Sanatan Cultural Centre Inaugurated: A Dream Realised for Queensland Community
It gives me great pleasure to convey our sincere thanks and appreciation to you all for putting your faith in Sanatan Qld. This is a moment of reflection and immense pride for the entire Sanatan community of Qld, as we inaugrate the Sanatan Culture Centre.
L&G going back in time, some 150 years ago our forefathers, the great Girmitias of Fiji set their foot on the Islands of Fiji. They endured hardship with resilience and sacrifice. Despite going through perhaps the most challenging times of their lifetime, they did not only prevail but preserved Sanatan Dharam with a hope that their future generations will carry on their legacy.
Today is the realisation of that dream for the Sanatan community of Qld—one shaped by faith, sacrifice and an unwavering belief in who we are as a community.
This moment belongs to every volunteer who gave their time and carried that hope forward with action, every family who gave their support, and every individual who believed that Sanatan needed a home—and that together, we can make it happen.
Sanatan’s journey began in 1995.Under the stewardship of the Ramayan Mandalis, the Sanatan Association was formally incorporated.
The strength of the Association in its early years came from this strong Mandali foundation. However, as time progressed, it became clear that this structure also placed limitations on broader community involvement. After a lengthy period of reflection, consultation, and review, a historic decision was made.
On 18th October 2013, the then stakeholders of the Association, the Mandalis unanimously agreed to pass the reins of the Association to the wider Sanatani community of Brisbane, allowing for individual membership. This decision marked a defining moment in our history and laid the foundation for the organisation as it stands today.
With this transition came a clear, concise, and ambitious vision, articulated through a newly adopted constitution. This vision was shared with the wider community through flyers, conversations, and through our regular cultural programs. The committee worked hand in hand with the community to build belief in that vision and to clearly outline the path forward.
Other measures that were enshrined in the new constitution which has today provided the cornerstone for the development of this organization included fair election of office bearers, advocating good governance, and other checks and balances to protect shared values. Over time, further refinements have been made, each strengthening the organisation and reinforcing its direction.
With vision came purpose and a determination to deliver. We knew the journey ahead would not be easy—but the destination was firmly within our sight.
Without delay, we set the wheels in motion.
We began by hosting monthly cultural programmes at Runcorn State Heights School. We then created a makeshift hall in the warehouse of 3SA Carpets to hold a Ram Navami program.
Later, an opportunity arose to use Vijendra Rai’s shed at Belmont. Volunteers stepped up and spent weeks transforming the facility suitable for purpose. Our efforts were rewarded, as we successfully hosted several programs there—each one bringing us closer to our destiny.
Then came a moment that will forever live in our memory.
June 23rd, 2017 marked a defining moment in Sanatan’s history—when our community walked onto this land @ 550 Wembley Road, Berrinba in the city of Logan as owners for the very first time.
By then, we had raised approximately $400K for the deposit. With the land cost of $1M we approached the bank for the balance of $600K but the banks declined to lend directly to a non-profit organisation with no regular income stream to service the debt. The only other option the bank gave us was through personal guarantees but that would have meant that the land would have been owned by the syndicate of guarantors.
With no other option available, a consortium, led by our now VP, Divendra Prasad was formed by a group of 11 members who actively supported the cause. Had we missed that opportunity back then, our organisation would have faced severe headwinds to progress much further in subsequent years given that land values have appreciated significantly since then. This achievement was a powerful testament to unity, trust, and shared belief.
The very next day, work began.
Thick shrubs were cleared. Mowers and brush cutters were visible everywhere.
The building at the back of the property was completely revamped. As the community participation grew, the Meditation Hut was added later due to space constraints.
In less than two months from settlement, we held our first cultural programme on this land—the Krishna Ashtami celebrations. And with the exception of COVID lockdowns, we have proudly celebrated almost every major event in the Hindu calendar here since.
As we continued on this journey, we actively promoted Sanatan’s vision to the wider community. We didn’t just speak about it—we walked the talk.
We acknowledge and thanked those who came forward with much-needed financial support—not only in the present, but for the past contributions as well. As community interest grew, so too did our determination to deliver. We received our long awaited DGR accreditation in January 2024 which added further momentum to the donations flowing in. Thanks to Dr Narendra Singh for your guidance and advise throughout that process.
In a groundbreaking ceremony, the 1st brick for the Culture Centre was laid on 28th August 2023. The project coordinator, Narendra Ji will be sharing more insights into the construction activities that span over 2 ½ years.
L&G having given the honour to serve as the Treasurer of this great organization for over a decade, I would like to share some headline numbers to reflect on the financial journey behind what you see today.
1st graph shows steady growth in income in the early years, as you would expect there was a significant acceleration in the later years as the project took shape.
The 2nd graph shows the makeup of the Income. Let me break it down for you. So the total amount received from donations ($1000 or more) was $2,566K or 75% of our total collections. Approximately $300K (9%) came from membership fee and a similar amount of $300K came through food sponsorship. The remaining $250K (7%) predominantly from arti collections makes up the total collections of $3.5M.
The Cultural precinct which includes the operational works, was completed at a cost of just under $2.5M. This was only possible due to the construction works done on an owner-builder basis by a dedicated Sanatan team—predominantly including the EMC members, led by Pt Anant Sharma together with the project team under the joint leadership of VPs Narendra Singh and Divendra Prasad & Secretary Rajendra Prasad, who alongside an extrordinary group of volunteers took ownership of this project and delivered it for the Sanatan community of Brisbane in the most cost-effective way. Had the project been outsourced the cost would have in the vicinity of $6M-$7M.
To put this into perspective
The total cost of $2.5M for the Cultural Prescient includes $500K for the operations works and $2M for the Cultural Hall with the associated amenities.
For the Cultural Hall itself we had received a Quote for $4.5M pre Covid-19.
As we all know the prices have increased significantly post Covid which means that the cost of outsourcing building works would have been in the vicinity of $5.5M to $6M. If we add another $1M for outsourcing Ops works we are looking at the total cost of $6.5M. As per the LCC rates notice the land is valued at $4M which takes the total Sanatan property valuation to over $10M.
I think that’s a remarkable achievement in a short span of only 12 ½ years and deserves a big round of applause to thank yourself for your part in getting here.
The path was not always smooth.
As expected with a project of this scale, views differed at times—but intentions never did. There was always one shared motive: the interest of Sanatan.
Today, as we celebrate this important milestone by inaugration of the Sanatan Cultural Centre—we affirm our identity.
This Centre provides a platform to our children and grandchildren to uphold our culture, our traditions and our values with pride. As we conclude the construction phase, an important chapter in the Association’s history, we also acknowledge that the future will belong to those who embrace this opportunity and get their children on board. Make no mistake Sanatan Dharam has & will prevail (tha, hai aur hamesa rahayga), what will matter is whether we are part of that journey.
Thank you… Jai Sanatan
Birendra Singh – Treasurer & Program Co-Ordinator
21st February 2026
