After 30 years of active community involvement, Maina pursues her other passion to help oldtimers and newcomers in Victoria to find a new home. With her partnership with Andy Kala Real Estate, looking for a new property can now be much easier.
About Maina
Maina is a former business proprietor and the Managing Director of the Philippine Trade Center (Australia).
She was the Honorary Consul General of the Philippines in Victoria in 1997 to 2003. This provided her the opportunity to work extensively with the general community, business and government.
Maina worked as International Education Officer with the Victorian Department of Education International Branch which included the Philippines and Vietnam as her brief promoting the Victorian Education Programs as well as Students/teachers Exchange Programs.
Maina is a member of: The Naval and Military Club, The Philippine Sports Club of Melbourne and the Philippine Fiesta of Victoria.
Among her community work achievements are -
1. the establishment of the Philippine Community Center at Laverton
the establishment of the only Philippine Language School in Victoria duly accredited by the Department of Education as Single Provider for VCE;
2. assisted the Philippine Steering Group in establishing the Community Care Package for the Filipino Elderly. This program is to support the elderly to live independently at home, and prevents premature institutionalization. This is now auspiced by the Filipino Community Council of Victoria.
3. assisted in developing the out-reach program for members of the community in the country areas such as Moe, Morwell,Traralgon, Bairnsdale, Shepparton, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Mildura, Paynesville, Wodonga and others. The Philippine Sports Club of Melbourne, Inc., of which she was President in 1988-1990 and Chairman in 1990-1992 organised the :
· First Inter-Asian Basketball Competition in Victoria from 1985 to 1991 which included teams from various ethnic communities such as East Timor, Vietnam, Borneo, Malaysia, Chinese Association of Victoria, Chinese Fellowship of Victoria, and of course the Philippines.
· First Inter-Asian Table Tennis & Badminton Tournament amongst players from the Philippines, Hong Kong and Cambodia. This tournament produced a national Table Tennis Champion in the person of Dennis Makaling who represented Australia in eight (8) international competitions.
4. she organised a 5-month Philippine Festivals in Victoria comprising of 4 major events such as: The Philippine Textile Exhibition “Our Pattern of Islands” held at the Treasury Gold Museum from June 3 to August 3, 2003; The Philippine Food Festival at the Grand Hyatt Hotel from September 3 – 9; The Philippine Arts Festival featuring Filipino-Australian local artists , and a concert featuring the Gamelan Kontra Gapi of the University of the Philippines specializing in indigenous music, dances and miming performances by 17 student members where they performed at the Federation Square and the Asia Link Auditorium at the University of Melbourne.
