On 18/02/2008, Frederick [FN] Noronha * फ्रेडरिक नोरोंया <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Swindon [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swindon] is in Goa's newspapers > today, by way of some large-sized adverts in the Herald. Abel Pires of > "Agassaim, Swindon" (as is the fashion for two-or-more affiliation > names for people who are part of the Goan diaspora) has been elected > president of the All Goa Swindon Association. He gets wishes from > ex-MPT player and Agassaim Sports Club president Tony Fernandes, > Agassaim panch James Afonso, and a whole lot of others from > Mercurim-Agassaim, Goa Velha, Batim, Malvara, Sulabate, Dandi > Agassaim, Nuria, Conlatim-London, Siridao, daxibatt-agassaim, Nuvem, > Panjim, Vasco and elsewhere). > > Could any Goanetter paint a word-picture of Goan migration to Swindon, > of which one has heard a lot over recent years?
RESPONSE: I saw that in the oHERALDo last week, two advertisements on the back page congratulating the President included in the list are the Pilar fathers (Swindon). The Pilar fathers are actually based in Mitcham, Surrey/London; a priest visits Swindon once a month to say mass in Konkani. The Swindon Goans probably have closer affinity to Goa, than other Goans who originally came from East Africa. Last week there was a death of a Goan woman in Swindon, the body was transported back to Agasaim for funeral rites and bruial in St. Sebastian's. Swindon is an up and coming Town/City with a heavy inflow of Goan and Polish peoples. This has over loaded the infrastructure and it is common knowledge that the Goans live in cramped conditions with extended families - as many as 15 people living in one small house. The Catholic schools are unable to take all the applicants, so this is a real concern to many. Now that the GOA Swindon has been formed, perhaps this and other issues will be addressed. There are many meat and food packaging industries in Swindon and Goans readily find work there. Also the BMW and Honda factories are located there and many fork lift drivers are Goan youth. They have a football team and participate in the local league, although sometimes they get trounced heavily. The route to Swindon is by obtaining a Portuguese passport, thereafter the extended family comes into play, with a helping hand. My congratulations too, to the formation and election of the Swindon GOA President. -- DEV BOREM KORUM. Gabe Menezes. London, England