Celebrating Frankston’s Cultural Diversity Day

Published on 18 May 2023

The 12 members of the Network range from established migrants to newcomers, with an equal representation of genders crisscrossing over a range of ages and interest areas. They presented a joint vision statement to “showcase, celebrate, engage, share and learn, whilst promoting inclusive and positive relationships by celebrating a sense of belonging for all.”

Punjabi-born Jaswinder Singh from Sikh Volunteers Australia said agreeing on a vision was easy. “We come from different backgrounds, but we come as one race, which is human,” he said.

Cr Sue Baker, who met with the Network, saw numerous benefits. “You will be able to offer Council valuable advice on projects Council is working on which will further shape the Frankston City community into an inclusive, cohesive and safe place to be and live, for all who call it home, making the most of our multiculturalism,” she said, adding that 28,000 people in the City, roughly a fifth of the population, were born overseas.

Ex-serviceman Voelcker Sapolu, a New Zealand-born Samoan married to a Greek, said local government can lead the shaping of Federal Government’s new multicultural framework — the first in 50 years — announced on Thursday, 23 February.

“Local Governments can see what is precious to the local community and are strategically placed to collect data,” he said.

Each member of the Network brings a unique gift. Civil engineer Sushmitha Chandrasekhar battles for gender equity, Russian Yelena Shibeyeva spotlights challenges for CALD seniors, Maltese polyglot Bernadette Crisp works with multilinguistic teams to cut through NDIS jargon, and French Claire Emmanuel from Frankston’s Better Health Network offers therapeutic and financial counselling for vulnerable groups. Serbian member, Susan Levkovski, says established groups can share their experiences with newcomers like Jibin George from Frankston Malayalee Inc, who is also part of the Network along with Gismon Thomas, Priyanka Malhotra, Lorna Yakopo-Hazelman, Shirley Fiala and Chandra Morampudi, who supplied delicious catering from Little Spice during the Network’s launch.