Matters of Interest

Liberian Men of South Australia

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:27): On Saturday night I had the great pleasure of attending the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Liberian Men of South Australia (LIMSA), representing the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, the Hon. Zoe Bettison. Zoe did make an appearance during the evening with her son Hugo, and this was greatly appreciated by those present.

The evening was also attended by other dignitaries from the Liberian and African communities, including Mr Mabok Deng Marial, chairperson of the African Community Council of South Australia, Mrs Annie Toe-Ketor, chairperson of the Liberian United Women's Association, and Mr Perry Pewee, chairperson of the Liberian Community of South Australia. Over 100 members of the Liberian community of South Australia attended the event, which is quite remarkable, given that the Liberian community here in South Australia is relatively small and made up almost entirely of refugees who have fled conflicts that have been taking place in Liberia for over three decades.

Liberia was the only American colony to be established in Africa, and was settled by freed American and Caribbean slaves in the early 19^th century. They chose the name Liberia from the Latin 'liber', meaning 'free'. Liberia has 3.8 million people, who speak English as their official language as well as 29 African languages. There are also 16 ethnic groups that make up the Liberian indigenous population. The Americo-Liberians represent about 5 per cent of the population, and diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee and cocoa are Liberia's major exports. Monrovia is the capital, and Liberia has a significant amount of Africa's rainforest. In July Liberia celebrates 167 years of being Africa's oldest republic.

Liberian Men of South Australia was established in November 2009. The group provides an opportunity for Liberian men to come together and discuss issues important to them, including their settlement in Australia, their families, and the Liberian community as a whole. The group describes itself as a role model and White Ribbon Ambassador for its community, with its aim to create awareness of the role men can play in stopping violence against women and girls. This is a very commendable role indeed. As a White Ribbon Ambassador myself, I know the importance of the role and LIMSA can rightly claim leadership in the African community in South Australia for raising community awareness around the issue of domestic violence and violence against women.

On another issue, during the evening it was fitting to reflect and celebrate the recent announcement of Mr Hieu Van Le as the next Governor of South Australia. This was most fitting, given the celebration of Refugee Week and its focus on leadership. As we know, Mr Hieu Van Le arrived here 37 years ago as a refugee. He arrived with little but brought with him a wealth of talent, many hopes and spectacular drive, as many refugees and migrants do. While he is an inspiration for the whole community, he is a particular inspiration for refugees and migrants in South Australia and, for that matter, the whole Australian community.

In 2010, LIMSA was involved in bringing 2,000 of the Liberian community from across Australia to Adelaide to celebrate at a national convention. The Liberian community of South Australia is hosting a convention again this year (this month, actually). This sort of leadership is a fabulous reflection of that community. I think the men of LIMSA who decided in 2009 that the men of South Australia's Liberian community needed to get together to discuss issues affecting them and the community showed great leadership. They had the vision and the drive and here we are, five years later, and their vision was spot on.

As a community, they have demonstrated leadership by taking on the White Ribbon Ambassador role. I would like to wish the Liberian community every success in the future and thank them for their community leadership.