National Reconciliation Week provides an opportunity promote reconciliation and an understanding of Indigenous culture. Maroondah celebrates Reconciliation Week through an official launch, as well as a series of events, including cultural awareness training.
This year I was invited to speak at the launch of National Reconciliation Week and the copy of speech is provided within this post:
Continue reading “Maroondah Celebrations for National Reconciliation Week”
Well-respected Indigenous rights speaker and performer Kutcha Edwards will be a special guest at Maroondah City Council’s National Reconciliation Week celebrations.
National Reconciliation Week runs from 27 May – 3 June and recognises the rich culture and history of the First Australians.
Maroondah Councillor Alex Makin said this year’s event would provide a variety of opportunities encouraging the community to explore Indigenous culture and heritage.
“I’d like to extend an invitation to the community to attend Maroondah’s Reconciliation Week celebrations from 10.30am at Maroondah Federation Estate on Tuesday May 31,” Cr Makin said.
“The launch will include a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, a flag ceremony and a mesmerising didgeridoo performance by an indigenous performer,” Cr Makin said.
“Following the official procedures, Kutcha Edwards will speak about the theme for this year’s Reconciliation Week – Let’s talk recognition,” Cr Makin said.
“Edwards was born into the Mutti Mutti tribe in New South Wales, before being “stolen” from his family at 18 months of age. As a teenager he was reunited with his family, and started his journey to reconnect with his heritage,” Cr Makin said.
“Edwards now devotes his life working with various community groups including the Aboriginal Community Elders Services (ACES), Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, Fitzroy Stars Youth Club Gymnasium and the Koorie Open Door Education school at Glenroy,” Cr Makin said.
As part of Reconciliation Week, Council will also host an Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training session at Maroondah Federation Estate later in the week.
To find out more about Reconciliation Week events visit www.maroondah.vic.gov.au
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This year marks the 10th anniversary of Maroondah Federation Estate and the Maroondh Art Gallery. The gallery, which is located in the art room of the former Ringwood Primary School is Maroondah’s premiere art gallery featuring a diverse range of art exhibitions.
This evening I was invited to launch Parole Viaggiante, the latest exhibition at Maroondah Federation Estate, which was jointly curated between La Trobe University Museum of Art and the Maroondah Art Gallery. Parole Viaggiante features works by Angela Cavalieri, which captures her travel experiences, depictions of cities and the multifaceted use of language.
The exhibition which opened tonight will be shown at the Maroondah Art Gallery until the 26th of May. The speech delivered during the opening is available in this post:
Continue reading “Opening of Angela Cavalieri’s Parole Viaggiante at Maroondah Art Gallery”
Kaleidoscope is the name of an art exhibition hosted by Scope, which showcases the artistic talents of people with disabilities. The exhibition, which is being held across the State, includes a series of exhibits at the Long Gallery at Maroondah Federation Estate.
This morning I was invited to open the Exhibition at Maroondah Federation Estate to encourage members of the community to view artworks that were submitted under the theme of ‘Inspiration Works’. The launch was accompanied by ambient music provided by members of Scope, showcasing musical, as well as artistic talents.
The Kaleidoscope Exhibition was widely attended with several members travelling across Victoria to be present at the opening. It was wonderful to be a part of the exhibition and to see Scope celebrating the artistic talents of its members.
The speech I delivered during the proceedings in available within this post:
Continue reading “Opening the Kaleidoscope Exhibition”
Maroondah-based choir Stroke a Chord is celebrating its first birthday by launching a website and announcing its first public performance.
Maroondah Councillor Alex Makin said the choir started in 2010 to allow people with limited or no speech to experience something positive and joyful with their voice in a social and understanding environment.
“Imagine not being able to speak but having the ability to sing perfectly. This is the reality experienced by a number of people living with aphasia,” Cr Makin said.
“The idea for the choir was first raised during Stroke Week 2008. After hearing that several people in Maroondah were living with aphasia, Council took the first tentative steps towards the formation of a choir,” Cr Makin said.
“With the help of a number of external organisations, the choir has gone from strength to strength, with more than 20 members now meeting every week at Maroondah Family Church in Ringwood East,” Cr Makin said.
“Thanks to a $15,000 grant from the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust the choir has a qualified music therapist working alongside the participants to ensure they are getting the most out of the experience,” Cr Makin said.
“After a trial performance in front of a group of family and friends the choir are now ready to perform publicly, with their first performance to be held at Karralyka Theatre during Stroke Week in September,” Cr Makin said.
Last month Stroke a Chord launched its own website, www.strokeachord.com, to raise awareness of aphasia and the choir in the community.
“Having a website allows the choir to expand their network and hopefully increase its profile, so more people know what they do and how people can become involved,” Cr Makin said.
“The site provides a background on the choir, information on aphasia, and links to resources which are available to people who have aphasia,” Cr Makin said.
Stroke a Chord will perform publicly for the first time at 2pm, Saturday September 17 at Karralyka Theatre, Ringwood East. For more information www.strokeachord.com
The Stroke a Chord initiative is a partnership between Maroondah City Council, Yooralla, Royal Talbot Hospital, University of Queensland, Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, Croydon Stroke Support Group and Melbourne University.
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The Ringwood Ballet Group is a community based not-for-profit organisation that was formed in 1961. The group hold an annual performance at Karralyka and this year showcased a ballet version of Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as several jazz and tap dance routines. Younger performers were also involved and it was great to see so many students being able to participate within the performance.
The Ringwood Ballet Group holds weekly classed at Bedford Road in Ringwood and includes a range of dance styles including classical ballet, jazz and tap. The Ringwood Ballet Group is one example of the range of art and cultural groups that exist within Maroondah. and I commend the many people involved in organising and participating within the Ringwood Ballet Group’s annual concert.
Tonight’s performance was excellent and I commend the many people involved in organising and participating in the Ringwood Ballet Group’s annual performance.
The Maroondah Mayoral Art Show is an annual event, which raises funds for the Croydon Branch of Bone Marrow Donor Institute. The Maroondah Weekly has reported on the Art Show, which will be held until the 11th of December:
Maroondah mayor Alex Makin said 25 percent of the sale of the art works would be donated to the Croydon branch of the Bone marrow Institute, which has been a long standing patron of the show.
The art show showcases the breadth of artist talent, with many local artists participating in the event.
Cr Makin said the event was the also an opportunity for local artists’ work to be hung along-side well-known Melbourne artists. “It’s been one of the most diverse years in terms of the breadth of different art and the breadth of different mediums as well.”
In addition to Council’s support, the Mayoral Art Show is also sponsored by the Ringwood East branch of the Bendigo Community Bank, providing a partnership between local businesses, council and the community.
There are several items I’ll be reporting on:
On the 23rd of October I attended the Khaudo Festival, organised by Maroondah’s Zomi community. The Zomi are an ethnic group from Burma and Maroondah has one of the highest populations of refugees from Burma within Metropolitan Melbourne. The Khuado Festival is a celebration of the Zomi New Year and a welcome to the community.
Similarly on the 13th of November I attended a Sudanese Cultural Festival featuring music, food and dance from Maroondah’s growing Sudanese community. It is great to see our emerging communities sharing their culture with the wider Maroondah community through showcasing traditional dance, music and food.
On the 28th of October I attended Monkami’s production of ‘Hey Hey Its Monkami’. Monkami is a not-for-profit community based organisation that provides services and opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities. The organisation has an emphasis on community development including theatre and the arts as well as community partnerships. The Ringwood Movie Makers have continued to work in partnership with Monkami and filmed a cameo performance as part of the script.
On the 7th of November I attended the Maroondah Festival and it was fantastic to see so many community groups and residents participating in the festival. For the first year in a while, we had pleasant weather and in addition it was fortunate the rain held off.
On the 11th of November I attended the Remembrance Day services at the Croydon RSL and I would like to commend the members of the RSL for their community focus and involvement of local schools and community members.
Also on the 11th I officiated the Maroondah Volunteer Recognition Function, where we recognised the valuable contribution of Maroondah’s volunteers. Many of these volunteers have been assisting Council in the delivery of services, including Meals on Wheels, as well as supporting our environment and social support services.
Lastly, the 11th also featured the opening night of the Mayoral Art Show, which supports the Croydon Branch of the Bone Marrow Donor Institute. All proceeds from the exhibition support cancer research and features 90 artists across a range of mediums and styles.
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.
The Mayoral Art Show is an annual art event that supports the Croydon Branch of the Bone Marrow Donors Institute and the work it undertakes in the research of Cancer. The art show, which features 90 artists, includes promising and local artistic talents with a range of mediums.
The Mayor is able to acquire one of the pieces for the Maroondah Art Collection and I acquired a piece by Jazmina Cinina, a promising artist specialising in linocut and drawing upon her Lithuanian heritage and interest in werewolves.
The speech delivered for the opening is available within this entry: