Toronto East Goan Seniors Association - Taste of Goa 2005

 

Message of Thanks from Olga Madeira
Welcome:
Bon diaz, deu boro dise, bonjour, Namasta, Jumbo and a very warm welcome to each and everyone of you. I feel privileged to be your cultural secretary.

On behalf of Toronto East Goan Seniors Association, our sincere thanks to you Rev Fr. Michael Brosnan for celebrating Mass with us. - your inspiring homily is an uplift for all of us.

Getting to know Harlen D’Souza was an important aspect and we thank her for her kind support and help. Also John Kennedy and Bayani who has given us a helping hand to set this place.

Thanks to ushers, readers and communion ministers.

A big thank you to the choir co-ordinators- Bruno Saldanha & Placido Madeira. Talented musical group-Clara & Shaada Pereira, Ben Fernandes and his dad Louis who very willingly made time for us. Specially Ben who was extremely busy studying for his final exams and his entrance into University. Marshal Fernandes whose encouragement, his involvement with the Konkani hymns and getting his group of friends to sing the hymns made the celebration of the mass special. Finally thanks to the entire congregation for praising God which was meaningful and heart warming.

Planning this event Taste of Goa has been exciting. Through the many months of preparation, I was lucky to have the opportunity to communicate with many of our seniors and others who were enthusiastic and cheerful. Their response and support has been great and they are here today. But most importantly, this event turned out to be a good learning experience for me as well as for the executive committee members.

On a brief note it would be good to remember Cyril Fernandes who is in spirit with us. A soft spoken person who shared his musical talent with many of us. Today his brothers Bosco and Loyd would like to dedicate their musical talents in his memory. Joining the two guys are Louis Pereira, Manuel Coutinho and Santan D’Mello who have willingly volunteered to entertain you all. Charles Fernandes and Alex Pereira have come forward to get you into the Goa mood and make this an enjoyable event. With no further delay, here is our President to greet you.

Olga Madeira

Message from TEGSA President Claude Gomes
Today the Toronto East Goan Seniors Assn are celebrating their very first cultural event ‘’The Taste of Goa’’ an event showcasing the customs, the arts and traditions of the Goan people.

It is the mission of our Assn. to promote and share cultural, historic and artistic legacy of the seniors. It is my hope that in coming years, events of this nature will flourish and strengthen our community spirit of togetherness.

To organize an event of this kind needs hard work and dedication, and I am pleased to announce that our Cultural secretary Olga Madeira and the executive committee did an excellent job.

Our thanks to Father Michael Brosnan for celebrating this morning’s mass and a special thank you to the musicians and the choir.

Our thanks to all the performers, the musicians, the volunteers and our upcoming entrepreneurs for supporting us today.

And now Ladies & Gentlemen I would like to introduce to you a member from our Goan community…..Cassandra Fernandes; Cassandra is a policy and community consultant in the Strategic and Corporate Policy Division at the City of Toronto.She has managed various Governance Committees, such as the Toronto Mayor’s Roundtable on Access, Equity and Human Rights as well as, the working Group on the status of Women and Gender equity.Cassandra has received recognition awards such as the Remarkable Woman’s Award, the Human Rights Award, and Mayor David Millers Appreciation award. She is also a author of the book "Hate : Communities Can Respond which is a comprehensive handbook of legal and community remedies.Cassandra has strongly supported the GOA charitable organization and the TEGSA. She has connected us to resources, provided ideas and consultation, and is our strong ally. I want to thank Cassandra for joining us today.

Speech by Cassandra Fernandes
Thank you Mr. Claude Gomes for your wonderful introduction. It is a pleasure and honour for me to be here today.
Congratulations! Congratulations to the President, the Board of Directors, the Board Committee, the Cultural Secretary, the volunteers and the members of the Toronto East Goan Seniors Association. I commend you for your great abilities and skills in planning, designing, producing and organizing such an extensive event today.

On this note I would like to also recognize the seniors for their strengths particularly courage, love, honour and generosity.

I call you the courageous Goan seniors. Because you have the courage – the courage to start a life in a new country irrespective of your age, the courage to make new friends in a new country, the courage to take the transit and travel alone, the courage to break away from isolation and loneliness.

I call you loving seniors because you have taught us how to give within our families, you have taught us how to share the little we have, you have taught us how to love and that life is not perfect, you have shown us how to live peacefully together.

I call you the honourable seniors – because you have made so many sacrifices, you started with little in this country yet you stayed out of debt.

I call you the generous seniors – because you are still taking care of your grand child, you run after the toddler, you cook tasty food, you make the house – a home. It is so nice to come home and know that your mum or dad is there, waiting for you and that your kids are so safe with them.

So my dear seniors I want to thank you on behalf of our generation. I want to say thank you from those who have difficulty appreciating you. I want to say thank you for being our wise leaders. Because of your leadership and drive today there is an association. It is none other than the Toronto East Goan Seniors Association. Having your own association has been part of your dream, your vision, and now your dream has come true. You have made this happen. Goan volunteers have made this happen. Your attendance makes this a success. And once again in the true spirit of a Goan you have built yet another strong community, with a circle of friends to connect with, a Thursday evening to look forward to, a place to meet, have fun and laugh together – a meeting place for happiness.

The City of Toronto supports the Building of Strong Communities. When Olga Madeira contacted me and asked how the City could assist with by-law development, space, financial resources, I was happy to provide her the connections and information. Because I know it is so important that Goan seniors have access to community space, have access to grants so that you can continue to build the community with different projects. I was discussing how important it is to train seniors in leadership, for example the TEGSA Board of Directors could coach 8 other Goan members to be observers at board meetings, so that you get the chance to learn how to be a board member, what are the roles and responsibilities and can have the confidence to volunteer not only for Goans but also for your neighbourhood communities.

TEGSA is a beautiful name. It is as mysterious as the name Goan. The word GOA brings such beautiful memories to all Goans – those born in Goa and those born out of Goa. The sounds of the ocean at Candolim beach, the beautiful brown sands, the lush green coconut groves, the screeching of a pig in the distance, the kicking up of a duststorm, the stretches of paddy fields, the nestling of watermelons, the taste of feni, the smell of vindaloo, the bangdas and fresh fish and oh, the familiarity of the people, the hospitality of the culture, oh what nostaglia. No doubt we are so proud to be Goan. And we have Goans living in all parts of the world. At first we feel that we are different because we’ve lived in different countries but after a few words together, we realise we are just one big family with our many differences.

The City of Toronto recognizes the rights of seniors. According to the 2001 Census there are approximately 338,000 seniors in Toronto over the age of 65, representing 14 per cent of the City's total population of 2.5 million. Seniors are the fastest growing age group. Women make up a large share of the senior population, especially in the very oldest age range. Roughly one in every four seniors in Toronto lives alone. Current life expectancy in Toronto is estimated at 79 years.

Seniors comes from over 200 countries and speak over 100 languages and dialects. Toronto Mayor, His Worship David Miller has set up a special Roundtable on Seniors to receive advice from seniors. The members of this roundtable are there to represent you. So I recommend that TEGSA be registered with the city as a seniors organisation. You can get connected and start receiving a copy of the agenda and minutes and will know what is being done for seniors at the City. Some priorities identified by seniors are affordable housing, homeless seniors, seniors at risk, income, recreation.

In the last term of Council ending in 2003 the Seniors Task Force reported some good news.

1) They said that the Toronto Public Health is providing excellent cost-efficient programs and services for seniors. So contact your local Scarborough Public Health office and they will assist you with their programs.

2) They said that they like the “Oversized Street Sign Program”. This was recommended by seniors so that they could read the street signs.

3) They said they like the TTC’s Easier Access program. This has made public transportation much more accessible to people in need.

4) They said they like the increased resources for the Home Library Services. Make use of the Home Library Services and call 416     395 5557.

5) They said they like the work the City is doing to address Elder Abuse. Get to know your rights and start speaking out against all     types of abuse.

6) They said they like the work of the Toronto Police Service called, “Project Senior” to deal with fraud.

7) They said they like the 211 telephone service which you can call from your home for information on social services to the public.

They reported some bad news for which further work needs to be done. These are:

1) Over 6,000 Toronto seniors aged 65 and over are hospitalised each year due to injuries from falls. Make sure your family or     friends conduct a safety audit for your home.

2) Seventy percent of Ontario’s seniors do not have dental insurance.

3) Insufficient funding to Homemaking Services results in seniors being put in costly institutions.

4) In June 2002, 12,626 seniors were on the Toronto Social Housing Connections waiting list. Call Housing Connections at 416    981-6111 to apply for subsidized housing in the Toronto area.

5) Seniors do not know of the Parks and Recreation “Welcome Policy”.

6) From 1998 to 2000, seniors accounted for almost 43% of the fire deaths in Toronto. Families and friends of older adults – please     contact your Fire department for their checklist on a Home Fire Safety Check. Seniors must be taught of fire safety.

You can discuss with your councillors and other elected officials what issues are of importance to you as an association. You can conduct a focus group or a survey to find out the needs of your members. The City of Toronto gives grants such as the Access and Equity Grant to assist new emerging organisations to identify their issues.

I was talking to your Board member who told me that your association has a membership of 372 people and that this number is growing daily. You will find it interesting that the baby-boomers, those born between 1947 to 1962, are a very big population. They are now 58 years and younger. They will be joining your association in great numbers. So welcome the baby-boomers – it is funny to call them baby-boomers although they are now 55+. But be prepared for them. You may have to start other associations and develop board leaders. So there seem to be a lot of opportunities coming up for you.

Once again, I congratulate you for your great skills and abilities and for your many contributions you have made during life’s tumultous journey. I will close with this appeal, “Let us continue to make Toronto a city for people of all ages”.

Councillor Bas Balkissoon thanks you for your invitation and wanted to be here with you today. He sends his regrets that he was unable to attend this event. He has asked me to present TEGSA with this plaque which reads:

On behalf of the City of Toronto congratulations and sincere best wishes to the Toronto East Goan Senior Association in recognition of your outstanding efforts to promote healthy, active and fulfilling lifestyles for our local seniors.

Signed
Councillor Bas Balkissoon
Ward 41 – Scarborough Rouge River

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