Chaplain's Corner
Hi Everyone,
It was great to join with the Warrandyte Community last Saturday and celebrate all the organisations, groups, and individuals that make up the Warrandyte community. There was a sense of belonging and coming together in support of one another.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR ART TEACHER, JULIE CLARKE, AND THE STUDENTS OF ACPS, WHO WORKED TOGETHER TO MAKE OUR SCHOOL FLOAT WHICH WAS CHOSEN AS THE BEST CREATIVE FLOAT! Congrats also the Maggie Spillane and her 'angelic' singers on stage!
Harmony Day is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.
We come together to celebrate Harmony Day on 21st March each year. Created in 1999 to celebrate unity and diversity, Harmony Day was originally an Australian celebration but is now marked worldwide. Whether you want to be better friends with your neighbours or stand in the shoes of another, there are many opportunities to embrace cultural diversity.
Take opportunities to expose your families to different cultures by attending cultural festivals, open days at mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples. Also enjoy the many different cuisines on offer – Indian, Malaysian, Chinese, Italian, Thai, Japanese,
Greek, Lebanese, Vietnamese. There are many other delicious cuisines throughout Melbourne.
Many cultures can teach us much about community and caring for one another. When I have visited other cultural groups including Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Madagascar, it was a joy to see how they embrace each other, especially across the generations. Also, their joy in the simplicity of life – for example the joy in the faces of Malagasy children as they played soccer with a ‘ball’ made up of rolled paper or playing with a stick and tyre!
What a PRIVILEGE we have in Australia to EMBRACE and to LEARN from so many cultures.
Let’s work together in helping our children to become WORLD CITIZENS who EMBRACE CULTURAL DIVERSITY and HARMONY!
Take care & stay well!
Robyn Mulholland (School Chaplain)