Five pint-sized Sri Lankan dancers performing a traditional routine kicked off proceedings at Maria Vamvakinou’s celebration of Hume women in Broadmeadows last Wednesday.
The Calwell MP and Banksia Gardens Community Centre hosted a Hume women’s multicultural forum in celebration of the municipality’s multicultural community and the strength of its women.
The forum, which focused on harmony, friendship, community safety and personal well-being, featured talks by federal deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek, psychologist Monique Toohey, Victoria Police’s Susan Clark, and Daisie Beckensall from the Australian Federal Police.
Ms Vamvakinou said Hume’s women were working to build shared goals.
“Hume is one of the most multicultural communities in Australia,” she said.
“At a time when fear, division and racial abuse is dominating the TV news, women are working together right here to share their stories, support each other and build a strong, resilient community.”
Psychologist Monique Toohey said the forum played an important role in validating the issue of women’s safety.
She spoke about her experiences with females as young as 14 who felt they had to modify their appearances to avoid prejudice.
Ms Plibersek, who once worked in the domestic violence unit at the Office for the Status of Women in New South Wales, said both she and Ms Vamvakinou were from migrant families.
Ms Plibersek’s parents migrated to Australia from Slovenia in the 1950s.
Ms Vamvakinou’s parents left the Ionian Islands in Greece about the same time.
Commander Clark, a former AFL cultural strategy and education manager, leads Victoria Police’s response to racism claims.
She spoke of the power of women coming together, and asked the 50 or so gathered in the room to take home a pamphlet about prejudice-motivated crime.
“We live in challenging times that demand we stand together as a community,” she said.
The forum closed with a statement from one of the guests: “I have survived war and come to this country. Now let’s leave everything behind and embrace harmony.”
Her words were met with applause.
