Page 3764 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 23 October 2013

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Canberra to study at the ANU, University of Canberra and other education institutions. Gujaratis are also well represented in Canberra’s professional population.

The committee of the Gujarati Samaj of the ACT is the president, Chandresh Kotecha, the vice president, Jigar Gosai, the treasurer, Mehul Dhanesha, the secretary, Kaushal Vora, the cultural activity organisers—Tejal Patel, Neelam Bhatt, and Ritesh Patel—and the committee members—Jay Patel, Jayesh Mehta, Arun Bhatt, Prakash Panchal, Bony Patel, Ankur Patel and Neha Thakkar.

Gujarati Samaj of the ACT receives significant sponsorship to help with staging its many cultural activities. I would like to place on the record my thanks to all the sponsors, including St George Bank, Quantum group, Mighty Asian Grocery, Desi Bazzar, Apna Indian Bazaar, barrett ELTON, Loyal rugs and floors, bE Money, Aussie Home Loans, Shivam Electrical Contractors, Hair Nitesh, Structure Point, Patel Travel and Specsavers.

I would also like to thank Kanti Vipin, Jacob Vadakkedathu, Roy Parekh and others who welcomed me so warmly.

I congratulate all those involved with Gujarati Samaj of the ACT on a very successful navaratri celebration. For more information about Gujarati Samaj of the ACT and its events I recommend members visit their website at www.gujaratisamajcanberra.com.

Duke of Edinburgh’s award

MR DOSZPOT (Molonglo) (6.11): Madam Speaker, last night, along with our colleague from the Assembly Brendan Smyth, I was pleased to be a guest at the Duke of Edinburgh’s award ACT, and I thank the board of directors: chair, Justine Power; members, Antony Ladomirski, Katharine Pinkerton, Rae-Maree Powell and Matthew Power; and the CEO, Maureen Burdett, for the invitation. I thank the board of directors also for the recognition of some outstanding young people from the community through the gold award presentations 2013 that were made last night.

The CEO and MC for the Duke of Edinburgh awards ACT, Ms Maureen Burdett, mentioned that the 2013 recipients for the Duke of Edinburgh’s gold awards were the most diverse and interesting residentials she has seen in 18 years. The residentials section requires gold participants to spend four nights and five days away from their normal peers contributing to the community in which they find themselves.

Some of the activities included World Vision trek for trafficking, aimed at assisting in preventing child labour; representing Australia at the international olympiad for geography in Kyoto, Japan, and winning a gold medal in the process, three young people put themselves out there to assist, lead and work hard for St Vincent de Paul and other Christian youth camps; a conservation project for the sustainable rebuilding of a coral reef in Bali; two went on a personal training course that covered England and Wales; another assisted at a leadership management course named blazing swords; volunteering as an English teacher took one participant to Warsaw in Poland; a musician travelled to and took part in an extraordinary music camp; a study of the battlefields of Europe included France, Belgium and Germany; travelling with the


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