SPKK AGM and Annual Picnic to
Canterbury Castles
Report by: Roy D'Cunha, Forwarded by: Simon Lasrado
Bangalore, Jan 17: Mixing business with pleasure. That’s how St. Peters
Konkani Kutam decided to conduct its Annual General Meeting (AGM) this time
around and what better place that Canterbury Castles (CC) to do it in. Members
of SPKK and guests, gathered at the start point (near Leela Palace hotel) at 7
am sharp on Sunday, 17th January 2010 and started off to the picturesque resort
of CC by bus. The nearly two hour journey was an action packed one with almost
everyone on the bus singing & dancing and making merry. We reached CC at around
9:30 am and were served breakfast on arrival organized by SPKK.
A word about Canterbury’s
Castles. This resort is located away from the hustle and bustle of Bangalore
city, very near to the foot of Nandi Hills. The project founded and owned by Mr
Leo Quadros has a glimpse of the Old English era; named after the famous city
Canterbury immortalized by Chaucer in his book Canterbury Tales, the name itself
radiates royalty and splendor. An epitome of luxury, the Township offers you a
panoramic view of the exhilarating Nandi Hills. Basked in the endless greenery
of the countryside, CC is away from the noise of the city, yet minutes away from
civilization in terms of all your modern requirements. We were all taken on a
guided tour around this well planned and lavishly built resort which covers
about 120 to 170 acres of land. We would like to express our since thanks to Leo
& Juliet Quadros for providing us the location amenities and other support.
The first part of the day’s programme was the conducting of the AGM. It was
kicked off with a welcome address by SPKK President, R.J.Saldanha who thanked
everyone for making it despite their busy schedules. He presided over the
function along with Vice President-Roy D’Cunha, Secretary-Anthony Monteiro and
Treasurer-Charles Noronha. This was followed by a condolence prayer and a minute
of silence for all the departed souls. All participants were then introduced by
their respective ‘heads of family’ and new members were welcomed gladly. Minutes
of the last AGM (2008-09) were read out by Committee Member, Maxi Fernandes &
passed unanimously. The Annual Report for 2009-10 was presented by Anthony
Monteiro, which was followed by the presentation of the Finance Report 2009-10
by Charles Noronha. The resolutions to pass the above reports were done
unanimously. Open House discussions followed in which members expressed their
interests, concerns and many other points of relevance which were noted down by
the Committee for review and later action. This was followed by the much awaited
Raffle Coupon Draw of SPKK, which saw winners walking away (though not
literally, since prizes were to be handed over later) with a Food Processor,
Mixer, among other things. The AGM concluded with a vote of thanks by SPKK
Committee Member, Joe Mascarenhas who thanked everyone for making the past one
year so memorable with their support and contribution and also making this AGM a
smooth & successful one. Maxi Fernandes, SPKK Committee Member did a great job,
conducting and facilitating the course of the AGM.
The second part of the day’s programme was the entertainment part - which was a
huge success, thanks to the whole hearted participation of the entire gathering.
Roy D’Cunha and his team comprising of Joe & Jerome Mascarenhas and the Youth of
SPKK organized all the games & activities. A lot of fun games were held in
various categories and all participants & spectators enjoyed themselves
thoroughly. Children and adults alike, dipped into the beautiful swimming pools
and enjoyed their share of fun in the sparkling clean water in the pool. One of
the highlights of the events was the game, ‘Guess’ which had members organized
into teams guessing various popular Konkani tunes that were played out. It was a
very competitive & fun event. The ‘Bar’ was open to all & drinks were available
at very nominal prices. Other games which drew a good response and excitement
were Tower of Babylon, Laugh out Aloud, Crowning Glory and the hilarious Couples
Crush!! Lunch was a very delicious affair with hot yummy chicken kababs prepared
on location being the perfect compliment to those who were in ‘high spirits’.
The ‘Dukkor Ball’, a simplified version of the ever popular Dodge Ball game, was
a huge fun activity on the field. A short skit on ‘French enlightenment’ was
organized by a couple of the youth, Ramona & Venissa which made the audience &
children in particular have a hearty laugh. The talented duo, brothers Joe &
Jerome entertained the audience with their singing & music. Amidst all these
activities, we did find time towards the end to conduct a quick auction of
Liquor too! Special thanks to Robert Lewis for capturing the day’s activities so
vividly on camera.
The day ended with R.J.Saldanha, President thanking everyone for their
participation and making the day a memorable one for all. He also had a special
word of appreciation to the Committee members led by Roy (who later attributed
the success to the youth of SPKK) for making the day so enjoyable and
entertaining. We departed from CC at 6:15 pm to reach the final destination near
Leela Palace Hotel at 8:15 pm after which everyone dispersed to their respective
homes.
A great day, enjoyed by all, to be cherished for many days to come.
