Sada-e-Watan
Sydney ™
sadaewatan@gmail.com
Chief Guest Hon John Robertson
A Fundraiser was held in Sydney for the Leader of Opposition Honourable John Robertson MP
Aisha Amjad and Harish
Velji organised a fundraiser for the Leader of Opposition Hon John Robertson at
The Oasis Function Centre in Quakers Hill Sydney on Sunday, 16 Nov 2014. It also
happened to be John’s birthday and a cake was especially arranged by his
Secretary Lee Bellia to celebrate the occasion.
Hon John Robertson who
is affectionately called John Robert Singh has attended many functions
organised by sub-continent communities. There were also members from the
Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Arabic and Irish friends of Labor, as well as
many of John’s branch members and constituents. John has not had a fundraiser
for 4 years, and this was a way of saying “thank you” by the
community.
Mr Michael Lee
There were more than 200
people including many of John's current and former colleagues and Parliamentary
friends including Sophie Cotsis MLC, Peter Primrose MLC, Shaoquett Moselmane
MLC, Ernest Wong MLC, Carmel Tebbutt, John Faulkner, Bruce Hawker and Assistant
General Secretary Kaila Murnain, Michael Lee and John Watkins.
The Chief
guest for the evening was cricketer Len Pascoe a former Australian great
cricketer. Len Pascoe was a son of immigrant and becoming the first non-Anglo
Saxon player for the Australian cricket team. Pascoe, who once famously noted
that "a tiger never changes its spots", was also a schoolmate of Jeff Thomson
at Punchbowl Boys High and the Bankstown Club. Len spoke candidly about his
experiences as an international cricket star and also his insights into
leadership which can be handy in politics too.
There was also a great
auction of cricket memorabilia including autographed cricket pads and a cricket
vest worn by Greg Matthews.
Aisha Amjad
Before introducing John Robertson, Aisha Amjad who works for Senator Sam Dastyari said that each and every person in the room is a credit and testament to the phenomenal work John Robertson has been doing… not just over the past few months but the past few years.
She said that John had approached the job of Leader as Bob Carr did when he became leader of the opposition in 1988 : to lead the party as a burden and a blessing. She also stated that John had managed to in a short time, boost the party, unite our people and reignite the Labor purpose with passion. She also said that we all admire John for embodying the saying by Michael Jordan “Earn your leadership every day” and that like the theme of NSW State Conference, he is all about putting people first. She quoted from his inaugural speech six years ago in NSW Parliament which is still a reminder and an example of the great work he has been doing and the difference he has made:
“ As a new politician I
recognise another challenge: to change the community's attitude towards
politics and politicians—a change where people are engaged in, rather than
cynical towards, the motivations of politicians. I have always been vocal in my
opinions on issues that matter, whether it was the war in Iraq, the treatment
of refugees, or Work Choices. I stand here today and make a commitment that I
will continue to be an advocate on issues that are important, even where there
is an inclination to say nothing because it goes against the grain. I hope to
contribute to the change required as we head into difficult times, always with
an eye to the needs of those less fortunate or those struggling to make a go of
it in our society.”
Mark Lennon, Unions NSW Secretary gave a heartfelt
vote of thanks and spoke about the many contributions John has made to the
union movement as well as the party. Special thanks to Maharaja's Haveli for the
great food.
