【CASS Annual General Meeting 2024 Successfully Held Professor Stephen Li Elected As Chairperson】

(Press Release – 27 November 2024)

As a longstanding social services provider to the community, CASS convened its 43rd Annual General Meeting on Sunday, 24 November 2024 at its Campsie Activity Hall and via online.

Chairperson Professor Stephen Li presided over the meeting.

Deputy Chairperson and Secretary Anthony Pang provided an overview of CASS’s performance for the Financial Year (FY) 2023/2024, which included:

• CASS Care Limited was awarded the Business Excellence – Not for Profit Medal in Premier’s Harmony Dinner 2024.
• CASS Family Day Care won the ‘Most Significant Contribution Towards Early Childhood Education and Care Benefits for Families’ award at the State of Our Sector Awards Night, organised by the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) New South Wales.
• Over 2,300 seniors from diverse multicultural backgrounds were utilising its services, including Home Care Packages (HCP) and Commonwealth Home Support Programme (CHSP). Participants reflect a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Indonesian communities. CASS continue to secure federal government funding, enabling us to deliver essential short-term recovery care services (STRC) that enhance the well-being of the seniors.
• CASS hosted a Charity Dinner on 22 June 2024, aiming to raise funds to repay the building costs of its second RACF in Asquith. The event garnered extensive support from various stakeholders and successfully raised over $120,000. By May 2024, the Asquith Aged Care Centre was completed and officially opened its doors, providing essential services to the elderly in the community. The facility features 97 independent living units with private bathrooms, along with 11 additional independent living units, ensuring a comfortable and supportive environment for its residents.
• The Multicultural Community Services Development unit proudly delivers a wide range of services to Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and other communities. CASS actively host informative sessions that address crucial topics such as well-being, early learning, law and welfare, empowering diverse communities with the knowledge they need.
• Settlement and Health Services continue to receive funding from the Department of Home Affairs to provide services to Chinese immigrants. Additionally, CASS offers settlement services to Korean and Vietnamese communities using its own resources.
• Mr Anthony Pang, the Deputy Chairperson/Secretary, was honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on Australia Day and Lifetime Community Service at Premier’s Harmony Dinner 2024 in recognition of his unwavering dedication and over three decades of outstanding contributions to the community.
• CASS actively promotes its services and activities and provides regular community updates in the multicultural community through its various websites and social media platforms, such as WeChat, Facebook, Xiaohongshu, Naver Café, Kakao talk, etc. Furthermore, CASS consistently publishes articles under the name of “Kending”.

Treasurer Sean Zhang presented a comprehensive report on financial performance for FY 2023/2024. CASS’s annual total income amounted to approximately $69 million. Notably, there was an increase in expenditure compared to the previous financial year due to inflation and the construction of the Asquith RACF. He praised and thanked the Honorary Executive Director, staff members, and volunteers for their unwavering dedication and diligent efforts that had helped CASS maintaining a robust business.

Both reports were unanimously approved by the attending members. Under the supervision of Returning Officer Hun Chew Low, new members of the Board of Directors and the Council of Elders were successfully elected during the meeting. Additionally, motions listed on the agenda were discussed and decided upon.

The meeting concluded in a jubilant and harmonious atmosphere, with members congratulating the newly appointed Board of Directors and Council of Elders, and wishing them a smooth sailing year, working to cater to the needs of more people requiring care and assistance.

The inaugural meeting of the new Board was then convened to allocate responsibilities among the members.  The composition and organisational structure of the Board members are as follows:

Chairperson: Professor Stephen Li (Overall Coordination, Home Ageing Services and Clinical Care Management)

Foundation Chairperson/Honorary Executive Director: Mr Henry Pan OAM (Daily Operations, Strategic Planning & Development and Risk Management)

Emeritus Chairperson: Dr Leng Tan (Residential Aged Care Services and Disability Services)

Deputy Chairperson/Secretary: Mr Anthony Pang OAM (Corporate Compliance & Child Care Services)

Vice Chairperson/Treasurer: Mr Sean Zhang (Finance, Audit & Cultural Affairs)

Vice Chairperson: Mr Ivan Wong (Settlement Services and Assisting Strategic Planning)

Vice Chairperson: Ms Tica Lee (Occupational Health and Safety, Community Relations, and Promotions)

Other Directors:

Dr Simon Luk (Assisting Clinical Care Management and Aged Care)

Mr Stephen Yang (IT Projects and Development)

Alternate Directors:

Mrs Teresa Chu (Volunteers’ Coordination)

Ms Holly Liu (Activity Groups Coordination)

Ms Patricia Wong (Assisting in Aged Care Services)

Mr Evan Huang (Assisting in Services Development)

Mr Paul Lai (Assisting in Activity Groups Coordination)

Mr Kenneth Yiu (Assisting in IT Projects)

Council of Elders:

Mr Francis Lee OAM

Ms Louise Wu

Mr Shan Zou

Mr Percy To

Mr Hartono Arifin