Farewell Speech by the Chairman of Twic East Youth Association of Queensland
7 min readMr Aguin Makuac, Chairman Twic East Youth Association of Queensland.
CC: Chairman, Twic East community
CC: office of General Secretary, Twic East Youth Association of Queensland.
31st May 2014.
The chairman’s speech.
“I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands where Twic East community now stands, pay respect to their Elders – past, present and emerging – and acknowledge the important role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within the Australian community”.
The chairman Twic East Community of Queensland and his executive body, Twic East Youth Executive committee, community elders, youth , women and children, I salute you all. Allow me to thank the great people of God for blessing our program with prayers, if anything, blessing is what we are yearning to get from God today.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a remarkable day for the Twic East Youth of Queensland to come out and celebrate together as one family. Few years ago, when each of us was preparing for take-off to resettle in Australia, who would have thought that we will have a youth from Twic East convening together in numbers to share and enjoy a sense of belonging while in Australia? I would think none of us would have such thoughts. But the spirit that bound us together as people of the land of Twic is making it possible. It’s the ancestral spirit that had helped to settle our ancestors in the land of Twic and made them enjoyed one another comfort together during the great migration across the land of Africa. It’s the spirit that continues to keep our people in our ancestral land together. It’s that spirit that no man can ever overcome. Ladies and gentlemen, if it wasn’t for the presence of this spirit amidst us, we would have not done so much together and survived the ordeal of living in a foreign land. We have a history of going through terrible anguishes and defeating all odds together. We owe ourselves a pat on the back for the support we render one selves day in and day out.
Ladies and gentlemen, two years ago, we, the people in front of you now have been elected into the office of Twic East Youth of Queensland executive committee. It was a tough call of duty that each one of us was sceptical to pick up, knowing the situation we were in at the time. But the belief and trust we have in our people made us take it without hesitation. The youth section of the Twic East community in Queensland was in disarray, seemingly not getting along. But we didn’t need to pass prejudice until then. All we found out was a fiasco that needed just a leadership to quell it altogether. We have simply just done that and I am happy to announce to you that it was a perceived judgment, our youth is ever together and will always be.
Ladies and gentlemen, as we are winding up for our term of office, this is the time to say thank you to those who have done so much so good to make us go through this leadership regime successfully. This was not a one man game but a contribution of every single one of us. If I had to mention names, the list would be very long hence, a necessity to categories all of us into groups. This doesn’t mean that I have forgotten your individual support.
To the Twic East Women Union, I have no choice of terms to describe my gratitude to you. You have fulfilled what we expected of a Twic East woman. We felt the support you rendered was so enormous. This is what you get out of your mother, sister and your wife. If it was not for your support, we would have not ran our cultural day as colourful as it was. A big thank you to the ladies of Brisbane and Toowoomba who took it upon themselves to make sure that they organised all the cultural gowns for the cultural day and providing the financial support. I would wish you carry on with this spirit and continue to support a new leadership that will take over this office in a fortnight time. Ladies and gentlemen, if we were running on a transactional leadership style where rewards and offerings are given to the best followers, our Women union would scoop a whooping share.
To the community leadership and elders, we are so grateful for working together in partnership. I would like to thank the community Chairman, Mr Ajak Deng Biar and his executive committee for having been playing a teamwork role. Over the course of our leadership, we have never had any complain of duties or responsibilities overlap and that explains much about the personalities of people we have in both offices. I would like to give special acknowledgement to Ustaz Mangaar Ayuel and Ustaz Wach Duot for their tireless effort in making sure that the Twic East Community is well organise in Australia. That was a mission worth pursuing. They have executed the elders’ role and today is a tribute to their contribution to this community. Ladies and gentlemen, on my own behalf and on behalf of my executive committee, I would like to instruct the next team that will take over this leadership to have a watchful sight over this special bond of partnership that we have forged and developed over years between the two offices. Let there be nothing that rift it a part.
To the Twic East Youth, I have no much to tell you other than a thank you. It was just a privilege and so much honour for me to be given this role. In return, I and my team have tried our best to deliver. I know, we could have done more together as a team if time could allow. But, that’s how our constitution works. We need fresh election so we have an opportunity of enacting fresh blood into this office. Ladies and gentlemen, the reason we have decided to arrange for report first before election is to reveal how glamorous this office had turned into. We would like to show you what you can get out of this office. This is where you network with wider Twic and other communities. It’s an opportunity to alleviate your leadership potentials; as such I wouldn’t be surprise to see immeasurable interest in the coming elections. I would like to remind our Twic East youth that Twic East County is a social and political entity that is represented by a constituency back in the South Sudan. Let us keep nurturing ourselves to raise presentable members of this constituency. On the 8th February this year, we convened here in Brisbane and update ourselves on the crisis that had befallen our beloved nation. We then, brief ourselves on how to deal with the then ongoing social web attack on our communities. I like to congratulate you all for the stance we took to act responsibly and maturely. That is what responsible citizens do in time of despair such as that happening now in our country. I would like to take this opportunity also to welcome any youth member that has joined us interstate over the course of the two years. Feel free to interact and seek any help and support from any member of our community. I trust, you wouldn’t get hospitable community than what we have in Queensland. It’s a great state, with great opportunities.
Ladies and gentlemen, I will not bore you much with the report as a lot have been done by my colleagues, but would like to touch a bit about our success and challenges. Just like any organisation, we have had both hard times and good times. In some meetings, the attendance had not been very good. The fact that everybody is here busy with their daily schedules had made it hard for our meetings to be attended by all the members, but overall, we enjoyed the overwhelming support of every member of the community.
Ladies and gentlemen, as you are all aware that we are going to the poll in a fortnight, I have few things to remark. We all know that elections can be disastrous when not conducted in a good faith. It’s in my prayer that we will be heading for a fair and free election that will be carried out under the hospice of the electoral committee to be elected and vetted upon by the general assembly. Experience in many states have taught us that campaign in the suburbs had proven detrimental to the cohesiveness and of the community as some people would spit out venoms against their potential rivals. I don’t want to see this campaign coming to Queensland. As such, I am passing my executive powers to the electoral committee to be elected, to disqualify any aspirant fond of such practices. You will be allowed to tell us why you would like to take up an office of your choice during the day of election.
Lastly I would like to offer special thanks to my team. They are the best people you can ever work with. As great philosopher of all time, Stephen Covey put it, “trust becomes a verb when you communicate to others their worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it themselves” I trust you all mates and looking forward to working with you in the future.
God bless you!
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