Management Committee

The current MCSCA Management Committee as elected at the Annual General Meeting in November 2021:

Mona UlakChair

Mona was born in Nepal. Alice Springs has been home for Mona for 15 years now. Currently, she works for Charles Darwin University. She holds a Master of Economics and Master of Business Administration from University of Adelaide. Before migrating to Australia, Mona worked as a Business Development Advisor for the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation and the Netherlands Development Cooperation.

Mona truly believes in multicultural society – integration, adaptation, and harmony in building the nation. She shares the values of MCSCA and enjoys giving something back to the community. She was President of Nepalese Community Alice Spring Inc. (2017 – Feb 2020), a board member of YMCA Alice Springs (since 2015-2016) and is a member of the Minister’s Advisory Council on Multicultural Affairs in the Northern Territory.

Hilda ReederVice Chair

Hilda Reeder was born in the Philippines, and has lived in Alice Springs for over 20 years. During that time, she has been heavily involved in the multicultural community, especially the Filipino community, promoting their culture and integration into the Alice Springs community.

Hilda has been teaching young Filipinos the art of dance, enabling them to showcase their performances at a various community events, such as Harmony Day, and the Town Council’s Christmas Carnival. She is the Vice Chair of the Mabuhay Multicultural Association.

Hellen Webster new board member

Maxi Fontenew board member

Max Fonte was born in Argentina in 1984 and migrated to Australia in 2013. For the past 9 years he has called Central Australia home. Max has been an entrepreneur from an early age leading to starting his own hospitality business in 2019. Since then he has been advocating for the multicultural community in Alice Springs. He is passionate about community and creating opportunities for personal and professional development for migrants.

Navin BhatnagarManagement Committee Member

Navin Bhatnagar has lived in Alice for more than four years and takes lot of interest in community gathering and enjoys community living. He has been a committee member since 2018. Navin represents the Hindu Society of Central Australia and he mingles with the other communities associated with MCSCA. He takes great interest in organising events be it for the Hindu community or others.

As an engineer Navin Bhatnagar has led NT Government projects including projects in the remote communities.

Navin takes plays Cricket, Table Tennis and Badminton. He enjoys road trips and would like to cover the length and breadth of Australia by road.

Vacant

Sivachelvan GunalanManagement Committee Member

Gunalan has lived in Alice Springs for over 10 years. He works as a civil engineer and has had the opportunity to travel across the Central Australian region. As a long-term resident, he appreciates the ethnic diversity of the town, and wants to give back to the community by being part of MCSCA, and assist with the integration of new migrants in Alice Springs. Alice Springs is a transient town and migrants form a very integral part of the local workforce. He considers creating the right environment to retain people, including migrant, as very important. Gunalan is also secretary of the Sri-Lankan Community Association.

Gagan RahlManagement Committee Member

My name is Gagandeep Singh Ralh, originally from Punjab, India, and have proudly called Alice Springs home for the past 11 years. During this time, contributing to the disability sector and actively engaging with various local communities.

Throughout my time in Alice Springs, I’ve been actively involved in various multicultural community associations. I served as the acting president of the Alice Springs Indian Association, was a founding member of the Alice Tigers Cricket Club, and contributed as a committee member for the Central Australia Sikh Cultural Centre. Now, I am proud to be a board member of the Multicultural Community Services of Central Australia.

I’ve helped organize cultural and sports events like Diwali, Cricket games and the Big Day Out in Harmony event, which bring people together to celebrate our diverse community. I also teach Bhangra (Punjab’s Folk Dance) to kids to keep our culture alive and share it with future generations.

Outside of my community work, I am passionate about fitness and the outdoors. I enjoy playing cricket, doing CrossFit, and exploring the beautiful hiking trails around Alice Springs.

I believe in the power of a multicultural Australia, where people from all walks of life can thrive together and contribute to a vibrant, diverse society.

Syed Alinew board member and treasurer.