Le Meridien Barbarons now synonymous with splendour and gastronomic feast had been chosen to grace the presence of at least 5 ministers and about 300 guests from different public, private and non-government organizations in the country. The air of relaxation and conviviality had been reinforced 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 the live music of Island Fever.
Island Fever is no ordinary band– it is made up of people like the Central Bank governor, Pierre Laporte- the Principal Secretary for Finance Ahmed Afif, special advisor Pat Lablache –Lambert Woodcock CEO of H.Savy LTD and verteran musician Walter Larue. Founded in 1999, Island Fever have performed in concerts at the International Conference Centre and plays more or less for fun but for a while now the group have 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 one.“Our Club is a 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 Organization Award Trophy, for their 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. Mrs Mac Suzy Mondon who is also the Minister for Education and Employment.
The National Council for Children 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 Services and Culture. Asvin had been putting his photographic artistic talent through good use by promoting the work of the NCC, Mrs Pardiwalla said. Earlier this year Ashvin 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.
A raffle draw appeared in the evenings fundraising programme, and the luckiest persons seems to have been seated on 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 etc. All the prizes had been sponsored by different businesses and individuals.
When it came to the dancing part of the evening, the dance floor was never left empty. Island Fever had lined up a hugely enjoyable 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 National Council for Children would like to thank everyone involved in making the dinner a success.
