Multicultural champions honoured at Premier’s harmony dinner

 

Six citizens have been honoured last night for their exemplary service to multicultural communities in NSW at the Premier’s Harmony Dinner ”“ an event which culminates the NSW Government’s  Multicultural March  celebrations.

The winners of the Premier’s Multicultural Community Medals received their awards in front of over 900 guests at Rosehill Racecourse attending the gala evening, including Federal Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Minister for Citizenship and Communities Victor Dominello described the recipients as “champions of multiculturalism”.

“These awards celebrate the remarkable stories and achievements of these six individuals who have served their communities with honour and enriched our state’s cultural diversity.

“NSW is truly one of the most multicultural societies in the world, with 200 different languages spoken at home and over a quarter of our citizens born overseas.

“Ultimately what unites our culturally diverse communities is a sense of mutual respect and belonging through our shared Australian identity,” Mr Dominello said.

Chair of the Community Relations Commission Vic Alhadeff said the Premier’s Harmony Dinner, now in its third year, was an evening of colourful celebration, bringing people together from across different cultures, faiths and linguistic backgrounds.

“We should be immensely proud to live in a cohesive and respectful society which has welcomed so many people from all over the world,” Mr Alhadeff said.

In 2012 a Multicultural Honour Board was inaugurated to posthumously record the names and achievements of significant immigrant pioneers.

“The inductees are all true pioneers and leaders among our different migrant communities. We recognise them tonight for their dedication to promoting harmony and unity in our community.

“In a short period the Premier’s Harmony Dinner has won its place on Destination NSW’s calendar of significant events. With attendance growing by over 200 this year ”“ this celebration is set to flourish for many years to come,” Mr Dominello said.

The evening was made possible by the support of our sponsors and we sincerely thank B1 Group, Commonwealth Bank of Australia and JaeMy Holdings.

2014 Premier’s Multicultural Community Medals:

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Victor Dominello,  Minister for Citizenship and Communities with  Syed Atiq Ul Hassan

Stepan Kerkyasharian AO Harmony Award: Mr Syed Atiq Ul Hassan  for his extraordinary effort in promoting Australian multiculturalism locally and internationally through multicultural events, forums and news media.

Mr Hassan is a Sydney based multi-professional, an educationist, journalist, event organiser, motivational coach and a community leader, currently working in the following roles: CEO  Knobin Consulting Editor-in-Chief Tribune International (Australia) Director Chand Raat Eid Fetival (CREF) Radio Program Producer/Presenter Voice of Tribune and Casual Producer/Presenter  SBS Radio Australia Weekly Column Writer Akhbar-e-Jehan of Jang Group of Pakistan

Youth Award: Mr Thamir Shamaon  for his outstanding service as a young adult in community service and the promotion of multiculturalism

Life time Community Service Award: Mr Jack Passaris  for his commitment to community service and dedication to promoting social cohesion among members of different cultures and faiths for over 40 years.

Arts and Culture Award:  Mr Joseph Tawadros  for his outstanding skills in oud playing (a pear shaped string instrument) and his success in bringing commonality among communities of different ethnic backgrounds, culture and languages through music.

Regional Communities Award:  Mr Frank Newah-Jarfoi  for his great effort and success in building harmonious relations between the African community and wider community of Wagga Wagga.

Economic Participation Award:  Ms Sonia Ortega  for her outstanding achievement of Global Experience, which has placed over 65,000international students in its home-stay program, which provides a secure and caring environment for students.

2014 Multicultural Honour Roll Inductees:

Dr Farid Farag MD  (1927-2012) for his highly regarded work as a general surgeon and a community activist for over 40 years.

Ms Maddalena Gustin  (1914-2003) for her work in the development of foreign language programming on Australian commercial radio in the late 1950s.

Ms Gloria Habbib  (1949-2007) for her tireless work in advocating for cultural diversity and building the bridges between students, teachers, and parents from different cultural backgrounds and faiths.

Mr John Gebhardt  (1947-2011) for his illustrious career as a teacher, educator and as a multicultural community advocate and tireless worker for the development of a multicultural NSW and Australia.

 

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