London letter

Paurushasp Jila, the youthful and popular president of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE), was reelected to the post he has held since end 2005 at the association’s annual general meeting in November 2008. Darius Karkaria and Shenaz Sadri have been voted into the managing committee which includes vice president Malcolm Deboo, treasurer Dorab Mistry, Fraser Daruwala, Behram Kapadia, Javid Canteenwala, Mandana Moavenat, Ratan Buhariwala and Kobad Avari. Adi Bilimoria, Ervad Rustom Bhedwar and Rusi Dalal continue as trustees.

The total running cost of the association, including the maintenance of the large Zoroastrian Centre and the Zoroastrian cemetery at Brookwood is in the region of £ 120,000 per year as against its income from members which is estimated at £ 5,000 per year. This is because most of the members have either paid just a one-off amount (£ 70 or £ 150) for life membership or benefited from free membership offered to old age pensioners, explains the ZTFE newsletter.

"We have many new projects that we would like to initiate for the benefit of our community. Establishing a Senior Members Home for the Zoroastrians or building the grand dining room in the Centre (for which we already have planning permission) are just two to name. However, we do need the financial backing of the community to realize these projects,” notes the appeal from the managing committee urging members to contribute even a small amount on a monthly basis. It also urges members to donate to community funds on happy occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, promotions, etc, extolling Gul Billimoria who has set up a regular monthly donation to the ZTFE in memory of her late husband Rusi, an active and dedicated member of the association who passed away in 2007.