ALL the music, culture and food of Harmony Day will be returning soon to Swan Hill with festivities at Riverside Park on March 26 from 4-8pm.
Harmony Day chairperson and entertainment coordinator Joelle Whiting said the celebration of Australia’s diversity will feature a Welcome to Country, kids activities, a traditional dress parade, dancing, an Indonesian dance workshop and performance and Colombian music with Rose Páez.
“This year it has been exciting to have several new members join our committee including members whose cultural backgrounds include Indian, Fijian, African, Mauritian, Indonesian, South Korean, Vietnamese, and Australian,” Ms Whiting said.
“There are about 20 people involved in the planning and preparation and everyone on the committee is equally important whether they are in a specific role or providing ideas and support.”
Committee roles include food stall coordinator Jordan Wong Chon Lew, community art project coordinator Ah-Kwi-Lan Wong Chon Lew, decorations coordinator Azam Suleman, children’s activities coordinator Courtney Tepper and treasurer and event administration Camille Cullinan.
“The Swan Hill Harmony Day community event has been running annually since 2010, except in 2020 when it had to be cancelled at the last minute due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ms Whiting said.
Some of the highlights for the upcoming event will include an Indonesian dance workshop with Santi Sherry from Geelong who teaches students across the state.
The traditional dance is called ‘Tari Enggang’ and it is from East Kalimantan, and the workshop will start at 4.30pm.
Rose Páez, a Colombian singer-songwriter will also be performing with her band at 5.30pm and 7.30pm, with her music combining Latin, salsa, jazz, fusion and world music.
Ms Cullinan said Harmony Day was initially started to engage the longer term residents with the new migrants and refugees moving into the area.
Another element of Harmony Day was the community art project which seeks to engage a broader audience with the live event.
This year the team created a giant wooden jigsaw puzzle with the pieces to be fitted together and displayed when everyone congregates on March 26.
The 2022 theme is “Paint Where You Are From” with the puzzle pieces handed out to school students to complete the artwork designed and coordinated by Ah-Kwi-Lan Wong Chon Lew.
The event itself will also have a range of delicious foods from all around the globe.
Those wishing to volunteer can contact swanhillharmonyday@gmail.com to let the team know of their availability.
