An impressive Installation Ceremony in Manukau
Venkat Raman
Auckland, July 29, 2023
Popular South Auckland Barrister and Solicitor Raj Pardeep Singh was inducted as the President of the Rotary Papatoetoe Central Club at a ceremony held at the Cave in Manukau on Saturday, July 22, 2023.
Deepak Sharma and Mukesh Arora took office as Secretary and Treasurer of the Club at the Ceremony with other office bearers.
Among them were P J Dhatt (President-Elect) and Manvinder Singh Bunty (Seargent-at-Arms).
An Executive Committee comprising 16 members were also sworn in at the Ceremony.
They were Daman Kaur and Ritesh Dave (Directors, Youth Leadership and Rotaract), Ashima Singh (Director, Membership), Nidhi Bhasin and Karnail Badhan (Directors, Services Project), Praveen Chand (Director, International Projects), Kulbir Singh (Fund Raising), Rachna Dave (Director, Administration), P J Dhatt and Dr Ajit Singh (Directors, Foundation), Kharag Singh (Director, Media and Public Relations), Gurpreet Kaur and Naleen Chand (Director, Fellowship), Gurjinder Singh (Director, Club Assets), Balveer Sikh (Director, Health and Wellbeing) and Sunil Aggarwal (Director, Cultural Relations).
In his Acceptance Speech, Raj Singh, who is the Founder and Principal of Legal Associates Barristers and Solicitors, paid tributes to the services rendered by Immediate Past President Manu Singh and his team, saying that the Rotary Papatoetoe Central Club is one of the youngest Chapters of Rotary New Zealand and that it has been deeply involved in rendering community services.
“I am honoured to be the President of a vibrant club that has been involved in community activities and changing people’s lives by doing service projects, fundraising and donations to various organisations in New Zealand. My immediate plan is to organise a few service projects which include mental well-being, women empowerment and youth leadership,” he said.
Mr Raj Singh said that among the long-term plans are to establish Rotaract (Club for Youth and Leadership), helping local schools and community organisations and promoting awareness of the Rotary movement among the communities and encouraging them to become a part of Rotary.
“My vision for the coming year will be Empowerment for women. I will encourage the women members of our Club to come forward and take charge of projects as Chairpersons. I will support their initiatives, my executive team and the Board,” he said.
About Rotary Club Papatoetoe Central
Raj Singh said that Rotary International is a service organisation which strives to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian services while networking and socialising in a fun-filled environment.
“Rotary Club Papatoetoe Central came into existence in 2015 with a broad member base amongst the larger Kiwi-Indian community, particularly from the South Auckland region. However, the Club takes pride in being open to all ethnicities and cultures,” he said.
The event was attended by Auckland Councillor Lotu Fuli, Takanini Labour MP Dr Anae Neru Leavasa, Hon Consul for Nepal Dinesh Khadka, Past Rotary District Governors Alan Smith and Steve Cheney, Sue Smith, Rotary Club Sunrise Manukau President Edith Cheney, Major Gifts Advisor Jennie Hearing, South Auckland Area Governor Maddison Chang, Botany Labour Party Candidate (and the Club’s Media and Public Relations Director) Kharag Singh, New Zealand Kabaddi Federation President Tirath Atwal and community leaders.
The Rotaract Movement
Rotary International launched the ‘Rotaract Movement’ in 1968 to engage younger members of the communities in Rotary projects and programmes. The first club was chartered in North Carolina, followed by many others including Bengaluru (Bangalore) South in India during the same year.
Rotaract clubs bring together people ages 18 and older to exchange ideas with leaders in the community, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service. In communities worldwide, Rotary and Rotaract members work together in community service. As of now, there are 10698 clubs with 203,298 members in 180 countries.
