Tuesday, 29 October 2024

 Mathew HILAKARI (Point Cook) (15:00): Happy Diwali. Melbourne’s west is Australia’s home of Diwali. This past weekend there were celebrations across our community, because Diwali cuts across countries and religions. I was able to share Diwali celebrations across western Melbourne. For those who do not know much about Diwali, it celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and, most importantly, knowledge over ignorance. It involves the lighting of candles, and many in our community place lights across their houses to celebrate. Families come together, they eat and they exchange gifts. There are religious ceremonies and offerings too.

Over the weekend I attended many celebrations. I would like to thank the Brothers & Sisters Foundation’s Jagdeep, Ekta, Jatinder, Amit, Professor Sandhu and the extraordinary MC Gurvijay Mahal. The West Seniors and their president Amman Naidu – I will hold you to your promise for the recipe and more snacks being on the way. I only wish I could have stayed longer. The hard work of Reena Rana and the team bringing Diwali to Western United is a success that will be built on in the many years ahead. I thank Sanctuary Lakes for their very first Diwali run by the team at Dreamwave Entertainment and in particular Ashish Singh – I look forward to being back next year – and Love Seabrook and especially Nasz Khan for the many events that she and the team bring together uplifting the Seabrook community. Finally, Sweet Magic in Sanctuary Lakes has provided some sweets, so pop by the office if you would like one.