INDIAN Association of Geelong will investigate establishing a purpose-built local hub for its growing Geelong membership.<\/p>\n
The group received a $200,000 kickstart from this year’s State Budget for a feasibility study into its planned community centre, which it would then use to advocate for further cash to build the facility.<\/p>\n
The Indian Association of Geelong formed in 2020 as an amalgamation of several segmented Indian groups in the area, which are aligned to religions or regions in the subcontinent country.<\/p>\n
“The basic concept was to bring them all together onto one platform,” the association’s Mandeep Singh said.<\/p>\n
“We get to know all the communities, what their needs are and what their issues are, so we can bring them forward as a whole Indian association.”<\/p>\n
The association already proved its worth during the pandemic; Mr Singh said it sourced and sent out 20,000 food boxes for households from a makeshift Deakin University distribution centre during COVID, and raised money to buy ventilators for Indian patients during the height of the country’s outbreak early last year.<\/p>\n
Now, as the Geelong Indian community grows, Mr Singh said there was a need to establish a central hub where local members could gather, learn and celebrate unique cultural traditions.<\/p>\n
“I came here in 2006, there were not many Indians here. But now we have a significant population, especially with families,” Mr Singh said.<\/p>\n
“I’m married now with two kids. My parents come here to visit and might live permanently here in the future, and other families are similar.<\/p>\n
“It has to be an independent place where people can enjoy their heritage and enjoy their festivals.<\/p>\n
“It’s a big project, but we know that. It needs to come with a proper plan, that’s why this funding was important.”<\/p>\n
The association’s vision for its hub involves a venue for celebrations like Diwali and Holi, language classes for children and social events to connect families and older residents.<\/p>\n
It has also floated the idea of including markets for goods such as traditional garments that can be elusive in Australia, which would also help the hub be self-sufficient when it operates.<\/p>\n
Association members will sit down with architects, financial planners and builders to refine designs and location of a new centre to best suit its needs.<\/p>\n
The site of a Sikh temple at Lovely Banks is the most likely landing spot, though a planning committee will investigate securing land elsewhere such as around Armstrong Creek where its population is most concentrated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
INDIAN Association of Geelong will investigate establishing a purpose-built local hub for its growing Geelong membership. The group received a $200,000 kickstart from this year’s State Budget for a feasibility study into its planned community centre, which it would then use to advocate for further cash to build the facility. The Indian Association of Geelong […]<\/p>\n