Fiji Seniors Club of South Australia (initial name) was inaugurated on a wintery chilly morning of 31^st July 1997 by like minded senior migrants of Fijian Diaspora. It was an emerging senior club, an offspring of members of Fiji Social and Cultural Club of South Australia Inc.

The first meeting of the club was held at Mr Ram Chandra’s residence in Oaklands Park who was also elected as the president. Mr Bhagwat Sharma became vice president, Secretary Mrs Bela Rahman, and treasurer Ms Sushila Sharma. There were eleven members present. Kishor Chand represented Fiji Social and Cultural Club.

Regular monthly meetings were held at members residence on last Tuesday of the month where every member who wished to host a meeting was fully accommodated. Members took turns for catering lunch to enjoy after the meetings.

This continued for a year till a permanent home was established at Reedbeds Community Centre at Fulham. The membership grew as more people joined after retirement from paid work.

In January 2005 the leadership changed hands, Mr Bhagwat Sharma took over as president. Membership was steady, however it started to dip as time passed. Some members moved interstate and unfortunately some passed away.

Come 2013 Mr Bhagwat Sharma decided to step down due to ill health and Kishor Chand was elected as new president. More Fiji migrants were retiring (baby boomers) and started joining the club. The numbers started booming, younger members with innovative ideas, lots of energy and enthusiasm, keen to help, the whole demography of the club changed. Lots of excursions were organised due to members request to explore SA and other states.

A constitution was written, established, and incorporated on 14^th June 2013 which became the bible of the club.

In 2014 Fiji Seniors won “Clubs Award for Excellence” in Every Generation Festival. An annual event organised by COTA SA. This was one of the highlights of the club as it beat several other contenders.

The club’s constitution was revised in 2019 and the name was replaced with “Fiji Senior Citizens Association of South Australia Incorporation”.

On 16^th December 2019, the Association gained STARservice Excellence recognition from Department of Human Services SA Government after fulfilling all requirements.

The Association is fully insured, is financially viable and looking forward to growing further.

Kishor Chand

President