The 2007 Crescents of Brisbane Special Achievement Award

presented at CresWalk2007 on Sunday 20 May

to

Haji Sultan Deen

The Crescents of Brisbane Special Achievement Award is an annual award in recognition of individuals from within our community. The recipient of the 2007 award has been closely associated with Crescents of Brisbane, but it is his passion, commitment, drive and determination to serve his community, for which he was nominated this year.

Haji Sultan Deen aka George Deen to many, is the recipient of this years Special Achievement Award.

Whilst busy demolishing buildings in Brisbane he has certainly also been doing as their company slogan says, “leaving behind memories” but in this case in out hearts, of a man who quietly and passionately pursues and achieves any task at hand.

Sultan is proudly a 5th generation Australian Muslim.

He is an active member or has been closely involved with several community organizations over the years. Some of these include The Islamic Society of Holland Park, ICQ, AFIC, both Islamic Schools in Brisbane, the Brisvaani Aid Foundation, the Tsunami Relief Appeal, several sporting organisations, many multi-faith & government forums and task forces, the Griffith University Multi-faith advisory council, the QLD Police Ethnic advisory Board and the Eidfest committee.

He is a member of the Rotary Club of Archerfield for almost 20 Yrs with a 100 % meeting attendance and is the current President of the Rotary Club for his second term.

Sultan, with other members of the Deen family, has for many years co-ordinated the MUSLIM burial services in Brisbane, and those of us who have worked with him know that we can count on him 24/7 for his assistance and support.

Recently he has been involved with the “Harmony Home” project at the Runcorn Heights State School which caters to needs of disadvantaged children from all faiths at the school. Sultan was responsible for re-locating a home, all the earthworks and re-stumping of the home for this project.

Just a few weeks ago through his involvement with the Brisbane Islamic Soccer League, when the drought threatened soccer games at the Sporting Club at Chelmer he took on the task of getting in recycled water to drench the oval so that the games could go ahead.

He has been awarded several multicultural and volunteering service community awards.

His spirit of goodwill has been extended to Non-Muslim religious groups, as well. He helped the Rev Alan Male with the Shaftesbury Centre in Burpengary, a Rehabilitation centre for young people. For his efforts he was given the title of the “Honorary Earl of Shaftesbury”

In conclusion about Sultan as anyone involved with him in any committee would know – he is the first to put his hands into his pockets for any financial assistance he can give to any organisation and also the first to take his hands out of his pocket and get them dirty to get any job done, and and no task is too big or too small for him. This is truly remarkable considering many of us have a culture of outsourcing any community or volunteer work.

The Crescents of Brisbane Team is proud to have Haji Sultan Deen as their choice for their Muslim Achievement Award for 2007.