The Canterbury Bankstown Chamber of Commerce hosted its 2022 Inaugural Gala Dinner on 3 December at The Highline venue in Bankstown. With over 600 attendees representing businesses and politicians across Canterbury Bankstown and the wider Western Sydney area, the Gala was a spectacular celebration of the Chamber and its members’ accomplishments and milestones in 2022.
The Chamber was honoured to welcome the Hon. Dominic Perrotett MP, Premier of NSW, to the Canterbury Bankstown Chamber of Commerce 2022 Inaugural Gala Dinner, along with the Hon. Jason Clare MP Federal Minister for Education and Patron, and Chamber Ambassadors Jihad Dib MP and Wendy Lindsay MP. Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour and Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun and their partners, plus a number of Local, State, and Federal members and various Community and Business leaders were also welcomed to the Chamber’s Inaugural Gala Dinner.
Held for the sixth consecutive year, the Gala was filled with invigorating discussions, memorable moments, and vibrant entertainment. Catered by award-winning restauranteurs Al Aseel, Gala attendees were entertained by the talented musicians at Evoke Entertainment and wowed by Sydney’s premier illusionist, Jackson Aces.
“Our Gala is one of the largest opportunities for local businesses and organisations to receive the recognition they deserve to acknowledge their efforts and contributions to creating a better business society,” says Canterbury Bankstown Chamber of Commerce CEO Wally Mehanna.
In particular, the resilience of the community in the face of severe weather and extensive flooding in many areas of Canterbury Bankstown throughout 2022 was to be celebrated.
“So many businesses and organisations were facing a huge challenge of recovering from the effects of Covid-19 lockdowns in 2021 without needing to deal with the rains and floods this year,” Mr Mehanna said. “Our community really rose to the challenge of overcoming these difficulties to become stronger than ever as 2022 ends.”
Winners included Centric and Capital Funding for CBCC Business of the Year 2022, Marina Toailoa for CBCC Rising Star 2022, Ahmad Harb from Al Aseel for CBCC Business Person of the Year 2022, and Nader Petroleum for CBCC 50 Years of Business Trading 2022.
In partnership with Noble Toyota, the Chamber held a raffle for a brand-new Toyota Corolla Ascent Sport Hatch Hybrid, with net profits from the raffle to be donated to the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutic (FAST) Australia.
“Angelman Syndrome is a rare neurogenetic disorder that has no cure at the moment. FAST is doing great work towards providing people with Angelman Syndrome with the care that they need and doing ground-breaking research, and we are happy that our community can contribute to their cause,” Mr Mehanna said.
The Gala also featured a silent auction hosted during the event that will raise money to support the Chamber’s operations in 2023.
“We have big plans for our community next year, including bigger events, more workshops, and more advocacy to keep empowering our local businesses,” Mr Mehanna said. “We are deeply thankful for those who participated in the silent auction and for their ongoing support of the Chamber.”
