Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton urged people across the Parkes Electorate to be part of Australia's largest national multicultural event – Harmony Day 2017.
He said Harmony Day on 21 March gives communities across the Electorate the opportunity to celebrate Australia’s cultural diversity and recognise local groups and individuals.
“Australia’s cultural diversity helps make us who we are,” Mr Coulton said.
“Harmony Day promotes a sense of belonging for everyone and I’m pleased to see Parkes Electorate celebrating again with some great events this year.”
More than 10 events have been registered in the Parkes Electorate. These include
• Broken Hill NSW, 21 March from 10am to 2pm at Town Square Park with a barbecue and Managing Your Income information day.
• Bourke, 21 March 9am to 5pm, Central Park, Mitchell Street with speakers on the day from a multi-cultural background. There will be an awards ceremony to identify harmony heroes and recognising people who live the “everyone belongs” message.
• Walgett Community College High School and Primary School, 21 March, 12.30pm to 3pm, will be celebrating diversity by holding a whole school special event at Walgett Community College Primary School.
• Collarenebri Central School, 21 March 10am to 3pm, will celebrate Harmony Day with a morning tea for community, an official assembly with class performances, a guest speaker and a barbecue lunch.
• Moree Community Library, 21 March, 10:30am to 11am, will hold a special Harmony Day themed story-time aimed at children aged three to five years. There will also be a repeated session on Thursday March 23 at 11am.
• Gunnedah Public School Harmony Day, 21 March 9am to 3pm, will be inviting community members to the school to share stories. Students will be involved in a range of activities throughout the day promoting diversity and cultural understanding.
• Curlewis Harmony Day, 24 March, 9am to 3pm, will hold a full day of learning about Harmony Day. They will host a community morning tea at 11:15am to 11:45am, followed by open classrooms. Lunch is also supplied with a multi-cultural theme.
• Dubbo South Campus Harmony Day assembly, 28 March from 8.50am with an invitation to the community.
• Dunedoo Central School, 21 March, 9am to 3pm Harmony Day will be featuring a range of activities that highlight a feature of each country around the world, including traditional food tasting, dance, sports, games, languages. Parents, staff and community members will participate in the day’s events alongside the students.
• Dubbo’s Bangamalanha Centre, 21 March, 9.30am to 2.30pm, has invited Dubbo’s Year 6 Primary School students to take part in some activities and engage with some Nationalities speakers from the local community.
• Buninyong School and Community Centre, Myall Street, Dubbo, 21 March 10am to 12 noon will hold a multi-cultural morning tea hosted by the Buninyong Conversational English group. There will be activities for preschool children and performance from Buninyong Primary school children.
Mr Coulton said the message of belonging goes beyond 21 March. It can be lived by each of us, every day.
“We should celebrate and talk about the benefits of our cultural diversity – how it brings us together, contributes to our economy and helps to create innovation in our multicultural society.
“Thanks to all the event organisers for helping this community be a part of Harmony Day and spreading the message that everyone belongs.”
Visit www.harmony.gov.au to find out more.