Celebrating Harmony Week

A group rendition of “I am Australian” was a highlight when Mayor Robyn Gulline joined Centre for Participation English class participants for a Harmony Day event on Thursday.

Past and present migrant students dressed in cultural attire and shared their national foods as part of a celebration of the Wimmera’s multiculturalism.

Mayor Robyn Gulline praised the Centre for Participation for hosting the Harmony Week celebration, and for its year-round services provided to migrants living in the Wimmera.

“It was a very moving rendition of I Am, You Are, We Are Australian by the migrant English class participants. It’s clear to see that the programs at the Centre for Participation have been highly beneficial for people new to Australia,” she said.

“Also, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Cultural Diversity in the Wimmera dance film again.”

Several other Horsham organisations also held events as part of Harmony Week, including Horsham College, which saw activities and traditional dancing performed by the school's Karen students.

On Tuesday, the Wimmera Settlement Services in partnership with Oasis Wimmera and Horsham Neighbourhood House hosted 'A Taste of the World' event at Jellybeans Playgroup.

On Wednesday, seven Horsham people officially became Australian citizens at a Council ceremony.

“Australia is known as the most successful multi-cultural country in the world and here in the Wimmera, we have a great record of assimilating our migrants into our community and way of life,” Cr Gulline said.

“In the 2016 census, nearly half (49 per cent) of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was and identify with over 300 ancestries. It will be interesting to see how these statistics change when the latest 2021 census data is released in June.”