PAWA Membership Renewal Reminder for 2008-2009

Dear Members,

The membership dues for the 2008-2009 session are now due wef 01July 2008.

Please note that although we have been able to raise the number of paid members still we need many more so that they have more say in the affairs of PAWA. Additionally with few paid members we are at times not even considered for certain grants from the government because that is the number which counts when we submit our proposals. Another issue of having few paid members is that their votes actually does not represent the decision of the entire community. The more numbers we have the more chances of right people being elected in the executive committee by majority votes rather than being appointed unopposed, which we have seen in the past. So please come forward and ask your friends to become paid members of PAWA and select people of your choice. After all it is a "community work" and each of us have to share the responsibility.

If you decide to renew, kindly go to our website (www.pakistanassociation.com) and make it convenient for yourself to pay directly into our account mentioned there but do include your name. The rates and categories of membership are also listed there. We only receive the bank statements after a month and at times the names are not mentioned, so it is worthwhile to send us an email once you have paid to our account.

If you are not ready to renew, please suit yourself, but we will still try to provide complimentary services by keeping you informed of all our activities/events. However, please remember, this meagre amount is the only regular source of revenue for PAWA and we need to keep our flagship sailing.

Thanks and Kind Regards
Executive Committee

Periodic Update from the PAWA President
8 April 2008

Dear Community Members, ASOAK.

1. Thanks for so many of you who have registered through our website after the Pakistan Day Function. We are really delighted that we have so many countrymen in Perth who are willing to gather for a cause. Kindly propagate through your word-of-mouth to others as well to do the same or pass on their email contact directly to us.

2. Just to keep you up-to-date. Yesterday was the last date to apply for Women 2008 grant offered by the Government of Western Australia. We have prepared two projects for the Women Chapter/Wing of PAWA:

a. Healthy Lifestyle.
b. Integrating with the communities

Each of these carry $3000/=. I will keep my fingers crossed and wish both are approved. However, even if only one is approved, it will start a new chapter for the welfare of ladies in our community. The projects aim at organising seminars, workshops, meetings and focus groups to cater for the above two areas. I am sure it will create a better understanding amongst women and young girls of our community and from here on they can move forward and participate in even bigger and better projects. I am confident that we all are capable to delivering our best, we just need a runway from where we can take-off and then fly happily in the skies.

3. Mr CP Singh, a renown psychologist, met us during the pakistan day function. He has offered to provide free psychology consultancy to any of our community member. Please contact him on: charan.singh@miraquin.com.au. Tel:93151852.

4. A centrelink government officer who visited our food stall during the harmony week has kindly consented to provide voluntary service to all our community members in case they require any personalised and confidential help, interpreter services, discuss issues on payments, discuss entitlements while overseas etc . Her name is: May Rebello. Tel: 94648164, 0411670812 and email: may.mh.rebello@centrelink.gov.au.

5. Mr Mohammad Ali Mir of FABCAR , Shepperton Road, was very much impressed by the last function he attended and has been kind to help sponsor our sporting activities and other events.

6. We also have a tentative plan to organise a community picnic, children program and possibly a mushaira in the near future and will keep you informed of the developments.

7. We have received names of quite a few volunteers for the various chapters/wings we intend to start, but still need more to form a working group for each wing. Once we get the chapters/wings organised it will be the responsibility of the Coordinator of the wing to manage the affairs and PAWA can concentrate on more important policy and pressing issues. There has been tremendous support from the community on this initiative but we need to be cautious and careful in our planning and ensure right people lead the chapter. So if we start one or two chapters now and include others later on it would be viable strategy. The inclusion of women chapter has already helped us in justifying our case for the women grant as mentioned above and so too will the other chapters. We have enough volunteers for the women wing, but at this stage intend to start one another wing as a pilot case. Anyone having any suggestion as to which one should it be???? We think: Either Arts & Culture or Youth & Sports (including students). Based on the outcome of this pilot chapter, we can then decide on how to strategize the other wings. This may be a time consuming exercise but is worth the effort and will give a new structure to PAWA.

8. Thanks again for your storm of emails praising the pak day function and also for your suggestions which we will surely try to address in our forthcoming events. If you have any other suggestion/feedback, do keep the communication channel open so that we can improve.

Thanks for your forbearance.

Regards
ARIF SIKANDER
for Executive Committee

Executive Committee for 2007-2008
10 November 2007

The election of office bearers of the new executive committee members was held on 28th October, 2007. A list of these new members can be found in the ABOUT US section. The elected office bearers were:

• President: Arif Sikander
• Secretary: Shakil Khan
• Treasurer: Yasmeen Ghauri

PAWA Community Radio Service - Pakistan Ki Awaz
6 October 2007

The Executive Committee is pleased to announce that World Radio 6EBA has approved the Radio program broadcast by Pakistan Association of WA to serve their wider community of people from Pakistan and other urdu speaking communities living in WA. The program shall resume on air in the near future on every Tuesday from 11 pm to 12 midnight on 95.35 FM. If convenient, the members may record the program and listen in their own time.

We would like to congratulate the previous and the current Executive Committees who joined hands in a two years struggle to bring the program back on air by our Association. All our members are requested to please forward their suggestions for improvements in this program which solely represents and belongs to you - the community!

The Association shall welcome the donations and kind sponsorships from the community who like to support the good cause.