Whittlesea local Nurcihan Ozturk is being celebrated for her work and volunteering in the multicultural community sector over the last 40 years.
She was one of 29 inducted into the Victorian Multicultural Honour Roll 2022 on Tuesday, May 31 at the Arts Centre Melbourne.
The first-ever Victorian Multicultural Honour Roll recognised the efforts of individuals who have made exceptional and lasting contributions to multiculturalism in the state.
Ms Ozturk said it was “heartwarming” and an “honour” to have people “think I’m doing a good job out there in the community.”
The Lalor resident has been president of the Turkish Women’s Recreational Group (TWRG) for the past 18 years. She is also a marriage celebrant and now a marriage mentor, the first of its kind within the Islamic community.
Being president of the TWRG, Ms Ozturk said she loves sharing her culture with others.
“We do a lot of activities with our members, information sessions, different cultural projects, and attend different festivals that bring communities together,” Ms Ozturk said.
“And so we like to share our culture, food and our dance and traditions and values with other communities as well so they’re more aware of how the Turkish community is.”
Her work has landed her in an array of roles representing the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse people and supporting and advocating for issues affecting immigrant and refugee women.
“In Victoria we are the biggest multicultural state so it shares a lot of different beliefs, views, ideas, and somehow is able to work with all of those cultural differences and it brings communities together.”
