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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-05-18 Daily Xml
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MULTICULTURAL COMMUNITIES

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:39): I rise today to speak about the unsung heroes in our multicultural community. To me, one of the most rewarding jobs of being a member of parliament is that we have the opportunity to meet with so many inspiring people from all walks of life. South Australia is a great place to live because we embrace our diversity, and we have, in return, benefited greatly from that. Today I want to pay tribute to four distinct migrant communities in South Australia who have recently celebrated significant milestones.

Their long-term commitment to supporting their fellow countrymen and women migrants to settle in this country, their endeavours to enrich our state, and their contributions to making South Australia a better place to live, work and bring up the next generation must be acknowledged. It is wonderful that they are all very proud of their heritage and continue to keep their language skills, cultures and traditions alive in South Australia.

I want to specifically acknowledge four community organisations today; the first is the Overseas Chinese Association, which celebrated its 30-year anniversary in April this year. From a humble beginning, the organisation is now one of the most progressive and important welfare organisations to serve the Chinese community of this state. The establishment of the Overseas Chinese Association Chinese School began with only 10 students but has now expanded to 600, a remarkable journey thanks to the hard work and commitment by Chinese community leaders, teachers, staff and volunteers over the last 30 years.

The next community I want to talk about is the Latvian community. I attended the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry annual leaders' luncheon as their guest speaker earlier in May, and it was such a pleasure to meet its President, Dr Valdis Tomanis, the Honorary Consul of Latvia, as well as other high calibre Latvian community leaders. One legendary pioneer amongst them is Mr Bruno Krumins AM, the former lieutenant-governor and the President of the Latvian Society of Adelaide. While the community is small, it is very active.

It set up the Latvian Association of South Australia in 1949, more than 60 years ago, and purchased property in 1968 to set up the Latvian Hall, the Latvian Relief Society, the church and the Latvian Saturday school—such remarkable achievements, thanks to their dedicated leaders and volunteers in the Latvian community.

Thirdly, I want to speak about the Sikh Society, whose annual dinner I attended last Saturday. The Sikh Society of South Australia is the oldest Sikh organisation in this state. It recently celebrated its 30-year Vaisakhi, which is the Sikhs' holiest festival and coincides with their harvest festival, and I would like to congratulate the President, Mr Balwant Singh, and the Sikh Society for achieving that important milestone. The Sikhs date their arrival in South Australia as far back as 1850, coming as labourers, hawkers and farmers. Starting from humble beginnings, their community has grown tremendously and today comprises entrepreneurs, business-owners and professionals. The community works very hard and makes a significant contribution to our society.

The last community I would like to mention, but not the least, is the Greeks of Egypt and Middle East Society of South Australia. This society celebrated its 60th anniversary last Saturday, and it was such a proud moment for the Greek migrants from Egypt and the Middle East. I was privileged to be a guest speaker, representing the Leader of the Opposition, Isobel Redmond. The society was established in 1951 by four Greek men from Egypt, and it was a blessing and a cushion of comfort for many Egyptian-born Greek migrants in the 1950s and 1960s and thereafter.

What is most remarkable, in terms of continuity with this society, is that today's president is also the daughter of the first president of the society when it was set up some 60 years ago. This demonstrates the strength of the organisation and its commitment to keeping traditions alive and the flame burning year after year as the torch is passed.

I congratulate all the community organisations I have mentioned today on their achievements. They are the unsung heroes in our community for reaching important milestones in their respective communities. Their contributions are not widely known or recognised by the general public but, through their hard work and achievements, these remarkable Australian migrants inspire us to do more for South Australia.

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