There were smiles all around yesterday as the Centre for Access and English as a Second Language (CAESL) came alive with colour for Harmony Day.
Students wore traditional dress and brought food from their country of origin to help celebrate multicultural Australia. Around 100 students gathered to listen to Level 5 and 6 English students speak in their own language about what Harmony Day means to them.
Over 20 different countries were represented, including Ethiopia, East Timor, Serbia, Africa and Japan.
"This is a great day for our students to celebrate living in peace and harmony in Australia," Adult Migrant English Program lecturer, Leonie Cramer said.
Meanwhile Palmerston campus hosted a ‘Unity in Diversity Harmony Day lunch’ run by the Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory. Speakers at the lunch included Palmerston Mayor, Annette Burke, Member for Solomon David Tollner MP, and Senator Trish Crossin. Also in attendance was Nigel Scullion, CLP Senator for the Northern Territory.
Mayor Burke acknowledged the benefits of multiculturalism in Australia and said that many cultures ‘enrich our lives’. She also announced the winners of a Harmony Day ‘Golden Rule’ poster competition, which saw 12 primary school students from Palmerston presented with awards for their posters depicting multicultural Australia.
Harmony Day is a national event, held on 21 March each year, to coincide with the United Nations Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Since its launch in 1999, it has grown to become Australia’s biggest multicultural event. It aims to give Australians the opportunity to get to know each other better, share our culture and say ‘no’ to racism.
More information can be found at the Living in Harmony website.