Tuesday, 19 March 2024

Nepalese community events

Evan MULHOLLAND (Northern Metropolitan) (14:51): After the last sitting week I had the pleasure of joining members of the Nepalese community to celebrate Maha Shivaratri at the Australian Nepalese Multicultural Centre in Diggers Rest alongside my Liberal colleague Trung Luu. The great night of Shiva, the Maha Shivaratri, commemorates and celebrates how we can overcome darkness and ignorance in our lives and in our world. This wonderful occasion would not have been possible without the hard work of ANMC president Ghandi Bhattarai, ANMC secretary Dr Tilak Pokharel and members of the ANMC and other Nepalese community organisations, including the Nepalese Association of Victoria, the Craigieburn Nepalese community and the Doreen–Mernda Nepalese community.

One of my earliest memories as a member of Parliament is joining the Nepalese New Year celebration as we rang out the year 2080, and they did not mind as my three-year-old son tried to attack the balloons on the podium. At Australia Day earlier this year I celebrated with members of the Nepalese community at Coburg Lake Reserve at an event organised by the Far Western Nepalese Society of Victoria – and yes, I did dance the yoda. I want to thank all my friends in the Nepalese community for once again warmly welcoming me into their festivities and into their community. I have been blessed to receive briefings on the plan for the centre. The Liberals at the 2022 election committed $2 million for the centre, and we will keep working hard to make sure that centre receives the support it deserves.