Dear Visitor ji,
Rain has been like a soothing balm on the parched and burnt bosom of our beautiful country. All bushfires in the NSW are now officially under control and two of the longest burning fires are out. Nature also brought with it hailstorms and floods, causing lot of damage. It has been an extraordinarily catastrophic summer.
We pay our humble tribute to firefighters who lost their lives in protecting us, our condolences to those who lost their loved ones, and those who suffered property losses. We thank firefighters, SES, police, defence force, volunteers and communities who rallied together to keep us safe and provided bushfire relief in multiple ways.
The Australian spirit of giving, cooperation and compassion was obvious everywhere and contributions flowed in for bushfire relief. FINACT members contributed to bushfire relief in various ways and are continuing to organise activities to further raise funds.
The ACT Multicultural Festival is on from 21-23 February. FINACT and several FINACT member organisations will be participating.
FINACT’s 2nd General Council Meeting was hosted by the ACT Multicultural Minister and FINACT Patron Mr Chris Steel MLA at the ACT Legislative Assembly on 05 February 2020. Minister Steel shared with members about progress on several important activities and appreciated bushfire relief support by member organisations. The Minister informed about first Multicultural Ministers (federal and state/territory) meeting in February and the Canberra Benchmark study, both are opportunities for communities to contribute. FINACT is appreciative of support from Minister Steel and his office.
FINACT’s signature event ‘AusIndia Fair’ on Sat 28 March 2020 is dedicated to Bushfire Relief. Please note it in your calendar as it is an event not to be missed. Planning is also underway for open and inclusive celebration of Harmony Day on the same day that is Sat 28 March 2020. Planning for Student’s Workshop is also in its final stages.
Hope you have returned rejuvenated from holidays and festivities. Please stay safe and keep your immunity levels strong. Best wishes to all to continue to keep hearts and homes open in the Australian spirit of giving and inclusiveness.
Sunita S Dhindsa
President
“Without water, life would just be rock.” - Anthony T. Hincks
Upcoming Events
AusIndia FairTM 2020 - Sat 28 March
Federation of Indian Associations of ACT (FINACT) and its member associations along with the ACT Government and the High Commission of India in Australia are organising the 3rd AusIndia FairTM event on Sat 28 March 2020. AusIndia FairTM is the biggest Australian-Indian event that promotes a holistic India and proudly showcases the progressiveness of Australia and India fusion.
The first and second AusIndia Fairs were held at Stage 88 Commonwealth Park Canberra, an outdoor venue. The 3rd AusIndia Fair will be held at an indoor location, The Thoroughbred Park, 1 Randwick Road, Lyneham, ACT to give our sponsors and audience a better experience, safe from weather's vagaries.
Please contact us for sponsorship and stalls.
Our Sponsors
Invitation for an Interactive Session on Union Budget 2020-21 - Thurs 20 February
National Multicultural Festival - 21-23 Feb 2020
Canberra's biggest multicultural festival - National Multicultural Festival will kick-off this weekend (Friday 21- Sunday 23 February). FINACT and its member organisations will be showcasing Indian culture and food this year, as we have been doing for many years.
We encourage Canberrans to come and experience Indian hospitality and entertainment near Stage 4.
Please do not miss the National Multicultural Festival Parade that has everything from beautiful exotic costumed dancers and marching cultural bands, to magnificent floats.
FINACT will have a stall E-57 on Sun 23 February (10am - 4pm).
All member organisations are welcome to make use of it.
Please visit FINACT Stall Number E57, on Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm.
Other stalls are as follows:
Please visit Indian High Commission information stall
When: Saturday 22 February all day
Where: Stall Number E55 Near Stage 4
What: Information and promotion of Indian tourism and culture
 
Association: ACT Telangana Association
When: Fri 21 and Sat 22 February all day
Where: Stall Number E59 - E60
What: Telangana food
 Association: Canberra Punjabi Sports and Cultural Association
When: Sat 22 February
Where: Stall Number E35
What: Welcome to Punjab (Punjabi Food)
When: Sat 22 February
Where: Stall Number E56 - India in City - Near Stage 4
What: Visit Punjab, display of Punjab's culture, digital information about Punjab, tourism information, try out bhangra dress.
 Association: Canberra Sikh Association
When: Fri 21 - Sun 23 February all days
Where: Stall Number E64 - Near Stage 4
What: Free water to public, turban tying demonstration and Sikh martial arts performances - don't miss!
 Association: Gujarati Samaj of ACT
When: Sat 22 February 10am - 11pm
Where: Stall Number E57 - Near Stage 4
What: Display of Gujarat State as follows:
- Traditional dresses of Gujarat ( we will have few people come dress ) and also provide some pair of male and female dress for photo booth.
- We will have a TV display where we can show unique culture of Gujarat.
- Display items – Dandia sticks, artistic Garba pots, Kites, traditional musical instruments, arts from Kutch etc.
- Display replica like - Statue of unity, Gandhi’s Charkha, Mahatma Gandhi
 Association: Oriya Association (OriOz)
When: Saturday 22 February all day
Where: Stall Number E58 - Near Stage 4
What: Display of Oriya culture and tourism
Telugu Association of Canberra Invites for Raagam Taanam Pallavi - Sat 29 February 2020
NATA Invites for Ugadhi 2020 - 28 March 2020
UGADHI Pacchadi competitions, Fashion show, traditional festival themes and many more things yet to see during the event.
On 16th Feb 2020 His Excellency Indian High Commissioner A. Gitesh Sarma garu released our 28th Mar 2020 Indian New Year 2020 Celebrations flyer.
Bushfire Fund Raising Events & Activities
The whole community was pained by the devastating bushfires across several states. All community members contributed as per their affordability and convenience individually as well as collectively as members of their associations.
 Australian Tamil Cultural Society along with several other volunteering members organised a wonderful fund raising event Vegetarian Food Fair at the Shri Vishnu Shiva Mandir Mawson and collected over $10,000 for Bushfire Relief support activities.
These enthusiastic members have tirelessly worked for weeks, preparing all related items & attracted the multicultural community to this massive fund raising event.
We had a sudden influx of members from both North & South Canberra along with our NSW friends who attended the event & supported us very well. The huge amount raised from this event was handed over to the ACT Volunteers for their day & night bushfire relief support activities.
We thank each one of you for attending this event a grand memorable one, in spite of all natural hazards stuck Canberra during these days.
Canberra Sikh Community and Mehak Punjab Di
Canberra’s Sikh community organised the fund raising at Sikh Temple and generated significant donations in cash and kind.
Members of Mehak Punjab Di along with Turban4Australia Took the truckload of supplies including generators and stoves to Cobargo. Volunteers were highly appreciated by the victims and the wider community.
In Canberra Mehak Punjab Di and Sikh community cooked lunch for victims and volunteers at Dickson relief centre in ACT.
Canberra Punjabi Sports and Cultural Association (CPSCA) too has raised about $1,500 during bush fire appeal which was directly paid to the RFS NSW Account by the contributors. Many CPSCA members, Sikh community and many other community members who attended Gurudwara in Weston contributed generously to a truck load of required goods that were delivered to bushfire affected communities in the South Coast.
Kite Festival 2020 Dedicated to Fund Raising
Gujarati Samaj of the ACT organised their annual event Kite Festival to celebrate Makar Sankranti festival (Uttarayan-2020) and raised the funds in excess of $2,000 for Rural Fire Services and bushfire victims.
All community members and event participants sympathised with those impacted by the devastating bushfires across our country and those working hard to fight them. The bravery of our firefighters, emergency services, volunteers and the military has been inspiring and the kindness of individuals and community groups incredibly heart-warming.
Gujarati Samaj thanks for your support as we all work together to help those affected access relief and recover.
Bhajan Sandhya & Visit to Braidwood by the HTCC
The Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre (HTCC) in Florey organised a Bhajan Sandhya and raised about $1,000 to help bushfire affected areas. A special bushfire help appeal was also sent to its members to donate directly. A trip was also organised to visit bushfire-affected areas in Bungendore and Braidwood to support local communities.
HTCC also handed over contribution / collections in kind to local volunteers. All trip participants spent money in local shops and farmers' market.
Fund Raising Events by Hindu Council of Australia
The Hindu Council of Australia has already raised over $30,000 for bushfire victims. It includes over $16,000 of contribution from their constituent the HSS. Hindu Council of Australia is also looking forward to another big fund raising event that is being organised in Sydney on 23 February 2020.
Your input/event for FINACT newsletter is appreciated and welcome
Newsletter for communities
 You will appreciate that newsletters are critical instrument and platform to meet our functional, operational and strategic communication needs. We have been using this infrastructure for long to effectively interact with you.
Funding under the digital grants from the ACT Government has further boosted our capabilities and confidence in meeting our objectives. We thank the ACT Government for their generosity that enables us to extend our tools to our member associations. Please see below for more information on how you can use this feature.
As you know FINACT newsletter is generally published once a month. If our member associations like to publish their organisation's event in the FINACT newsletter, please provide the following information:
- Event name, date, time and venue followed by text
- Text in word format (not PDF)
- Text within 150 words
- One image/picture if needed.
If you have a flyer ready for the event then FINACT can also publish the flyer in the newsletter.
You can submit this information at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by the last week of month - marked as For FINACT Newsletter.
What else FINACT can do for you?
We acknowlege that not all associations can afford to have mailing lists or tools to regularly interact/communicate with their members. FINACT has tools and capacity to be of your assistance. You may subscribe your members on our subscription page.
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