Dear Visitor ji,
Wish you all a very happy Diwali! This Diwali may bring happiness, prosperity and joy to you and all your family!
In this issue we share with you key events, meetings and a glimpse of festivities from Navratri celebrations by community members. Now that the lockdown is over with a high rate of vaccination, we can celebrate Diwali in-person with family and friends. Hopefully there will not be any more lockdowns in 2022 - keep fingers crossed!
Recognition of Covaxin allows stranded Australian citizens to return to Australia free of quarantine, including immediate family members who can reunite with family, which is great news. FINACT has been lobbying for these issues for some time and we are very pleased with the positive developments.
Have a happy, safe and blessed Diwali!!
Shanti Reddy
FINACT President
Covaxin (Bharat Biotech, India) is recognised by TGA!
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has recognised Covaxin for the purpose of establishing a traveller’s vaccination status. See latest advice from the TGA here.
This is a welcoming news and timely decision as it paves the way for Australians stranded in India to take advantage of the opening of international borders from 1 November. This is also significant news for international students to resume studies on campus, parents and other immediate family members to reunite with their family in Australia.
Great outcome indeed. FINACT has been lobbying for this outcome in the last few weeks by raising this issue with relevant ACT and Federal government authorities. This is an excellent outcome for the community.
Updates on International Travel
From 1 November 2021, Australian citizens and permanent residents aged 12 and over who have received two doses of an approved or recognised vaccine will be able to leave Australia without needing an outwards travel exemption. Children under 12 and those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons will also be able to travel overseas without an exemption.
You will need to show airline staff your International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate (ICVC), which you can get through your myGov account. Australian citizens and permanent residents who do not meet the eligibility requirements must continue to follow the current border processes when leaving Australia or coming to Australia.
From 22 October 2021, parents of Australian citizens and permanent residents are eligible to apply for a travel exemption, for travel to Australia from 1 November 2021. Minister for Home Affairs The Hon Karen Andrews MP said the changes would reunite many families separated by the pandemic. Read more details here.
Eligible parents must be fully vaccinated from COVID-19 before travelling to Australia. Vaccination status will be checked by airline staff at time of check-in and their exemption will not be valid for travel if vaccination status cannot be evidenced.
Applications for a travel exemption can be made through the Department of Home Affairs Travel Exemption Portal, for travel to Australia from 1 November 2021. A variety of parental relationships are recognised, including biological, adoptive, legal, step-parent, and parent-in-law.
Diwali Messages
FINACT General Council Meeting - 18 Oct
FINACT hosted its first General Council (GC) Zoom meeting on 18 October. Multicultural Minister Tara Cheyne graced the meeting as the chief guest. We thank the minister for taking time to meet with member organisations. The Minister acknowledged the amazing work done by FINACT members in the past 12 to 18 months in terms of supporting the Canberra Community during the pandemic. She also briefed the audience about the upcoming Multicultural Act as well as the community centre at EPIC. Finally, she encouraged associations to apply for the Multicultural Participation Grant which is now open to all associations.
It was a great opportunity for our member organisations to interact with the Minister showcasing the depth and breadth of community services provided by FINACT member organisations covering a wide range of topics such as organising cultural events, festivals, health and sports activities, music competitions, webinars, etc.
Minister Cheyne appreciated the introductions and expressed interest in engaging with FINACT and its member organisations in future. FINACT looks forward to working with the Minister on a number initiatives highlighted in the meeting including the community centre.
The meeting also hosted Azra Khan, Senior Director, Dr Sally Singleton, Medical Officer and Vanessa Dal Molin, Executive Branch Manager (Exemptions) from the ACT Health Directorate as guest speakers who have provided an update on various issues related to post-lockdown strategies.
We thank our member organisation for their participation and interactions during the productive General Council meeting
Meetings and Engagement
Meeting with the Executive Group Manager, ACT CSD
 FINACT EC had a very productive Zoom meeting with Christine Murray, Executive Group Manager, Community Service Directorate (CSD), on 25 October 2021.
We discussed a wide range of topics of community interest such as - guidance on unrecognised vaccines in Australia (which has been subsequently resolved on 1 November), extension of approved grants beyond December 2021 without impacting next round of applications due in November, community engagement in the design of proposed Community Centre, reporting mechanism to capture racism incidents, opportunity for FINACT to provide community views on the proposed Multicultural Act, and FINACT’s dedicated team which will be providing assistance to domestic and family violence victims.
We look forward to further interaction with CSD in a constructive and positive way, providing community inputs.
Meeting with the High Commissioner of India
 FINACT EC members met with His Excellency Mr Manpreet Vohra, High Commissioner of India and Mr Narendra Rana, Counsellor (C & CW), on 18 October.
It was our first in-person meeting in a long time! His Excellency showed interest to get to know the members and the upcoming events, offered excellent guidance on various matters, and extended his full support to FINACT.
FINACT looks forward to continuing our long standing partnership, collaboration and cooperation in working with the Indian High Commission providing valued services to the Indian diaspora in the ACT and the surrounding region.
FINACT Sub-committee on Domestic and Family Violence
FINACT General Council has approved in May and July meetings to set-up a dedicated team to assist with domestic and family violence matters in the community.
The sub-committee will facilitate referrals, provide information, and raise awareness about domestic and family violence. It will engage communities in supporting, developing, and implementing prevention strategies.
The sub-committee will be under the administrative oversight of the FINACT Executive Committee and will follow FINACT’s policies and constitution. It will be managed by the DFV Coordinator with the support of four members who are currently being engaged, following an Expression of Interest (EOI) process which concludes on 4 November.
Farewell Dinner for Mr Ajay Agarwal
FINACT hosted in-person get together on 23 October to say goodbyes to Mr. Ajay Agarwal from the High Commission of India. After 3 years of outstanding service in Canberra, Mr Agarwal is heading over to the next posting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
Thanks to the gradual easing of COVID restrictions in ACT from 18 October, it was a great occasion to meet in-person over dinner. It was a quite relaxed and special evening where all members in attendance recounted fond memories working with Mr. Agarwal over the last three years.
HE Mr Manpreet Vohra, High Commissioner of India, thanked Mr Agarwal for his excellent service and support to the community. Mr Agarwal thanked everyone for the kind words and warm farewell.
Festivals & Celebrations
Diwali Celebrations by Hindu Council of Australia
Hindu Council of Australia in association with the High Commission of India organised Deepavali (Festival of Lights) celebrations at the Centre Court of the South Point Shopping Mall, Tuggeranong, Canberra, on 30 October from 10 am to 4 pm.
The celebrations started with Ganesh Vandana and the Lighting up of the Lamp by Pandit Arjun Sudharshan followed by welcome speech by Mr Prakash Mehta, President, Hindu Council of Australia, followed by Deepavali Greetings and messages from the High Commissioner of India, HE Mr Manpreet Vohra and Mr Dean Sahu Khan, President, Canberra Interfaith Forum.
Chair ACT Chapter Hindu Council of Australia Mr Santosh Gupta delivered the vote of thanks. Refreshments were provided after the inauguration. There were over 100 people at the inauguration and more than 300 people attended the celebrations. Free Henna tattooing was arranged and Diyas, sparklers and sweets were distributed during the entire celebrations.
Navratri Celebrations by Gujarati Samaj of ACT
Navratri is celebrated with devotion and full enthusiasm in Gujarat; however, it looked a little different this year for the Gujarati community in Canberra. The community sadly didn’t enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of their favourite festival gathering together, but they were fortunate to have a taste of the action by tuning into the virtual Navratri and live dandiya event organised by Gujarati Samaj of ACT.
Amid the restrictive environment induced by the pandemic, it was hard to bring the spirit to life, however, all the members eagerly dressed up most of the nights and participated by playing Garba in their own home; glimpse of which could be seen in the pictures below.
Diwali and Annakut
Gujarati Samaj of ACT on behalf of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Canberra warmly invites you, your family and friends for Gujarati New Year Annakut darshan.
Date: Sat 06 Nov 2021
Venue: Flynn Community Hall, 21 Bingle Street, Flynn
Due to COVID19 restrictions, this year the Annakut darshan timings are in pre-defined time slots. Please use the link below to select your suitable time slot.
http://can.bapsanz.org/annakut/#/
Tamil Golu Celebrations
In Tamil Nadu, the Navaratri festival is associated with golu - a step by step arrangement of dolls which are carefully selected and collected over a period of time. Golu tradition started during the time of Vijayanagara kings and has continued to this day in many Tamil families.
A day before Navaratri begins, women arrange golu dolls on decorated steps. A woman's collection starts when she, as the new bride, is given a pair of wooden dolls by her parents called the Marapachi bommai (bommai meaning doll). It is a custom to add more dolls every year. On the last day, the kolu dolls are put to sleep to be awakened again in a year’s time.
Several families in Canberra carry out this beautiful tradition, celebrating it with great fervour. Once the golu is set, the ladies would invite other ladies to their houses to visit their golu and receive tamboolam or vethrilai paaku – a collection of auspicious items such as turmeric and kumkum, betel leaves, fruits etc. Along with goku, the visitors are treated to yummy delights, principal among them being ‘sundal’, a healthy snack made of lentils.
This year the celebrations were a bit muted due to the lockdown which meant that only two people could visit at a time. The lockdown may have made it somewhat simpler, but it also added creativity to the golus. Some went online, hosting zoom meetings, others showed dolls with masks or cbr checkin.
The dolls are resting now and will be brought out again in 2022 with new optimism and enthusiasm.
NATA Badminton Championship
NATA is organising the Canberra Indian Community Badminton Championship on 21st November 2021 @2PM onwards at ANU Sport Hall and is open to everyone in the ACT Indian Community. The registration link as well as the contact email address is given below.
Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1styI0k75iK12fcsIESo2TvXMod7Fx7e75PFaG21Ph20/viewform?edit_requested=true
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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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:
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If you have a flyer ready for the event then FINACT can also publish the flyer in the newsletter.
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Sponsorship Appreciated for FINACT Events
We understand that one of the main reasons to sponsor a tournament and any event could be to promote one’s business and generate goodwill in the community. Sponsoring the FINACT events will give you brand recognition among the fastest-growing community group of Indians in the ACT and increase sales or traffic to sponsor’s website through their banner on our website (www.finact.net.au ).
Indians are the fastest growing population in Australia. This has resulted in increased air traffic between India and Australia; increased telecommunication; and enhanced trade and cultural ties. For sporting events - players and their supporters make playing cricket a fiercely competitive and memorable event. They will promote the game and use your services to show their appreciation.
In addition to providing an excellent opportunity to connect with the Indian sub-continent communities, the FINACT events' sponsorship will:
- enable sponsors to reach out to wider community groups in ACT and surrounds
- fulfil sponsors business objectives and attract sizeable potential customers
- provide a lasting impression of their business
- promote sports and physical activities in the community
- motivate and assist young players participating in the tournament and community activities
- attract favourable feedback from organisers and media partners
- generate great feel-good stories in Indian community and back to India and neighbouring countries and
- fulfil sponsor’s corporate and social responsibilities
If you are willing to or interested in sponsoring our events, please contact us soon.
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