On Thursday I attended a Legal Aid presentation for newly arrived refugees hosted by the Canterbury Bankstown Migrant Interagency. The event, which was part of Refugee Week 2012, provided me with a timely opportunity to reinforce Council’s commitment to Bankstown’s refugees.
That night I was invited to a dinner in honour of Archbishop Paul Saliba of the Antiochian Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand. Archbishop Saliba has just returned from the Philippines where he ordained 25 priests and established six churches. I congratulate the Archbishop on his strong devotion to the Antiochian tradition and desire to help those in need, both here, and abroad.
On Friday morning I attended the official opening of Quickstep Technologies at Bankstown Airport in the presence of numerous high profile politicians and dignitaries. Quickstep recently secured a $700 million contract with the world leaders in aerospace and defence technology, US based company, Northrop Grumman. Quickstep is further proof of Bankstown’s status as one of the state’s leading economic hubs. Tania Mihailuk MP and Glenn Brookes MP were amongst the guests.
Later that morning I officially launched the Arabic Children’s CD, which was part of a project to encourage strong connections between children and parents/carers through the use of music. The CD was also a tribute to the love of family and the value of children, which is strongly shared by our community.
On Friday evening I officially opened Punchbowl Boys High School Second Annual Visual Art Exhibition hosted at the University of Western Sydney, Bankstown Campus. I was impressed by the artworks on display and the enthusiasm of the young artists. Thank you to Principal Jihad Dib.
Last Friday I also met with the Sudanese Social Society. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the needs of this emerging community.
On Saturday I attended the 25th Anniversary of the Sydney Full Gospel Church and Korean Language School. I used the opportunity to congratulate Rev. Chung and his congregants for their support of our community and commitment to promoting the Korean language and culture. Tania Mihailuk MP was amongst the guests. Thank you to Reverend Chung for the kind invitation.
Also on Saturday I attended the St John’s Rugby League Charity Gala Day raising funds for Save our Sons, a charitable organisation committed to raising both awareness and funds for Duchenne Muscular Distrophy.
Last week I had the privilege of being invited to afternoon tea with His Excellency Dr Jean Daniel, Ambassador of Lebanon.
On Saturday 14 July, Council will be staging one of the highlights of Bankstown’s events calendar, the Bankstown Bites Food Festival. This year will be bigger and better than ever with approximately 10,000 people expected to converge on our City for the annual event. Be sure to be there for what will be an unforgettable day.