Birth, Death and Moments Between, a book by Nerin Naidu

Birth, Death and Moments Between is a collection of short stories about women: their struggle, strife, success and survival in an ever-changing world. The new release by Brisbane author Nerin Naidu spans multiple generations, continents, and cultures, giving words to those without voices and voices to those without words.
Nerin’s debut collection of short stories is brutally honest, sometimes painfully so, scattered with moments of joy, love, regret, hate, and desire – all the traits and emotions that make us human.

About Nerin
Nerin was born as a middle child to a fourth-generation South African Indian family.
While in University, Nerin found her two true passions: anthropology, learning about different cultural groups and creative writing, putting pen to paper and letting her thoughts run free.
Nerin graduated from the University of Durban Westville as a teacher. She studied further in South Africa, obtaining her Bachelor of Education.
“For only through education can you succeed,” reiterated her mother’s words, a teacher herself.
Nerin secured a position as a high school teacher and travelled during the school holidays, unknowingly captivated to remember the lives of people she encountered. She came to a crossroads that would determine the future course of her life.
Job opportunities opened up concurrently in both Canada and Australia. Nerin fell in love with Canada before she even stepped foot on the icy white ground.
She said, “Looking down from the aeroplane’s window seat at the snow-covered landscape below, I felt the calling of home. Stepping off the plane, the cold air that stung my nostrils and slithered into my lungs refreshed me like the very first life-giving breath of a suffocating neonate; the blanketed trees, seeking respite from the Summer’s heat, brought comfort to my scorched soul. It still does every time I’m blessed with the sight of the first purest of snowfall.”
Yet Australia beckoned to her louder and more robustly with an urgent, determined that she would call Australia home.
And so she did, immigrating to a sun-kissed, searing-hot rural town in Queensland.
Nerin continued to study while working as a teacher, completing her Master of Education from the University of Melbourne and another Master of Education in Guidance in Counselling from the University of Queensland.
Nerin dedicated her entire existence to those she loved most: her family and the children she nurtured daily as a special education teacher in Brisbane and later head and leader of a sizeable inclusive education unit at a private college, a department she started from the ground up.
She also volunteered as a grief and loss counsellor, listening to those who needed it most.
Happiness seldom lasts, as Nerin found, suffering a heart attack while assisting a student at work, followed by the tragic loss of her brother. She had a second heart attack as she navigated through the journey of a busy life.
Nerin believes she is the person she is today because of yesterday’s struggle. She pens her deepest thoughts and experiences, personal and those of others, that she encountered on her tediously long and, in reality, brusquely short journey through life.
Nerin is retired. She now volunteers to teach and present creative and expressive writing workshops using art and meditation.
Nerin feels an exhilaration in sharing stories that need telling, stories of significant and defining moments, for she is every woman: a mother, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a teacher, a cousin, an aunt, a wife chipped in places and sometimes frayed at the seams, but whole moving forward with a determined drive as life and love goes on.
Her debut collection of short stories, Birth, Death and Moments Between, reflects life as it happens.
Please visit her website for details of workshops and the availability of her book.
www.nerinnaidu.com
Birth, Death and Moments Between by Nerin Naidu is also available on Amazon Internationally.

King Charles 111 congratulates Mr and Mrs Sharma on their Milestone 66th wedding Anniversary

Mr Hari Dutt Sharma and Mrs Arun Sharma celebrated their milestone 66th wedding anniversary on 28th December 2023; a get-together was organised at Saffron Indian Restaurant to mark the historic event.
Letters of Congratulations were received from King Charles 111 and Camila, Queen Consort, Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese, former Queensland premier Anastacia Palaszczuk, Deputy Opposition Leader, Shadow Treasurer and Shadow Minister for Commonwealth Games Mr John-Paul Langbroek, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, Member for Moncrieff- Ms Angie Bell MP.

Mr Hari Dutt Sharma, originally from Fiji, has traced his roots back to Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, India. His father arrived in Fiji in 1913. After tracing his roots to India, Hari Dutt Sharma wrote a book on the experience, a copy of which has been presented to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mrs Arun Sharma ancestry is from Rajasthan India.
Mr Hari Dutt Sharma turned 91 on 18th November; he had served in the Ministry of Education, where he was in charge of scholarships, etc; many of his friends remember him from his days at Vivekananda College.
During his younger days, he was a keen soccer player and represented the Labasa team; he was nicknamed “Fiji Airways” as he was swift on the field. He became the team captain and later on a coach; he was once selected to the Suva team, though he did not get a chance to play for Suva.

The Sangam Association of Queensland revives the community engagement

Maathar Sangam group successfully held a meet-and-greet event on 19 November 2023.

The group are on Facebook. Women and girls in the community are encouraged to join the group. The group meets periodically and holds cultural, educational, and social activities.

A very successful seniors’ gathering was organised on 8 December 2023. It was a lunch gathering with lots of food, fun, activities, kava and talanoa! Due to its success, it is planned to hold such gatherings of seniors regularly.

Relocation of the temple project, -The MC has received quotes from several real estate agents on the value of the current premises. It is estimated between $600000 to $700000. The MC has asked the real-estate agents for potential land areas where the temple could be relocated.

As agreed at the last AGM, once these quotes have been received, the MC, in discussion with the Temple Relocation Committee (made up of ordinary members and MC representatives), will call an SGM to seek the decision of the members.

An annual pooja is planned to be held over 2-3 days. It would be held either in May or September. The venue would most likely be the Oxley Show Grounds. Other than walking on fire, the community can have all other activities, including Tirukuttu, food stalls, playing our traditional instruments, and offering prayers.

As part of the efforts to have a greater engagement of the community members in the association, the MC plans to organise meetings with our community members in groups.

This is to establish groups representing the South, East, West and North sides of Brisbane. The groups will have a representative chosen who could become ad hoc members of the MC.

This would allow the flow of information between the community and the MC and vice versa. Moreover, the different groups can take turns and look after the temple premises.

The current Management Committee is made up of Reena Naidu, Treasurer: 0407589769; Shiri Raju: Secretary: 0452001662, Raghwan: President:0432219454 Saroja Chandra:0432035202 Ashok Gounder, Vice President:0402378853 Ashwin Permal:0455662700, Neelam Naidu:0423488872 and Aman Kumar: 0431200108