Tag: cultural diversity

Maroondah Sudanese Festival

Posted on by alex

Maroondah has experiencing growing cultural diversity in recent years, including becoming home to a vibrant Sudanese community. This afternoon I was invited to a cultural festival organised by Maroondah’s Sudanese community featuring food, music and dance.

Maroondah’s Sudanese community should be congratulated for sharing their culture and heritage, as well as promoting understanding within Maroondah. I congratulate the Sudanese community for their ongoing engagement and interest in the wider Maroondah community.

It has been a great experience being involved with Maroondah’s Sudanese community and I welcome the growing cultural diversity within the municipality.

Delegates’ Report: Regional Partnerships, Celebrating Diversity, Ringwood Station Advocacy

Posted on by alex

There are several notable items I will discuss tonight.

The first being the regional partnership signed by the Mayors of the Cities of Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Whitehorse and the Shire of Yarra Ranges on the 22nd of September. This agreement will strengthen co-operation between the municipalities in areas such as advocacy, where each of these councils have supported calls for the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into a safe, accessible and integrated transport interchange.

The Eastern Volunteers Multicultural Spring Festival was held on the 9th of October, with over 5000 attendees enjoying a range of multicultural food, entertainment and performances. It is great to see the Maroondah community embracing cultural diversity and this was further evident at the New Year celebrations of Maroondah’s Chin community, an ethnic group from Burma who celebrated Fang Er at Ringwood Secondary College on the 16th of October. The afternoon provided an opportunity to learn about Fang Er, which coincides with the harvest season in Burma and to discover national dances and food.

Monkami, a not-for-profit service provider for people with intellectually disabilities, has continued to strengthen its community connections and I had the pleasure of launching Alarming Art on the 14th of October. Alarming Art is Monkami’s new public gallery located at the Croydon Fire Station in Croydon Road, the space will provide an opportunity to showcase the talents of Monkami’s clients and further strengthen connections with the community.

Lastly, Maroondah City Council launched its Missing Piece Campaign on the 13th of October, calling on all political parties to commit to the redevelopment of Ringwood Station into an accessible, safe and integrated transport interchange. The campaign, which I co-launched with accessibility advocate Margaret Stevens, reinforces the dire state of Ringwood Station and the need for a commitment. The campaign will continue until the State Election with updates being available at www.facebook.com/ringwoodstation.

I’ll table the rest of my report.

Ringwood Historical Society – Early Jewish Settlers in the Colony of Victoria

Posted on by alex

The Ringwood Historical Society meets on a monthly basis with guest speakers discussing aspects of history.

Tonight’s guest speaker discussed the growing cultural diversity in the early days of the Colony of Victoria through Jewish migration into the settlement. Victoria and Melbourne have a long tradition of cultural diversity and in its early Colonial history Jewish communities were also evident in Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Shepparton.

The guest speaker also discussed the difficulties in tracing family histories, particularly due to name changes and a lack of complete records. Fortunately resources exist to assist members in tracing their family histories and to piece together some of the missing pieces.

The Ringwood Historical Society meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 8pm at Maroondah Federation Estate. For details please visit www.rhs.org.au.

Delegates’ Report: Thanking our volunteers, supporting cultural diversity and youth and reducing greenhouse emissions

Posted on by alex

On the 31st of July I attended an evening hosted by Maroondah’s Sudanese Community, where they shared traditional Southern Sudanese cuisine with the wider Maroondah municipality. Maroondah is home to almost 200 people from Sudan who share similar aspirations, in regard to employment and housing, like many other members of our community.

The food included lamb and cous cous combined with traditional Southern Sudanese cooking and ingredients and it is great to see all members of our community welcoming each other into Maroondah. Our municipality consists of people from a range of backgrounds and cultures and it is diversity that enriches our community and provides opportunities.

I congratulate the Sudanese community for bringing Maroondah’s communities together for the meal and for sharing their aspirations within the municipality.

On the 4th of August I had the pleasure of hosting the Community Volunteers Luncheon, providing an opportunity to acknowledge the work undertaken by the many volunteers within our community. Maroondah is fortunate to have many people committed to volunteering and working together to improve the wellbeing and amenity of our municipality.

The Community Volunteers Luncheon is Maroondah’s way of acknowledging and thanking the efforts of our volunteers and I would like to congratulate the many people who devote their time, energy and resources into improving our community.

On the 5th of August I attended a meeting organised by Common Equity Housing Limited (CEHL), the managers of the affordable housing cooperative in Larissa Avenue, Ringwood. The meeting provided an opportunity to meet prospective tenants of the development and to discuss Council’s plans for the Ringwood Central Activities District and the need for a State Government commitment towards Ringwood Station. It was great to see such enthusiasm towards the vision for Ringwood from the participants at the meeting. While Council was understandably concerned over the State Government’s removal of Council’s planning powers over the development, it is critical that we now work towards ensuring that the tenants of the development are a part of our community and able to partake in the same opportunities that we are all able to enjoy within Maroondah.

On the 6th of August I attended the launch of the Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action’s Solar Hot Water Program. The Eastern Alliance for Greenhouse Action is formed through six Councils within Eastern Melbourne, including Boroondara, Whitehorse, Maroondah, Yarra Ranges, Knox and Monash. The program will provide assistance in reducing household greenhouse emissions through solar hot water systems. An information session is scheduled for Thursday the 9th of September at 11am at Maroondah Federation Estate in Ringwood, where members of our community can learn more about this program.

I’ll be tabling the rest of my report.

Rotary Club of Ringwood – discussing the club website and introducing new members

Posted on by alex

The Rotary Club of Ringwood is one of several service clubs located within the City of Maroondah, which aim to provide support to groups and individuals within the community. The Rotary Club of Ringwood has had a particular focus on assisting refugees and has supported a number of events celebrating Maroondah’s cultural diversity.

This evening I provided an information session about the Rotary Club of Ringwood website to assist committee members in the management of the site. Committee members and authorised members of the club are able to add new content to the site, including photographs and videos, to ensure that the site is continually maintained and up-to-date.

One of the challenges facing service clubs is the need to encourage ongoing participation and interest from the community. The website should assist the Rotary Club of Ringwood in recruiting new members and highlighting the work it undertakes on behalf of the Maroondah community.

2010 Cultural Diversity Week and Harmony Day

Posted on by alex

Cultural Diversity Week is an opportunity to recognise multicultural ism and to promote inclusiveness within our community.  Harmony Day marks the final day of Cultural Diversity Week with its message of Everyone Belongs.

Alex with members of the Sudanese community during the Harmony Day Festivities at the Ringwood Library
Alex with members of the Sudanese community during the Harmony Day Festivities at the Ringwood Library

Throughout the day Centrelink, Eastern Regional Libraries, Maroondah City Council, Department of Justice, Mission Australia, Migrant Information Centre and Ringwood Police organised a Festival outside the Ringwood Library to promote Harmony Day and Cultural Diversity Week.

The theme for this year’s Harmony Day is Express Yourself and the festivities included face painting, music, dance and story telling.  It was great to see such a strong interest in the event and the participation of many members of our community.

Alex with an organiser of the Harmony Day Festivities
Alex with an organiser of the Harmony Day Festivities

I was invited to officially launch the event and the opening speech is included below:

Continue reading “2010 Cultural Diversity Week and Harmony Day”

Media Release: Everyone Belongs

Posted on by alex

Harmony Day, held each year on 21 March, provides a unique occasion for schools, community groups and organisations to celebrate our cultural diversity and show that everyone belongs.

Mayor of Maroondah, Councillor Alex Makin said Maroondah City Council has joined together with Eastern Regional Libraries, Mission Australia, Centrelink and the Department of Justice to provide a program of events at Ringwood Library on Thursday 18 March to celebrate Harmony Day.

“I invite the Maroondah community to come along to the Ringwood Library and take part in the range of activities that have been organised by the working party,” said Cr Makin.

“Children will be able to enjoy story-time, while everyone will enjoy the dancing and entertainment provided by members of the Sudanese, Chin and Karen communities,” said Cr Makin.

“There will also be an information expo in the Ringwood Room of the library, with representatives from Council, Centrelink, Mission Australia and the Department of Justice available to answer questions and offer a range of information and advice,” said Cr Makin.

Harmony Day, along with Cultural Diversity Week, will be celebrated at Ringwood Library on Thursday 18 March from 11am to 5pm.

For further information and a schedule of activities visit Council’s website at www.maroondah.vic.gov.au or Ringwood Library at www.erl.vic.gov.au

About Harmony Day

Managed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, Harmony Day celebrates the cohesive and inclusive nature of our nation and promotes the benefits of cultural diversity.

The continuing message of Harmony Day is ‘Everyone Belongs’. It’s about community participation, inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

The 2010 theme is ‘Express yourself’, through action, performance, fashion and food.

Since Harmony Day began in 1999, thousands of schools, community groups and organisations across Australia have celebrated Harmony Day in a range of different activities and events.