A five member delegates comprising Jogen Gazmere, Bikram Adhikari, Samjauta Rai, Kamal Dahal and Tika Katel from BASA formally held a meeting with the President, Mr. Mark Quaglia and Secretary, Ms. Marilena Ranaldo of Campania Sports and Social Club [Italian Community] on 5th July 2010 in Multicultural SA complex, under the aegis of Lieutenant Governor Hieu Van Le, accompanied by Tony Simeone, Commissioner of Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission.
This meeting was personally facilitated by Lieutenant Governor Hieu Van Lee to bring the newly emerging Bhutanese Community into a relation of friendship and fraternity with the old and established Italian Community.
The Lieutenant Governor Hieu Van Lee started the meeting by introducing the representatives from the two communities and explaining the motive of the meeting. The Lieutenant Governor said that by connecting the emerging community with an experienced and established community, the former would benefit by sharing the experience of the later to facilitate and smoothen their process of transition and integration.
The Bhutanese representatives shared their experiences and challenges faced while in the refugee camps in Nepal as well as after resettlement in South Australia. The Italian representatives shared the hardship and difficulty experienced by their first generation. There was a prolonged and insightful discussion on immigration and resettlement related topics and issues. The President and Secretary of the Campania Community have expressed their happiness for entering into a relation of friendship with the Bhutanese community and affirmed to support the Bhutanese community in different possible ways. The BASA representatives reciprocated with similar gesture and thanked the Lieutenant Governor for providing the Bhutanese community with such a good ‘navigator’ [the Campania Community] to help them navigate through the arduous journey of resettlement and integration.
The Bhutanese team parted from the meeting with a word to keep in touch and to visit one another’s organization to strengthen and deepen their relationship. With the 70 years of history and experience and the well established infrastructure and public relations, Campania community is expected to be a great resource for the Bhutanese in their journey of resettlement and integration into the broader Australian society.

BASA has invited a five member representative from the Campania Community for formal reception cum introduction programme with the members of the constitutional bodies of BASA and the members of the Bhutanese community in South Australia. The formal programme will be held at Coglin Community Centre on 18th July 2010 at 1 pm, where Bhutanese performers will present their dances and share cultural food.

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