Goodwill organisation named during glitzy night at Le Meridien Barbarons |21 October 2011

The event was graced by the presence of at least five ministers and about 300 guests from different public, private and non-government  organisations in the country.

The air of relaxation and conviviality was heightened by the artistic touch of Dorothy Westergreen to make the place look more glitzy.

Upon arrival, guests were greeted with welcome drinks and made to relax with power-point and video presentations as they listened to live music by Island Fever.

Island Fever is no ordinary band – it is made up of people like the Central Bank governor, Pierre Laporte, principal secretary for Finance Ahmed Afif, special advisor Pat Lablache, chief executive of H. Savy Insurance Lambert Woodcock, and veteran musician Walter Larue.

Founded in 1999, Island Fever has performed in concerts at the International Conference Centre and plays more or less for fun but for a while now the group has been coming together to support charities whenever possible.

Lekha Nair, the Soroptimist chairperson, took the floor just before dinner to thank everyone for turning up and making it an unforgettable and extraordinary event.

“Our club is part of a vibrant and dynamic international organisation for today’s women professionals, committed to creating strong, peaceful communities worldwide by improving the lives of women and children,” she said.

She promised that funds raised during the evening would go towards helping needy children.

Mrs Nair was followed by Ruby Pardiwalla, director of NCC, who took the opportunity to reward Cable and Wireless Seychelles with a Goodwill Organisation Award, for its comprehensive contribution to NCC with sponsorship of the annual Child Protection Week, the  Safe Technology campaign and other forms of support package over the years.

Terry Servina, Cable and Wireless’s public relations officer, received the trophy from the chairperson of the NCC, Macsuzy Mondon, who is also the Minister for Education, Employment and Human Resources Development.

The NCC also took the opportunity to appoint a new goodwill messenger to help promote children’s well-being .  A surprised Asvin Seeboo, member of the Seychelles Round Table Association of Seychelles, received the trophy from Bernard Shamlaye, Minister for Social Development and Culture. 

Mr Seeboo had been putting his photographic artistic talent through good use by promoting the work of the NCC, Mrs Pardiwalla said.

Earlier this year, Mr Seeboo worked almost singlehandedly to produce an NCC calendar for 2012. He was also instrumental in finding sponsors for the project. The calendar will go on sale soon.

Also on the evening’s programme was a raffle draw, and the luckiest persons seem to have been seated at the IMF table.  They won about five to six of the 40 different prizes on offer.  These ranged from dinner for two, excursion trips, massage and spa, DVD sets, coco-de-mer, bottle of liquors, red snappers, household items, among others.
All the prizes were sponsored by different businesses and individuals.

When it came to the dance part of the evening, the floor was never left empty. Island Fever had lined up a hugely enjoyable and lively repertoire of dance music which entertained everyone. The night became truly memorable and should you have missed the occasion to let down your hair, then make it a must to get a ticket or table for the same event next year.  

Both Soroptimist Seychelles and the NCC would like to thank everyone involved in making the dinner a success. 

Contributed