Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I recently had the pleasure of attending the 33rd annual Yarraville Festival in Melbourne’s west. The Yarraville Festival celebrates what makes us proud about the west of Melbourne. During the festival, we saw the talents of local leaders in the worlds of fashion, comedy and music on display. We also saw our local craftsmen and entrepreneurs showing off their skills at stalls throughout the festival. I was particularly pleased to see the inaugural Flik Fest, or Yarraville Film Festival, showcasing the creativity of our young filmmakers. With the theme of ‘Made Near Me’, the film festival allowed us to celebrate and reflect upon the west’s manufacturing heritage.

With the thousands of jobs lost and under threat in recent weeks in Melbourne's west, it has been a tough period for many families in my electorate. But it is during tough times that we most appreciate what it means to be a part of a community, to know that we are not just individuals but surrounded by people who care about us and are there to support us through adversity, and also to know that we can celebrate the things we love most in our life with those around us at events like the Yarraville Festival.

The Yarraville Festival is a symbol of the resilience and community spirit of Melbourne’s west, and I look forward to seeing it grow in the years to come. I would particularly like to acknowledge those who put their time and effort into organising this festival. I would like to thank the organising committee led by president Richard Moore and including Martin Zakharov, Megan Darling, Violet Browne, Brenton Burley, Karl Imke, Linda Dorj and Adam Coad for all their hours of work on this festival.

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