Dr Bal Gopal Shrestha is currently a research fellow at the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology (ISCA), University of Oxford. Dr Shrestha, a researcher previously based in Leiden, did his PhD in Anthropology from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. He was a visiting fellow at the Department of History, Leiden (2007-2008). He taught politics of South and Southeast Asia at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University (2006-2007). He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Centro Incontril Umani, Ascona, Switzerland (2004-2006). The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam awarded him the Jan Gonda Fellowship at the International Institute for Asian Studies, Leiden (2001-2002). He received the Frederick Williamson Memorial Fund (2003) from the University of Cambridge.
Dr Shrestha has conducted fieldwork in Nepal and India and has widely published on Nepalese religious rituals, Hinduism, Buddhism, ethnic-nationalism, the Maoists movement and political development in Nepal. As a program advisor to the Friends of Sankhu in Nepal, he is also involved in fund raising, contributing to heritage conservation, and community development programmes of Friends of Sankhu in Nepal.
Dr Narayan Pradhan is currently enjoying retired life with wife Leela Pradhan in Sydney since 2003. Prior to this, he worked at the NSW Environment Protection Authority for 22 years. Dr Pradhan migrated to Australia in January 1974 after completing his Ph.D in Analytical Chemistry (1972) at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow. He also worked as a Senior Chemist at the Nepal Bureau of Mines from 1965-69.
Dr Pradhan is heavily involved in activities to assist the Nepalese community. His ongoing interest to promote Nepalese culture and traditions to Australians and our new generation as well as his passion and commitment to improve the Nepalese community in Sydney is evident in his involvement with various organisations. He was the Founder member of the Nepal Eye Program started by Dr S Ruit (1988), the President of Nepalese Australian Association (NAA, 1985-94) and the Executive member of NAA (1978-85). Dr. Pradhan is currently the President of Gurkha Nepalese Community (1997-2002, 2007-current).
Padam Shakya was also a founding member of the organisation when it was formed in 1995. Mr Shakya has a long history of involvement with Nepalese culture, having worked in the tourism industry in Nepal for over 15 years. Before coming to Australia in 1986, he held the position of General Manager at Kathmandu Guest House, which is the one of finest hotels in Nepal. Upon arrival in Australia, Padam established a handicraft business, Himalayan Heritage, than ran for 10 years. He was also associated with a number of tourism agencies that were linked to businesses in Nepal, and was responsible for briefing tourists about Nepalese culture before their departure.
These days, Mr Shakya is working at Kingsford Sydney International Airport, and is also involved in a number of community based organisations. Other than his role at Guthi Australia, he is an adviser at Gurkha Nepalese Community and is part of the executive body at Nepalese Australian Association, where he also is the former vice-president. Padam's prime motive for being involved in organisations such as Guthi Australia is to preserve Nepalese cultural heritage, and to promote it amongst younger generations. His hobbies include tennis, soccer, trekking, bush walking and traveling.
