At the Annual Thanksgiving Mass held in April 2018, the President of the KCA, Mr. Sunil Alva, personally thanked and appreciated the contribution of the Members of the Managing Council, the various Sub-Committees, and the KCA Staff, for the progress the KCA had made over the past 3 years.
Note: In Vol. 3, Issue 2, of the Amchi Khobor, the appreciation was covered for the Members of the Managing Council. In Vol. 3, Issue 3, of the Amchi Khobor, the appreciation is covered for the various Sub-Committees, and the Staff of KCA, Mumbai.
Legal and Finance Sub-Committee
Led by Senior Advocate and Chairperson, Mr. George Dass, Members of the Sub-Committee have played a crucial role in helping the KCA get back on its feet over the past three years. From the oversight of the Special Audit (which enabled the General Body to pass the Accounts of 7 years at the AGM of 2016), to advice on the ongoing legal dispute over the Noble Chambers Office, the legal and financial brains of the KCA have given off their valuable time, effort and professional expertise to the institution.
Our special thanks to Sub-Committee Members – Mr. Anil Martis, Senior Banker with Citizen Bank; Mr. Sunil Lobo, Senior Banker with BNP Paribas Bank; Ms. Lidvina Pereira, retired Senior Banker; Mr. Arvind Pinto, Advocate and retired Chief Commissioner of Income Tax; and Mr. Eric D’Sa, Member of the Managing Council, and Authorized Representative of the KCA in the Court Case with Noble Chambers.
Ms. Lidvina Pereira and Mr. Arvind Pinto were also co-opted on to the Managing Council after serving on this important Sub-Committee.
Our special thanks to Mr. John D’Silva for his ongoing efforts in helping to amicably resolve the contentious matter of Noble Chambers.
Cultural and Recreation Sub-Committee
If the KCA’s cultural programs became the ‘talk of the town’ over the past 3 years, it is down to the meticulous planning and splendid organising skills of our Cultural and Recreation Team!
Led by Chairperson, Ms. Clara Menezes (KCA Vice-President) – who tool on the challenge created by the void of the resigning Chairperson in 2016), and ably assisted by the redoubtable Mr. Richard D’Souza – who sadly passed away in August 2018; Mr. Lancy D’Souza – retired Executive from airline industry, speaker, MC and organiser par-excellence; and the unassuming Mr. Albert Machado – Director of a large firm in the private sector, who was instrumental in ensuring the Monti Fest celebrations over the past couple of years were a grand success.
Restarting our cultural programs after a gap of several years in never an easy task – but the response from Members for our quarterly events is testament to the excellent job done by this hard-working team.
Social and Charitable Sub-Committee
Being a charitable institution, our Social and Charitable Sub-Committee plays an important role in the life of the KCA. Starting from ‘scratch’, quite literally, the Members of the Sub-Committee led by Chairperson, Ms. Anne-Marie Rego, put in place the Medical and Educational Assistance Programs of the KCA, developed the Application Forms, and drew up the Rules and Guidelines, in consultation with the Managing Council.
The team consists of Mr. Adrian Correa, retired Senior Executive from a reputed multi-national company, and Ms. Sunita Pais, Masters in Social Work with experience in the NGO sector – which meets regularly and takes great pains, going through each application, doing background checks and reviewing documentation – making sure that all Rules and Guidelines are adhered to. Ms. Janet D’Souza also served on the Sub-Committee for a short time.
Editorial Sub-Committee (Amchi Khobor)
Led by our dynamic and energetic Chairperson and Editor, Mr. Frederick Mendonca, and assisted by two distinguished women with Doctorates in their fields of expertise – Dr. Kranti Farias, Historian; and Dr. Jeanette Pinto, Historian, Author and Educationist; the Editorial Team has ensured that for the past two and a half years, our much loved Amchi Khobor issues have become collector’s items – with information and news about the present and past of the KCA.
As a representative of the Managing Council on the Sub-Committee, Mr. Eric D’Sa was the brainchild behind the initiative – a news magazine for the Association revived after several decades! Special thanks to Ms. Deepika Lobo and Ms. Anne-Marie Rego who have joined the Sub-Committee recently, injecting the much needed ‘younger blood’ in the Committee.
Sports Sub-Committee
Sports has been an integral part of the KCA, since the KCA Sports Club was set up in the 1920’s. In recent times, sports has been restricted to the badminton in our Ground Floor Hall. The credit for taking Sports @ KCA to a ‘different level’ goes to our Sports Sub-Committee consisting of Mr. Merwyn D’Souza, retired sea farer, Mr. Christopher Alvares, former State Athletics Champion, and Mr. Neville Mascarenhas, retired Executive and former Vice-President of the KCA.
Under leadership of Chairpersons, Christopher Alvares, and later, Merwyn D’Souza, the scope of sports has expanded to athletics, table tennis, fitness, yoga, and zumba with over 300 Members signing up till date! The funds generated from sports has increased 6 times over the past three years, and all of it has been deployed to improve facilities, and equipment at the KCA.
The inauguration of the Sports and Fitness Centre in 2017 was the outcome of the hard work put in by this dynamic team.
Housie Sub-Committee
If our weekly Housie is popular at the KCA, it is all thanks to the efforts of the Housie Team, which consists of three Sub-Committee Members, and a dedicated band of KCA Member – Volunteers.
Led by the efficient and no-nonsense Chairperson, Ms. Denita Gomes, and assisted by Ms. Joan Buckenham and Mr. Henri Saldanha, 200 – 250 Members and Guests have enjoyed the well-run Housie at the KCA for the past three years.
Our special thanks to Denita for working with the Managing Council to put in place Rules and Guidelines for the Housie, and ensuring that Housie accounting is thorough, transparent, and audited – avoiding some of the problems faced in the past.
Counseling Centre Sub-Committee
The Counseling Centre is a recent addition to our list of Sub-Committees led by the Chairperson, Ms. Deepika Lobo, qualified Psychologist and Counselor. A new Member of the KCA herself, Deepika Lobo, has several ideas and plans on how the Counseling Centre, can be built up to offer services to Members of our community.
Some of the Managing Council Members, including Mr. Merwyn D’Souza, Ms. Lidvina Pereira, and Ms. Clara Menezes helped in the formation of the Sub-Committee, and it hoped that other Members will come forward to help in this new initiative, which we hope will later morph into a community centre to be set-up on the Mezzanine Floor of the KCA building, providing various services to Members.
Balloting Committee
The Balloting Committee plays a very important role in helping to screen and admit new Members of the KCA. As per KCA Rules, the President of the KCA chairs the Committee of seven Life Members of the KCA. Various Members of the KCA have been part of the Committee over the past three years including Mr. Walter Nazareth, Mr. Eric D’Sa, Dr. Christopher Rego, and Ms. Josephine Vas, who also served on the Managing Council. Other Members included are Mr. Conald Baptist, Mr. Anil Martis, and Mr. Adrian Vaz.
Thanks to the efforts of the Balloting Committee, the Membership Fee Structure was revamped and approved at the Annual General Meeting in 2017. More importantly, almost 60 new Members joined the KCA over the past three years, including more than 40 Life Members.
