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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-30 Daily Xml
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Al Salam Wandana Centre

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (16:09): On Sunday 28 March, I was made most welcome when I attended a very special occasion. In the presence of the Premier; the Leader of the Opposition; the local MP, the member for Torrens; the Tea Tree Gully council mayor, Kevin Knight and Mrs Karen Knight; and a representative from the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, Councillor Matt Osborn, the Al Salam Wandana Centre was officially opened.

Wandana Avenue has been the home of Muslims in the north-east for many years and, until recent boundary changes, it was my honour to be their local MP when first Burc College and then Pinnacle College became part of our community. Uncle Frank 'Wangutya' Wanganeen welcomed us to country and, as usual, it was good to see him and to feel the graciousness with which Kaurna people share the land.

Many visitors had come to share this day with the local community. Sheikh Riad El-Rifai from the Park Holme mosque delivered a recitation from the Koran, and then we were officially welcomed by the President of the Islamic Society of South Australia, Mr Ahmed Zreika, who gave a brief history of the community's activities and background of the project at Wandana Avenue. Many years of planning and work went into the wonderful result: a fully equipped multipurpose hall, commercial kitchen, meeting rooms and offices.

This was all made possible from a government grant and donations from individuals within their local community. Large or small, they all contributed and made a great difference to the outcome. The Premier and leader made speeches, and then we heard from Imam Abdussalam Alim. His joy and pride in this great shared achievement were obvious, and he told us stories of the inevitable ups and downs of such a big project.

It was then time to present individual achievement awards to those who had gone over and above: Haji Azizi, a man who spends so much time at the mosque looking after the mosque and the premises around it, and Adel Halimzizari, the man who painted the centre and supplied the paint. He and his sons made such a wonderful contribution; and the man who helped build the mosque, Abdulahad Ahmad, finishing off the project. They all did a marvellous job and were rightfully recognised for their work. Then, with the help of the Premier, Imam Alim and Mr Zreika cut the ribbon and we walked through into the beautiful new facilities and enjoyed a magnificent refreshment table.

This day of great happiness was unfortunately tinged with great sadness as news reached us of a young member of the community who had been found after an accident on Saturday afternoon that befell him and students from Pinnacle College's Elizabeth campus while on a school visit to Yorke Peninsula. Members of Pinnacle College, their teachers and the wider community from Syria are in mourning following the recovery of the body of a 16-year-old young man, Ahmad Alfarhan, who heroically dived into the water to save a friend who was washed off the rocks at Browns Beach while fishing on what should have been a very happy excursion.

Our deepest sympathies and prayers are extended to everyone touched by this tragedy. Pinnacle College Executive Principal, Deniz Yildirim said Ahmad was a loved and valued student, a young person full of life, energy and potential. I am sure I had the chance to meet him over the years, as I have presented the Premier's Reading Challenge and other certificates at the school and attended their concerts at the Golden Grove Arts Centre.

The esteem in which Ahmad and his family are held has been shown by the outpouring of shared grief and the donations that have been made to assist his family with his funeral expenses. As we heard on Sunday before the sad news reached us, it is in giving that we receive. The Muslim community and the Islamic Society in South Australia make a wonderful contribution to the state. We are so grateful for all they do and for their friendship and stand with them in their happy and sad times and in all their future endeavours.

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