Media Release
Melbourne, Dec 3: The 10th Annual General Meeting of the Melbourne Konkan Community (MKC) was held on Saturday, November 26, 2021 in the parish hall of St Joseph’s Church Northcote, located in the inner suburb of Melbourne to elect their 11th president, core committee and the members of the extended committee for the year 2021-22.
Stephen P D’Souza, the returning officer who oversaw the AGM proceedings welcomed the gathering. Committee member Gilbert Menezes led the prayers thanking the Lord for guidance during the past year and for His choicest blessings for the year that lies ahead.
Thereafter, the minutes of the previous AGM were read by outgoing Secretary Jane D’Souza that was confirmed and passed. In his president’s report, the outgoing president Joe (Jawahar) Sequeira gave a brief description of the activities conducted during the year which was appreciated by one and all considering the difficult times we were in. Treasurer Richard Saldanha tabled a detailed ‘financial report’ of the association that was endorsed by two member’s signatures after a brief discussion.
The following were elected unanimously to the core committee for 2021-22: Philomen Fernandes - president; Loyal Andrade - vice-president; Dolly Sequeira Cutinho - secretary; Anita D’Souza -
treasurer
President-elect Philomen Fernandes has been in the forefront of the association for over a decade since its inception in 2011, holding various positions in the Association over the years and was the outgoing cultural secretary. She was instrumental in gathering the Konkans in Melbourne, even before the association was officially launched.
To support the core committee in their various activities: Maxim Rego will be the cultural secretary; Jerry Fernandes the sports secretary; Stevin Carvalho the media secretary and Gordon Lewiswill look after grants. Maxim Monis, Larissa D’Silva, Gilbert Menezes, Jane D’Souza, Jawahar Sequeira and Richard Saldanhawere appointed as general members thus making it a strong 14-member unit.
After the ‘handing over ceremony,’ a ‘joint oath’ was administered by the returning officer to the newly elected core members who pledged to adhere to the association’s by-laws. The president-elect Philomen Fernandes in her ‘acceptance speech’ thanked the outgoing committee and outlined her vision for the year ahead with the cooperation of one and all.
Melbourne Konkan Community (MKC) is a registered association based in Hoppers Crossing, Victoria, Australia. It welcomes all Mangalurean Catholics residing in Melbourne to be part of this growing community of over a thousand members. MKC Committee members can be contacted by emailing to mkonkanc@gmail.com or via Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/MelbourneKonkanCommunity. Website: https://mkc.net.au