Philippine Australian Community Resource Directory

Archive for September, 2009

The First Group of Filipinos.

The White Australia policy on immigration prior to 1970 allowed a very small trickle of Filipinos to live in Victoria. A small number of Filipino nursing students was also permitted under the Colombo Plan. It was after the state visit of the then Australian Prime Minister, Hon. Gough Whitlam, to the Philippines in 1973 that Filipinos began to come to Australia in great numbers. Filipino tradesmen and their families were the first biggest group to migrate under the newly relaxed policy on immigration. Filipinas in secretarial jobs comprised the next biggest group.
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~filipino/filihome.htm

Australia’s Small Grants Program In The Philippines

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) through the Philippines-Australia Community Assistance Program (AusAID-PACAP) provides small grants to support community-initiated, economically sustainable, ecologically sound and gender responsive development efforts.

AusAID-PACAP is an integral component of the Australian Government’s bilateral assistance to the Philippines. The counterpart agency is the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). AusAID-PACAP will deliver $AUD 20M (PhP 860M) in the current phase (2005-2010) to projects supporting poor communities.

Philippines-Australia Community Assistance Program (PACAP)
Main and Responsive Assistance Scheme (RAS) Office:
2309 Prestige Tower, F. Ortigas Jr. Road,
Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines
Telephone: +63 2 6317549/7943
Fax: +63 2 6319654 loc. 106
Email: info@pacap.org.ph
http://pacap.org.ph/

A small group of professional Filipinos formed the Filipino Association of the Northern Territory (FAANT) in October 1973, with John Rivas, (first President) and Nicanor Pagsanjan (Vice President), Elena Javier (Secretary) and Lilia Marquez (Treasurer). The Office Bearers were inducted to office by the late Darwin Mayor, Tiger Brennan, at a function at the residence of Lino and Cynthia Molina, Parer Drive, Wagaman. (NT News, 1974)

Cyclone Tracy disrupted the activities of the Association. Many Filipino families were displaced to other places in Australia for a considerable length of time as a result. Upon their return to Darwin, many spent their time rebuilding their lives as a priority. The group re-gathered in 1975 to host the celebration of the Philippine Independence Day celebration in a function aptly called “Filipino Night” at the St. Paul Primary School assembly. As a precedent to future celebrations, the function was aimed to promote Filipino customs and traditions to the wider community.

The growing number of Filipino-Australian intermarriages was the basis for the change of the name of the Association to what it is known today as Filipino Australian Association of the Northern Territory (FAANT) to accommodate Australian spouses. FAANT became an incorporated body when Elena Ralph was its first President in 1977. Felicitas Milan facilitated the application of FAANT to become an incorporated ethnic organisation.

Since its inception in 1973, FAANT has gained a reputation as a well-recognized ethnic body in the Northern Territory. FAANT was granted a piece of land at the corner of Amy Johnson Avenue and Batten Road in Marrara, NT where the Filipino Community Centre is located. A small building was constructed in the premises at Batten Road but proved to be too small to hold the increasing number of cultural functions and the increasing Filipino Australian population. In short span of time, a larger community hall was constructed through the major fundraising program of the Association and through further grant assistance from the NT Government.
http://www.faant.org.au

Filipino Australian Sports Association Incorporated is a non-profit community organisation formed by a group of Filipinos and Australians who committed to model a community sports to benefit local Filipino and Australian communities in Western Australia. This group of independent individuals first came together in 1992 to discuss ways of enhancing the sportsmanship and discipline and ways of meet and greet through friendly basketball competition. It soon became apparent that the population of Filipino Australian Sports Association (FASA) communities had grown significantly with the sudden influx of migrants due to skills shortage, relatives and cross marriages sponsorships.
http://fasainc.com.au/

Sydney Jokers Social Golf Club
Friendship through sports has become a foundation of the club. We all believe that sports will strengthen our friendship, promote a healthy lifestyle and help us enjoy life. Sydney Jokers is a club composed of Filipinos and Australians residing in Sydney Australia. We hold regular Sunday games at Woodville, Georges River, Fairfield and Richmond Golf Courses as shown in the “Weekly Games” section of our web site. We maintain our own club handicap, hold club and open tournaments and gather at the end of the year to celebrate Christmas with our families and friends.
http://www.sydneyjokers.net

Hampaslupa
A social golf club for Filipinos, Australians and all in Metro Sydney. To an outsider, Hampaslupa, seems like a strange name to call your golf club. It is strange but it will always remind each and every member of their roots.
http://www.hampaslupa.com

Filipino-Australian Foundation of Queensland Inc.
The Filipino-Australian Foundation of Queensland (FAFQ) Inc. is a non-stock, non-profit benevolent and community service organisation which was organised in 1996 to raise funds for the building of the Philippine Multipurpose Centre and other welfare programs of the Filipino Community – Coopers Plains, Qld.
http://www.fafq.org.au

Filipino Chaplaincy of the Diocese of Parramatta
It is the desire of the Diocese that the Filipino community being people of Faith be able to integrate to the Diocese and share the gift of living faith with the local church. Integration is not assimilation i.e. forgetting one¨®¨ïs culture root nor is it isolation as an independent sector within the whole church. With such aim, the Filipino Chaplaincy ventures on its journey to reach out to Filipinos in the different areas of the Diocese of Parramatta and lead them to understand, be one, and become an active part of the local church to which they now belong – St. Michael’s Parish, South Blacktown, NSW.
http://www.filipinochaplaincy.com

Filipino Women Council
Australian-based group organising and education women on various issues including domestic violence and other legal issues, also networks and lobbies state, federal and international bodies and governments – North Rocks, NSW, Australia.
http://www.emanila.com/asn/fwc.htm

Filipino Community Council of the ACT Inc.
Watch out for the updates coming from different Filipino community organisations in the ACT in this column! We are inviting and encouraging you to send us your organisation’s events or activities to be published. We would like to make FCCACT website to be the Pinoy internet portal (one stop viewing) in the ACT – Canberra, Australia.
http://www.fccact.org.au