Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

North Sydney is a vibrant community, with one in three people speaking a language other than English at home, and, despite the turmoil in the wider world, our diversity has been celebrated at several fantastic events recently.

At the Diwali celebrations in Lane Cove, coordinated by Balu Moothedath and his volunteer team at the Lane Cove Indian community, we celebrated the triumph of light over dark. I was delighted to see the number of children who came to marvel at the costumes and the dance—and, of course, to share in the sweets.

The following day I joined the Armenian Australian community in Willoughby as they celebrated the Kermesse at the Apostolic Church of the Holy Resurrection in Chatswood. I thank Zaven Yaghlijan, the chairman of the parish church council, His Eminence Archbishop Haigazoun Najarian and the wider clergy and organising committee for hosting me. The sun shone, and they raised significant funds to send to those who have been forced to flee the conflict in Artsakh, or Nagorno-Karabagh.

While I couldn't be there, the 30th anniversary celebrations at the MOSAIC Multicultural Assistance Centre in Chatswood were also notable, with the prevailing sentiment being that our community and cohesion are precious and that they must not be taken for granted.

Finally, on Friday night, I was fortunate to join the Chinese Australian community in Chatswood, as they were inspired by the beautiful voice of Vivian Qian and the extraordinary choirs that accompanied her. Our diversity truly is one of our greatest strengths in North Sydney.