Tag: sudanese community

Delegates’ Report: Celebrating diversity and promoting art

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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 Sudanese Festival

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

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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.

Sharing cuisine with Maroondah’s Sudanese Community

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In recent years the City of Maroondah has become home to refugees from Sudan, who have settled into the municipality to start a life within Australia. This evening, Maroondah’s Sudanese community prepared a traditional Sudanese meal to share with the Maroondah community, with the aim of bringing bring people together and to discuss common challenges facing people in the municipality.

Like many people within our community, Maroondah’s Sudanese population is finding it challenging to secure housing and employment opportunities and there is a need for all levels of government to work together in providing a diverse range of employment and housing options.

As the Mayor of Maroondah, I have assisted in the Sudanese community in establishing a dialogue with Central Ringwood Community Centre, with the aim of providing a meeting space for their community and thus encourage civic participation within the municipality.

While solutions to housing and employment focus on State and Federal Governments, local government can support this through delivering on a vision for the municipality. For example, the Ringwood Central Activities District aims to create a diverse range of employment opportunities and this will need to be reinforced through a range of housing types and community facilities.

I welcome Maroondah’s Sudanese community and thank them for the meal they have shared with the Maroondah community. The food, included lamb and cous cous with members explaining the different range of cuisines that exist within Sudan.

Southern Sudanese Christian Welfare Association Annual General Meeting

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The Southern Sudanese Christian Welfare Association was formed by members of the Sudanese community to provide support for Maroondah’s Sudanese migrants.  The organisation not only provides peer support but holds cultural events to create a sense of community and provide opportunities to learn about Sudanese culture.

Today’s meeting elected committee members for the next twelve months and provided an update on the organisation and its objectives.  While housing and employment challenges remain and will require a coordinated approach across all levels of government, the Association has been successful in holding cultural events and promoting the need for social inclusion and opportunities.

It is imperative that  Maroondah’s Sudanese community is able to find suitable housing and employment opportunities so that these newly arrived migrants and their families are able to reside within the municipality.

Wellbeing of the Sudanese Community within Maroondah

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The City of Maroondah is home to many Sudanese refugees, who settled within the municipality to start a new life within Australia. While many community organisations and facilities have welcomed the Sudanese community, they have experienced some ongoing difficulties in securing employment and housing.

This afternoon I attended a public meeting convened by the Maroondah Southern Sudanese Christian Welfare Association to discuss the ongoing difficulties faced by this community.

I was joined by the majority of my Council colleagues, as well as several State Members, so that we could hear first-hand the difficulties the Sudanese community is facing. While one of the challenges, in regard to community space, will hopefully be resolved through partnering with community houses, the challenge of affordable housing and employment, is more difficult to resolve.

All levels of government need to work together to ensure that our emerging communities are able to establish a sustainable and ongoing future within Maroondah. I will be discussing these concerns with State and Federal Members so that we can work towards some positive outcomes for the Sudanese community.