math of the Sydney protests a fewweeks ago.

Incidents of graffiti and abusedirected at Muslims were broughtto the attention of the meeting andwhat steps were taken to report andattend to them.

The Islamic Council ofQueensland undertook to call up ameeting of members of the Muslimcommunity to identify strategies and initiatives toengage with the youth and the QPS more effec-tively.A number of other stakeholders were also in

attendance including ASIO and the Anti-Discrimination Commission, the latter offering tomeet with the Islamic Women's Association ofQueensland to update its members on how toexercise their rights in the event of abusive and

discriminatory encounters.Sergeant Jim Bellos, who coordinated the meet-

ing told CCN: "I want to express our gratitude tothe Muslim community for their attendance,especially at such short notice. The Muslim com-munity in Queensland and the QPS enjoy a closeworking relationship, and we support the manyfunctions that are held in the Muslim community.I also look forward to a long lasting and harmo-nious relationship with you."

The 6th annual Swim4kidsis back for 2012!ITS your chance tohelp the kids at theRoyal ChildrensHospital this Oct-ober, by joining theultimate swimmingadventure the Swim4Kids challenge.Choose the Moreton Bay relay swimfrom the Brisbane River toTangalooma Island resort. The Diehard swimmers can go as hard as theywish, but if you aren't much of aswimmer you can float to the back ofthe Super Shark Cage and let it pullyou along or ride a boogie board. All cage swimmers have the option

to stay over at Tangalooma Islandresort for the Friday night Swim4kidsBeach Party and hand feed one of thewild bottle nose dolphins that visit theresort each evening. If the open water is not your thing,

you can still take part in the

Swim4Kids Pool Challenge and virtu-ally swim from Brisbane toTangalooma by doing 30ks in yourlocal pool.All donations from Swim4kids go to

purchasing much needed equipmentfor the Royal Childrens Hospital. The swim is open to anyone with

enough heart to help sick kids and iswilling to trySo have a go, take the Swim 4 KidsChallenge on October 26... Register at www.swim4kids.com.au

Hindus upsetwith TV hostColbert fordepicting themas primitivefurred creatures


www.savethechildren.org.au/shop

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ICQ Awards nightCrescentsofbrisbane.org

THE Islamic Council of Queensland (ICQ)held its inaugural community serviceawards function night at the IslamicCollege of Brisbane (Karawatha), 7 nomi-nees were recognized "for their long anddedicated service to the MuslimCommunity of Queensland" from a largenumber of submitted nominees.

Amongst the selection criteria for theawards were that the nominees would havecontributed to the upliftment of the Muslimcommunity of Queensland across ethnicand cultural divides and that they wouldhave served the community as volunteersfor ten years or more.

It was also an occasion to farewell theQueensland Police Commissioner, BobAtkinson, who retires in a few months.Mr Mohammed Yusuf, president of ICQ,

delivered the welcomeaddress and Mr MohammedFarouk ran a tight ship asMaster of Ceremonies.

Dr Mohammad Abdallaspoke in praise of theCommissioner and his long-standing cordial relationshipwith the Muslim community.Rahman, Sultana, Nizam and

Sultan Deen presented thePolice Commissioner with areplica of the Taj Mahal onbehalf of the Deen family.

Assistant Minister forMulticultural Affairs, MrRoberto (Robert) Cavalluccidelivered the key note address for the nightand spoke of the contributions that theMuslim community had been makingtowards the betterment of Queensland.

Former state member for Stretton, StephenRobertson and former federal member forMoreton, Gary Hardgrave, were also recog-nized by the ICQ for their contributions to

the Muslim community.

The delicious curry and rice rounded off apleasant night out.

From Left: Dr Mustafa Ally, Imam Abdul Aziz, Mr Amar Ali Khan, Mr Hussin Goss, Mr Fakier Batieh, Mr Roberto Cavallucci (Assistant Minister), Mr Mohammed Yusuf (ICQ) and Prof. Shahjahan Khan (7th recipient Imam Abdul Razak missing from photo)

Four generations of family served the blind in two continentsWASHINGTON, Oct 3 (IANS)Swapna Shah, who died here aged66, was the fourth generation of afamily that provided educationalservices to the blind in the US andIndia for over a 100 years.Swapna, in the first 19 years of

her life, lived on the campus ofone of the first schools for theblind in Asia, which had beenfounded by her great-grandfather,L.B. Shah, her brother, Amit Shah,said.

The Calcutta Blind School,founded in 1897 in LowerCircular Road, Kolkata, with fourblind students, later moved toBehala, on the outskirts of the citywhere Lal Behari Shah had boughtland and deeded it to a trust forthe new school.

Swapna's distinguished over 40

years of professionallife included workingas a teacher for emo-tionally disturbed andm u l t i - h a n d i c a p p e dgroups at the New YorkInstitute in the Bronx,New York and resourceteacher for the visuallyimpaired, Dept. ofSpecial Ed, Westport,CT.She was also co-devel-

oper of model class-room for NY MedicalCenter MentalRetardation Institute; pro-gram designer and mem-ber of tri-county ad hoc group foritinerant vision program, CharlesCounty, MD, itinerant teacher forvision programmes in P.G. County,

MD, and in the District ofColumbia, said a communique.

Lal Behari Shah, a printer bytrade, became blind when he wasin his forties and created the

Bengali Braillescript known asShah-Braille. Thevarious Braillescripts for Indianlanguages werecodified into acentralized anduniform code, theIndian BrailleCode, in 1941. LalBehari Shah's son,Arun KumarShah, was on thecommittee thatapproved theIndian BrailleCode.

Swapna's father, Amal, was theprincipal of the school from 1949to 1968 and like him she was ded-icated to a life of educational ser-

vice, especially for the blind.Amal Shah gave the Calcutta

Blind School an internationalfocus for the education of theblind, especially the rural poor, inpost-Independent India. He wasawarded the Padma Shri in 1961.In 1997, on the centenary year of

the Calcutta Blind School's found-ing, the Indian government issueda commemorative stamp in itshonor.Swapna died Sep 20. She leaves

behind her husband, JohnSturdivant, whom she married in2010. Her previous husband, BillCaldwell, passed away in 2007.Her extended family includes herstepson Brennan Caldwell, hergrandchildren, and her nephews,Arnav and Simon, the sons of heronly brother, Amit.

Swapna Shah's great grandfather Lal Behari Shah in 1897.


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Business NewsWhat is the Research &Development (R&D) Tax Incentive?

THE R & D Tax Incentive isthe Federal Government'sprincipal measure to encour-age investment in researchand development. The pro-gram is conducted jointly byAusIndustry (on behalf of InnovationAustralia) and the Australian TaxationOffice (ATO). After a number of years of consultation

and delays, the R & D Tax Incentivereplaces the 'R & D Tax Concession' whichapplied to financial years ending on orbefore 30 June 2011.

The incentive now offers the following taxbenefits to companies investing in researchand development: A 45% refundable tax offset for eligiblecompanies with a turnover < $20 Million(equivalent of a 150% tax deduction for eli-gible expenditure); and A 40% non-refundable tax offset for othereligible companiesThe Government is specifically targeting

and encouraging SMEs to invest in researchand development. While it is directedthrough the tax system, the incentive canprovide a cash payment to a company thathas not even paid any tax.To be eligible for the R & D Tax Incentive,

companies must: Conduct experimental research and devel-

opment activities; After the end of the year(and before 30 April ofthe following year), applyto register those activitieswith AusIndustry; and

Once registration is granted, complete theresearch and development tax schedule aspart of the company's income tax return. As with any Federal Government incen-

tive, the registration process is quitedetailed and eligible companies must keeprecords to prove that their activities satisfythe definition of R & D under the legisla-tion. This definition broadly requires thereto be experimental activities, which arebased on scientific principles and conduct-ed for the purpose of generating newknowledge, products or processes.

Hanrick Curran can advise companiesabout the R & D Tax Incentive and assistthem to register with AusIndustry and claimthe incentive through their income taxreturn.

Vivek Chopra

For more information on the R & D TaxIncentive and how Hanrick Curran canassist your company, please visitwww.hanrickcurran.com.au or contactHanrick Curran's tax partner, JamieTowers on 3218 3900.

Scammers target job seekersCourtesy Sudesh Aggarwal

SO far this year the Australian TaxationOffice has received more than 10,000reports on a wide range of scams includingfake job advertisements, emails and phonecalls.One of the most alarming incidents is that

scammers are using fake job advertisementsto illegally access peoples personal infor-mation, said Tax Commissioner MichaelDAscenzo.Fake job ads are being posted on recruit-

ment websites by scammers where peopleare being asked to provide their tax filenumbers (TFN) as a part of their job appli-cation.

In some cases, people have even beenoffered the advertised position and thenasked to provide their TFN and bankaccount details prior to the start date ofemployment and after providing this per-sonal information, the job offer has thenbeen withdrawn.ATO investigations have shown that the

advertised positions never existed and thoserunning the scams generally communicateby email or mobile phones.

You should not provide a prospectiveemployer with personal details, such asyour tax file number or bank account detailsuntil after you begin work in the position,said Mr DAscenzo.

Personal information can be used byscammers to lodge false tax returns in your

name, enable the use of your credit cards oreven result in people taking out a loan inyour name. In some cases, identity crimecan take years to resolve.

This year there have been over 6,000reports from the community about fake e-mails using the ATO brand, and over 4,000reports of attempted phone scams.At this time of year when many people

expect refunds, scammers use the opportu-nity to pretend to be from the ATO.Only certain people and organisations can

ask for your TFN, the most common being: the ATO, when discussing your taxrecords your employer, but only after you startwork your bank or other financial institutions Centrelink, and your superannuation fund.For examples of some recent tax related

scams and information on how you can pro-tect yourself, view www.ato.gov.au/onli-nesecurity.

If you think you have been the victim of ascam, contact the ATO by calling 1800 060062 (8.00am - 6.00pm, Monday to Friday).If you do not speak English well and wantto talk to a tax officer, phone theTranslating and Interpreting Service on 1314 50 for help with your call. You can alsoreport suspected email scams to the ATO byforwarding the email [email protected].

Courtesy Sudesh Aggarwal

TWO thousand individuals andcompanies were successfully pros-ecuted for fraud, tax and superan-nuation offences in the 2011-12financial year. Tax cheats are trying to get an

unfair advantage, adding to theburden on the majority of peoplewho do the right thing and meettheir tax obligations, said TaxCommissioner MichaelDAscenzo.Our tax and superannuation sys-

tems underpin the standard of liv-ing we enjoy in Australia and thepeople who attempt to defraudthat system are ultimately stealingfrom the rest of us.Thirty-nine people were prosecut-ed for tax-related offences lastfinancial year. Thirty-seven custo-dial sentences were handed downby the courts, ranging from fullysuspended to nine years imprison-ment. These included eight indi-viduals who received custodialsentences under ProjectWickenby.Offences included attempting to

hide income and assets overseasand individuals using stolen iden-tities to submit false businessactivity statements.There were also 1,447 individuals

and 514 companies successfullyprosecuted for taxation offences,such as failing to lodge returnsand making false and misleadingstatements on tax returns andactivity statements. Court-imposed sanctions included repa-ration orders, fines and otherpenalties.

Our increasingly sophisticatedinformation matching capabilitiesenable us to help protect honesttaxpayers and protect the overallintegrity of the tax and superannu-ation system, said MrDAscenzo.

We compare tax records withmore than 600 million transac-tions reported to us each yearfrom financial institutions andother organisations, both inAustralia and overseas, to gain a

very detailed picture of peoplesfinancial dealings.

The message is clear. If youattempt to cheat the honest tax-payer community you will befound out and brought to justice.People who are unclear of theirtax or superannuation obligations,or are struggling to meet theirobligations, should contact theATO on 13 11 42 to discuss theirsituation.If you believe someone is doing

the wrong thing, you can reportsuspected tax fraud by calling theATO on 1800 060 062. RegisteredAgents may use a dedicated phoneline on 13 72 86 (using Fast KeyCode 34), and this call may alsobe transferred to the TaxPractitioners Board.More information: Case studiesresulting in successful prosecu-tions between 1 April and 30 June2012: Criminal fraud convictions Taxation offencesFor more information about taxcrime, visit www.ato.gov.au/taxcrimeUFurther information about ATO prose-

cutions, including statistics, can befound atwww.ato.gov.au/prosecutions.Learn more about the ATO compliance

approach including focus areas for thisyear and what is attracting our attentionby downloading the ATO ComplianceProgram 2012-13.

Further information about the ATO'sfocus on GST compliance, including sta-tistics, can be found at Targeting GSTcompliance.

Criminal fraud convictionsThe ATO is committed to dealingfirmly with the small minority oftaxpayers, intermediaries and oth-ers who commit fraud or otheroffences against the tax and super-annuation laws.

Criminal prosecutions are ourfirmest strategy for dealing withthe minority of taxpayers whocommit fraud or deliberatelyevade their lawful obligationsdespite our increasingly intensive,and where possible supportive,efforts to achieve their compli-ance.We share information and collabo-

rate with other agencies, includinglaw enforcement agencies and ourinternational counterparts indetecting and dealing with seriousabuses of the tax system. Thisincludes cases investigated as partof the cross-agency ProjectWickenby taskforce. Serious fraudcases are investigated by theAustralian Taxation Office (ATO)and prosecuted by theCommonwealth Director of PublicProsecutions (CDPP).The courts can impose not onlycustodial sentences, but also finesand other penalties. Where theoffence has resulted in a loss tothe Commissioner, for examplewhere a fraudulent refund hasbeen received by the taxpayer, thecourts normally order reparation.Following are some examples ofcriminal fraud prosecutions thatresulted in convictions between 1April and 30 June 2012.Case study: Lodging false busi-ness activity statementsA Queensland woman who lodgedBAS for multiple businesses wasconvicted and sentenced to 2 yearsimprisonment after being foundguilty of obtaining financialadvantage. She had claimed fraud-ulent refunds on her activity state-ments over a period of 18 months.As well as the custodial sentence,the court ordered the woman torepay over $55,000 which wasequivalent to the amount ofrefunds that she had received.Case study: Project WickenbyThree NSW co-directors of an airconditioning company used illegal'round-robin' schemes, wheremoney labelled as 'companyexpenses' was transferred to aVanuatu account and returned 'tax-free' to the taxpayers' personalaccounts.

One of the company directorswas convicted and sentenced tofour years jail with a non-paroleperiod of two years for defraudingthe Commonwealth. His wife, alsoa co-director, was sentenced tothree years imprisonment with anon-parole period of 15 months,while their business partnerreceived the equivalent of a twoyear suspended sentence. In making his decision the Judge

stated Most people would proba-

bly welcome the chance not to payincome tax; it would make a sub-stantial part of their income avail-able for spending as they pleased. But most people acknowledge theobvious need for the governmentto levy income tax. It can provideessential services to us all as wellas support those who have little orno income to be taxed.Taxation offences While the most serious cases offraud are dealt with under theCriminal Code, there are also arange of criminal offences undertaxation laws that the ATO pur-sues where taxpayers have notcomplied with their taxationobligations. Common examples ofthese offences include: failure to lodge an income taxreturn or activity statement making false or misleading state-ments falsifying or concealing identity record keeping offences offences in relation to theimproper use of an AustralianBusiness Number unlawful possession, manufac-ture, movement or sale of excis-able goods.The courts can impose security

bonds, community service orders,fines, additional penalties and forsome offences, prison sentences.Where a criminal conviction isimposed, it can affect theiremployment and travel outsideAustralia. The maximum penaltiesavailable to the courts for theseoffences are fines up to $5,500and/or 12 months imprisonmentper offence for individuals. Finesof up to $27,500 per offence canapply for companies, and a com-pany director can be held liablefor offences that a company hascommitted.In 2011-12, the majority of pros-

ecutions were in relation to tax-payers not lodging returns oractivity statements and taxpayersmaking false and misleading state-ments about their tax affairs.False and misleading statementoffencesFalse and misleading statementoffences include where peoplefalsely claim spouse tax offsetswhen they do not have a spouse,or claim deductions for work-

related or self-education expensesthey are not entitled to.

Taxpayers can be referred forprosecution for these offences fol-lowing an audit of their tax affairs.When taxpayers are found guiltyof these offences, the courts canimpose fines and additionalamounts up to three times theamount of tax evaded by the tax-payer. The taxpayer will also stillbe liable to pay the amount of taxthey evaded.

The following are example offalse and misleading statementoffences that resulted in success-ful prosecutions between 1 Apriland 30 June 2012. A Victorian social worker wasconvicted of making a false ormisleading statement and keepinga false record. She claimed a num-ber of work-related deductionsand offsets in her tax return,which were found to be false. Shealso provided a false receipt in anattempt to substantiate a workrelated deduction. She wasordered to pay additional amountsand fines of $3,520, as well as$4,317 reparation.Failure to lodge offencesTaxpayers who fail to lodge maybe subject to penalties, in additionto having to pay interest on out-standing tax. Where individualsfail to lodge despite our requests,we either issue a default taxassessment based on an estimateof income or refer the case forprosecution. In addition to imposing penaltieson taxpayers found guilty of theseoffences, the courts can also orderlodgement. Failure to comply withcourt orders can result in heavierpenalties or imprisonment or both.Following is an example of failureto lodge offences that resulted insuccessful prosecutions between 1April and 30 June 2012. An ACT plastering contractorwas convicted of five offences forfailing to lodge income tax returnsand 21 offences for failing tolodge GST returns. In sentencing,the Magistrate imposed a suspend-ed term of imprisonment of sixmonths and ordered that thedefendant pay surety of $1,000and to be of good behaviour for aperiod of two years.

No escape for tax cheats


Who, What, Where, When

Above & Right: Multicultural performances delighted the guestsat Fiji Senior Citizens and Satasang Assn. of Qld senior weekcelebration function.

The Annual Qld Surburban of Origin Soccer Tournament was held on 8 September at KingsSoccer Ground, Kingston. Details page 12 - Seniors Week Celebrations.

Senator Mark Furner posing with the guard on honour for the VIP reception at AccessCommunity Services held on 6 October.

Jazmin Woodruff from Chantex PtyLtd recently celebrated her birthdaywith staff members.

Mr & Mrs Shah from Spice Valley at Nundah gave a warmwelcome to Nanda Surendran and Usha Nair who were visitingfrom Adelaide.

Dr Rudesh son of Rudra and PratitaPrasad wed Dr Penelope on 30thSeptember 2012, an Indian style receptionwas held on 1st October at the largefamily residence in Forestdale in a taste-fully decorated Marquee, guests weretreated to an amazing display of firework.

The winners of Brisbane Malayalee tug-of-war was Brisbane North team who beat Annerley team. Below left: The patrons of Brisbane Malayalee cheering the winners at the presentation.

Eswaralaya Kalaikoodam students displaying their traditional danceartform at their annual function held at St Aidans College in Corinda.

26 THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, October, 2012 Call Trudi on 07 3356 0102

Spring Labour means SummerPleasure - Mulching By Charlie Compost

Wherever Indians have migrated, they havesucceeded in preserving their culinary her-itage by growing the vegetables they wouldnormally consume back home. I rememberpacking together my favourite chilli seedsprior to moving to Australia as if my lifedepended on it.Spring is the time to get into the garden

and make contact with the earth to enjoy abumper harvest in summer before theextreme Brisbane heat puts an abrupt stopto growth. With the heat-wave looming andforecasts of reduced rain, nothing is moreimportant than mulching.

In Brisbane, you are wasting your time gar-dening if you dont use mulch. It need notbe expensive. Consider the followingoptions:* bark * straw * horse manure* pebbles * grass clippings* newspaper * coirAny of these can do the job of keeping

your plants moist and happy.

What to Consider?* Remember to add nutrient fertilizer first* In Brisbane,also add gen-erous handfulsof lime ordolomite* Ensure thatthe mulchdoes not touchthe stems ofplants* Check for pests regularly

What should be mulched?Generally, everything except a handful ofplants that dont appreciate it. Some areoften overlooked. Consider these:

* whole garden beds * fruit trees includinglarge mango trees * container plants andtrees * seedling trays * germinatio trays.

Significant benefitsHere is a list of the main benefits ofmulching.* Water saving * healthier plants * morenutrients and aeration as mulch attractsearthworms * development of free-drainingsoil as the mulch decomposes * higher cropyields * less incidence of fungal diseases as

water does notsplash ontoplants * lessweeds * plantsurvival duringheat-waves *warming up thesoil in winter toget a headstart.

Mulch should not touchstem.

Container lettuce thrivingunder mulch.

Mulching a fallow bed inlate winter to warm- up soil.

For more detailed information andinstructive videos, log on to the

website atwww.worldvegetablegarden.

blogspot.com.au

If you have any comments or questions, or photos of your veggieplants to share, please email them

to [email protected]

Happy Gardening!

Sombre reflections in the Kanchanaburi Province Story and Pictures by Rama Gaind

THIS is one logo thats true to form: Amazing ThailandAlways Amazes You!Similar to a multi-faceted diamond, this Land of Smilesoffers a plethora of options for the discerning visitor whenit comes to deciding on where to stay and what to do.

Theres an abundance of choice: from sombre, thoughtfulinsights through the annals of history, green eco-adventure,an epicurean escapade and business to a memorable hon-eymoon, health and wellness, golfing, a holiday whereleisure activity is thoroughly satisfying and shopping whenretail therapy is an ideal way to unwind!

However, there is one trip that will stay with you for alltime. Relive many poignant moments as you recall the sac-rifices, obligatory through war, that were made byunknown soldiers decades ago so we could live in peaceand harmony today.

In the Kanchanaburi Province, located where the KhwaeNoi and Khwae Yai rivers converge into the Mae KlongRiver is where in 1942, under Japanese control, the famousBridge on the River Kwai was built by prisoners of war.

You take a nostalgic leap back in time as you walk acrossthe Bridge on the River Kwai; wander through the immac-

ulately maintainedKanchanaburi WarCemetery; get misty-eyedstrolling through the JEATHWar Museum; and marvel atthe Australian connectionwith the Hellfire PassMuseum.Reflective time at the warcemeteryThe Kanchanaburi WarCemetery (known locally asthe Don-Rak War Cemetery)is the main POW cemeteryassociated with victims ofthe Burma Railway.

Here you will find the

graves of thousands of World War II victims. There is alsoa plaque commemorating the sacrifices of the Indianforces. Almost 7000 former prisoners of war are buriedhere, mostly Australian, British and Dutch.

Experience some moving moments as you visit theJEATH (acronym for Japanese, English, Australian,American, Thai and Holland) WarMuseum, one of two in Thailand, aboutthe Death Railway built from 1942 to1943 by allied POWs under the direc-tion of the Japanese.

Kanchanaburi is home to the famousBridge on River Kwai. During WorldWar II, Japan constructed the metre-gauge railway line from Ban Pong,Thailand to Thanbyuzayat, Burma.

The 415-kilometre bridge is the mostfamous part of the Death Railway. Itwas constructed by 60,000 allied pris-oners of war and 180,000 Asian labour-ers who were forced to work on thebridge by the Japanese Army.

The construction was done using POWs and slave labour-ers in unfavourable conditions. The work, started inOctober 1942, was completed in a year.

JEATH War Museum displays graphic images of the ter-rible conditions inflicted on the many young men who diedand the many that survived to tell the story.

Be overcome by the bamboo hut with a collection of pho-tographs which depict the harsh conditions at the time. Hellfire Pass Memorial MuseumHellfire Pass Museum is an

Documents

BIT OCT 12 ISSUE