Atmosferê tworzy³y elegancka zastawa sto³ów, wysokie pal±ce siê ¶wiece oraz zespó³ etnicznych muzyków. Wszystkim pracownikom, zarówno tym, którzy pracuj± w siedzibie Biura w Maidstone i Geelongu, jak i tym którzy wykonuj± swoj± trudn± pracê opiekunów w terenie, dyrektor AMCS El¿bieta Drozd wrêczy³a osobisty list z podziêkowaniem, nastêpuj±cej tre¶ci (list by³ w jêzyku angielskim poniewa¿ instytucja ma obecnie profil wielokulturowy) :

"On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Australian Multicultural Community Services (AMCS), your immediate manager and personally, I write to thank you very much for your work to-date. AMCS was established 31 years ago for the purpose of supporting migrants and all our efforts are focussed on fulfilling this original wish that AMCS founders had. The majority of AMCS clients have come to Australia as refugees (then referred to as Displaced Persons) or came under the Special Humanitarian Program, that Australia has for people who are seeking freedom or just simply want to live in peace and raise their family in a fair and just society. Today, we support approximately 600 clients on a regular basis and this number is increasing. This support is provided thru your wonderful work, individually and as the AMCS Team. It is your dedication, compassion, skills, knowledge and your willingness to help, that makes the difference to the 600 clients' well being. Today, we employ 85 staff, and provision of employment opportunities for migrants, I believe, is our second most important achievement. We don't know how many people we have assisted in that regard in the last 31 years, but we can say that for many, AMCS was the organisation that enabled them to acquire the first professional work experience in Australia. Equally important and valuable is the work of the 120 volunteers who support our activities and this includes the AMCS Board, who carry significant responsibilities, without any monetary reimbursement. Today, we thank each of you. We wish you good health and we hope you will have a wonderful evening.
Elizabeth Drozd
Chief Executive Officer

Podczas uroczystej kolacji podziêkowanie pracownikom Australijsko Wielokulturowego Biura Us³ug Spo³ecznych w imieniu Komitetu z³o¿y³a p. Agata Pawlowski mówi±c:

"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen, As member of the Board of Directors I have the honour to express my gratitude on behalf of Australian Multicultural Community Services to all of you who work in our organisation in various roles, programs and sites in order to improve and enrich the lives of those who are most vulnerable in our community. I would like to express our deep gratitude to: - those of you who work in management and carry the responsibility of making strategic decisions, organising and applying for funds and distributing these resources - the many staff who are involved in planning supports and programs with the available resources in order to meet the needs of our community - the co-ordinators and organisers - the administration team - you are our anchor - to our team of direct care staff who provide this vital help on a daily basis - and above all our army of volunteers – without your help we would not be able to reach all those needing help and support. We value highly your commitment, passion for your work, selflessness and sensitivity to the needs of others as well as your readiness to help. Your presence in the lives of these people means a great deal. It gives them a sense of belonging to the community, effective help with a multitude of complex problems, lightens the burden of sometimes very difficult situation, brings comfort, brightens a dull day in pain, changes grief to joy and loneliness into friendship and provides hope at a time when they feel helpless and desperate. We understand your frustrations related to limited resources, time, delays in some cases the inability to provide an effective long term solution for a client situation. We appreciate your many wonderful qualities and talents: -your patience -resilience and determination -your skills and knowledge which you willingly share -your helpful and capable hands -your ears that listen to stories of sadness sometimes over and over again in a single day -your warm kind words and -your open and generous hearts. We are so very proud that we have such a group of dedicated people in our organisation. We also extend our thanks to your families and loved ones in your life who support you, give you strength, motivation and inspire you to be you. Our work continues but I believe that what we have achieved so far has brought a huge difference in our community. I believe that we can meet the many challenges ahead together and continue on this journey."

W oficjalnej czê¶ci spotkania g³os zabra³ równie¿ wieloletni, zas³u¿ony cz³onek Komitetu AMCS - prof. Desmond Cahill,OAM. Przemawiaj±c, w szczególny sposób odniós³ siê do postaci dyrektora Biura, El¿biety Drozd. Przypomnia³, ¿e jest ona jego by³± studentk±, osob± niezwykle pracowit± i oddan± sprawom swoich pracowników i klientów. Zaznaczy³ jej wk³ad pracy i umiejêtno¶æ pokonania wszelkich trudno¶ci, w z³ozonym procesie przekszta³cenia Biura, zgodnie z wymaganiami czasów, w wielokulturowe. Pracê, któr± w tej sprawie wykona³a nazwa³ "wk³adem Polonii w wielokulturow± Wiktoriê". Pracownikom Biura prof.Cahill pogratulowa³ takiego lidera, jakim jest Elizabeth, co zosta³o przyjête gromkimi oklaskami.

Po czê¶ci oficjalnej rozpoczê³a siê wspólna zabawa. I choæ Biuro ma obecnie charakter wielokulturowy i muzycy demonstrowali utwory w ró¿nych rytmach, polscy pracownicy Biura znale¼li okazjê, aby w³±czyæ nasz±, polsk± muzykê, przy której bawiono siê wyj±tkowo weso³o.

Monika Wiench