On 10th September 2014, the NSW Minister for Citizenship and Communities, Mr Victor Dominello MP, announced Devpaal Singh (20) as one of the seven newly elected Advisory Board Members for the Community Relations Commission (CRC) at Parliament House, Sydney.
In his speech, Mr Dominello noted that the board “truly reflects the changing face of multicultural NSW” where for the first time, the board included those of Aboriginal, Anglo-Celtic, Indian, Korean, Chinese, Jewish and Egyptian backgrounds amongst others. Dr Hari Harinath OAM was also named the new Chair of the CRC.

Mr Dominello announced that these appointments changed in accordance with the three-year strategic plan launched last month, ‘Harmony in Action’ in which the CRC will become Multicultural NSW. Such changes are aimed to facilitate the organisation’s transition towards placing a greater emphasis on the beliefs and values uniting all Australians, namely; “our volunteering ethos, our Aboriginal heritage and our commitment to commemorating those who have served in defending our freedoms”.

“The appointment of Devpaal as the first Sikh on Community Relations Commission (CRC) is a proud moment for our community in Australia. We hope that this event will inspire other Sikh youths to reach even greater heights in contributing to public service and community development” – Satwant Singh Calais, Sikh Youth Australia.

Devpaal was born in Sydney and has been actively involved in Sikh Youth Australia programs for many years. He is currently the Director of Communications for SYA and has been a Jatha leader at our SYA Summer Camps. He is also a graduate of the National SYA Leadership Development program.

Devpaal has also been actively involved in initiatives dealing with the greater Australian community. In 2010, Devpaal attended the YMCA Youth Parliament Program and he delivered an address on his experience of multiculturalism at the 2013 Premier’s Harmony Day Dinner. He is an Engineering/Law student at Sydney University and is also currently the President of the Sydney University Sikh Society.
We congratulate Devpaal Singh on his appointment and are confident that, with Waheguru’s Grace, he will make a positive impact on the Sikh and broader ethnic community in NSW.