Inside this issueEditor’s welcome A New Start: Edith ChenGetting a Fair Go for PensionersMeet the Tamil Senior Citizens Fellowship VICMeet Nallaratnam Sivarasa Round 2: Participation for CALD Seniors Grants Program

Editor’s welcome‘A movement is only composed of people moving. To feel its warmth and motion

around us is the end as well as the means.’ Gloria Steinem

Multicultural Identity was the theme of our recent ECCV state conference, topping off another year packed with changes, challenges, hard work and reward.

ECCV has lobbied Government on a number of issues across health, aged care, immigration and workforce areas. We have also continued to call for increased support and recognition for ethnic seniors groups and the incredible work that they are doing year in, year out.

This edition of Our Golden Years brings the old and the new. The Sri Lankan Tamil community tells us about their 25th anniversary celebrations and the Flemington Chinese Golden Age group introduce themselves in their very fi rst year of coming together.

What happens when we get together and speak with one voice? The Fair Go for Pensioners rally united pensioners of Victoria to bring attention to the pressing fi nancial concerns of many seniors.

Don’t miss the information about the second round of the Victorian Governments Participation for CALD Seniors Grants program. Read on to fi nd out how it can help you connect with the most isolated members of your communities.

Finally, but most importantly, all of us at ECCV wish you a holiday season full of warmth, happiness and fulfi lment. See you all in the New Year.

Kate Ling Editor, Our Golden Years and ECCV Senior Project Offi cer T (03) 9349 4122 E kling@eccv.org.au

Our Golden Years

Issue number 26 Summer 2012A newsletter for multicultural older people, produced by the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria, jointly supported by

the Victorian and Australian Governments.Print post approved pp 328866/2055

In October, Victoria’s pensioners took over two trams in Melbourne’s CBD to protest the rising cost of living. They warned of a fi nancial crisis for pensioners because the cost of basic necessities has skyrocketed whilst the pension has risen only slightly.

They called for help from the State Government and asked for increased concessions and rebates,improved public transport options and guaranteed access to health and aged care services.

More than 100 pensioners rallied at the State Library to hear from speakers before boarding the trams. Speakers included State Labor MP and Shadow Minister for Seniors and Ageing Jenny Mikakos, ECCV chairperson Joe Caputo, COTA president Janet Wood and ACTU President Ged Kearney.

Getting a Fair Go for Pensioners

ECCV chairperson Joe Caputo said the issue affected Victoria’s ethnic community, and that pensioners were already facing real hardship. “The majority of full pensioners in Victoria are from non-English-speaking backgrounds,” he said.

“We support today’s protest because the cost of living, cost of food, costs of utilities have increased and we expect it to increase more, while on the other hand there has been only minor increases in the pension.”

“Pensioners from culturally diverse backgrounds worked hard all their lives to grow the Victorian economy and have made really signifi cant contributions. They now deserve to live a comfortable life into their golden years.”

The protest was organised by the Fair Go For Pensioners Coalition, which is made up of numerous representatives from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), COTA and ECCV.

If you want to fi nd out more contact Anne Pate at COTA Victoria (03) 9655 2123 or seniors@cotavic.org.au

ECCV congratulates The Tamil Senior Citizens Fellowship (TSCF) on their Silver Jubilee. For their 25th birthday in October they held a grand event at the Springvale Town Hall.

A host of people celebrated all that the Fellowship has done to bring together older members of the Sri Lankan Tamil community. Those that couldn’t be there sent letters, including Prime Minister Julia Gillard. These letters were beautifully bound and presented in the TSCF 25th Anniversary Souvenir book.

Visitors came from as far away as India. Speeches were made by a variety of local Government leaders, State and Federal Ministers including Anna Burke MP, speaker of the Federal Parliament who spoke on behalf of our Prime Minister.

Meet the Tamil Senior Citizens Fellowship VIC

All speakers praised the work of the fellowship and its contribution to the multicultural nature and economy of Australia. Ms Burke encouraged the members not to forget their Tamil culture, customs and legacy and to ensure their future generations remember them also.

Traditional song and dance showcased the Tamil culture. Traditional ceremonial features included the lighting of an oil lamp and garlands for all to wear.

The TSCF started in 1987 with 40 members. They now have over 400 that meet monthly to socialise, hear from speakers and enjoy food and entertainment. The group enjoys strong relationships with other organisations and ethnic communities. Their bimonthly news bulletin is packed full of news, practical information and philosophical thoughts.

This month Mr Sivarasa presented ECCV with a plaque to acknowledge our generous support. Upon receiving the plaque, Joe Caputo, Chairperson of the ECCV said he was honoured to receive such a thoughtful memento from an association that has done so much to support its own community members.

If you would like to fi nd out more about the TSCF or would like to join, contact Mr Sivarasa on (03) 8571 4573.

Most of the Sri Lankan Tamils migrated to Australia following the devastating experiences of the 1983 communal disturbances in Sri Lanka. Mostly the Tamil community migrated to New South Wales, although Victoria has the honour of establishing the fi rst Tamil Senior Fellowship.

The community celebrates the special events Christmas, Deepavali, Thai Pongal, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter and the Hindu New Year.

Meet Nallaratnam SivarasaMr Sivarasa is a well-known and well-respected member of the multicultural communities in Melbourne’s South East. He is currently the TSCF President and has been actively involved since it started, receiving numerous awards in recognition of his work.

From left to right: Chairperson ECCV, Joe Caputo AM; Mr Nallaratnam Sivarasa, President Tamil Senior Citizens Fellowship VIC; Mr Ross Barnett, Director ECCV.

From Left to right - Our Valuable volunteers Mary Walsh, Helen CX Wu, Edith Chen, Maryann Scales, Anita Fraile, Lily Cheong and Maree Snow

The Flemington Chinese Golden Age (FCGA) ran its fi rst public event to celebrate Chinese New Year on 3 February 2012. 2012 is the Year of the Dragon, one of the most auspicious signs of the Chinese zodiac, bringing luck, success and ambition.

Our members are residents in local public housing and are mainly in their late 70s. We have many religions, languages, dialects, life experiences and countries of origin in our group. We communicate with much laughter.

At the New Year event we enjoyed a speech from our guest of honor, Marion Lau, a Commissioner for the Victorian Multicultural Commission. Marion recognised the importance of intercultural respect and empathy in multicultural Australia and also of getting together with others who share our ethnic background and cultural traditions.

A New Start

With this event we opened our doors to the wider community. Over 100 people came, mainly seniors, and we all had a great time, with performances, an exhibition, decorations and the sharing of delicious Chinese food.

We would like to thank everyone who generously gave their time to help make the event such a success. We are happy & proud to have taken the lead & provided a highlight for these seniors in Melbourne’s West.

Edith CHEN FCGA

The Victorian Government has announced the second round of this grants program to help ethnic seniors groups to reconnect or connect with isolated seniors in their community.

Regularly connecting with people is important to a fulfi lling and healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, it is not easy for many people to see friends and socialise. We know that for older ethnic seniors the risk of social isolation can be higher because of a range of issues, such as the language barrier.

As ethnic seniors groups you will know all of this. Your groups already do great work in bringing older people in the community together, organising activities, driving, visiting, preparing and sharing delicious food. This grant aims to support ethnic seniors groups to fi nd new members and reconnect with members that are unable to attend any more. For some people in the community there may not be any existing activities in the local area. So the grant can also be used to start a new local social network.

This is a small grants program for projects of up to 12 months in duration. Grants up to $4,000 (metropolitan area) or $5,000 (regional Victoria) are available for ethnic seniors groups. Grants of up to $10,000 are available to organisations for more larger or more complex projects.

Applications are due in before 5pm on Friday 8 March, 2013

ECCV is funded as an implementation partner. We give advice and support to applicants and to organisations that receive a grant.

Round 2: Participation for CALD Seniors Grants Program

For an application form or help completing an application contact ECCV on 9349 4122 or kling@eccv.org.au. Also visit the Seniors Online website for more information and resources www.seniorsonline.vic.gov.au

Examples of 2012 funded projects

One community is setting up a seniors group for their older members. There are an increasing number of seniors in the community and they realised there was a need. The grant will support social outings for seniors and a carpooling system to help them attend. A new buddy system will also help older members join in broader community activities. Another community received funds to recruit members in the local area with a letterbox drop and promotion on the radio. The last time they did this they found 15 new members! The grant will also support the group to provide transport for members that fi nd it diffi cult to attend - mainly through helping volunteer drivers with the cost of fuel.