As Montreal slowly enters the warmer and sunnier days of spring, we reflect on the past few months marking the 45th Anniversary year of the Quebec Goan Association (QGA).
It has been a momentous year celebrating our Goan traditions, music, food and dance with the community at every one of our events. We have stood on the shoulders of giants to foster the growth of our organization. The brave, innovative and dedicated founding members of the QGA have given so much of their time and skills over the years to keep our Goan roots strong and thriving in Canada.
Thus, as the 2022-2023 QGA Committee concluded another successful year of activities with our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on March 25, we hosted a thank you luncheon as a token of our appreciation to our founding members. With a modest selection of mouth-watering snacks and dishes provided by Mama’s Goan Food, the best caterer in town, we celebrated those who brought the QGA into existence.
Our founding members shared anecdotes of the early years of the organization, and as a team, cut a congratulatory cake subsequently distributed among the attendees. With smiles, countless photos, and heartfelt toasts in honour of the great progress that the QGA has managed over the last 45 years, our founding members gave their thanks for a job well done.
As the community gathered in the hall to discuss the future direction of the QGA, there was an overwhelming consensus for the 2022-2023 Committee to return for another term. Blanche Da Costa was unanimously re-elected as President of the organisation. Without hesitation, she invited her previous team to join her in rising to the new challenges facing the community.
Never forgetting the importance of all those who have walked the path before us, the QGA completed the evening off with a commemorative Mass for the living and deceased members of the community. These festivities ushered the end of the memorable 2022-2023 QGA term with all the hope and anticipation of the wonderful things to come from the 2023-2024 team that will take the reins.
