“ ‘Everyone belongs’ was the key message of Georges River Council’s Harmony Day celebration held at the Marana Auditorium, Hurstville today.
Mayor Kevin Greene welcomed representatives of a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures and religions.
“Harmony Day provides us with a chance to celebrate and learn more about the different cultures within our community,” Cr Greene said.
“In Australia there are about 300 different ancestries which have been identified.
“This richness of cultural diversity is one of our greatest strengths and is something to be elebrated.
“On Harmony Day however, we make a point of acknowledging and showing respect for the rich, colourful heritage and histories that form our cultural backgrounds.
“Today we will hear first-hand about the experiences of people who migrated to the local area from countries thousands of kilometres away.”
Cr Greene said he hoped that events such as the Harmony Day celebration would inspire people to get to know more about the people and the cultures they share their neighbourhood with.
The council’s Harmony Day celebrations included Aboriginal and multicultural traditional and contemporary performances, storytelling, children’s activities, Henna hand painting and information stalls.
Throughout March, Council will also be hosting a number of festival events, including a vocal music skills development day, a bilingual story time in Nepali and English, a cultural intelligence workshop, an interfaith forum, and Neighbour Day.
“We encourage you to help us build a strong identity around the new Local Government Area, a culturally rich and diverse identity which the whole community can take pride in - a community to which everyone feels they belong,” Cr Greene said.