The top four battle between Werribee Tigers and Casey Scorpions will be just one part of the entertainment for supporters at Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday, with fans given the opportunity to celebrate the cultural diversity of the area as part of Multicultural Round.
AFL Victoria, in association with the Werribee Football Club and Wyndham Community & Education Centre will be hosting multicultural food and entertainment as part of the third versus second clash in the Peter Jackson VFL at 2pm on Saturday.
The ground will be abuzz with activity, including cultural performances from the Songroom, Wyndham Vale Primary School and the Burmese community, food stalls supplied by the Migrant Hub in Werribee, a half time Multicultural Auskick game, a jumping castle, and face painting.
AFL Victoria Community Engagement Manager Xavier Moloneybelieves Multicultural Round gives the competition an opportunity to reflect on how many different cultures are being introduced to Australian Rules.
“43% of the Australian population are now from a multicultural background.
“With 14% of AFL lists now made up of multicultural players (player or one parent born overseas), multicultural round is an opportunity to highlight the role football has in bringing diverse cultures and communities together.”
Werribee Tigers General Manager Mark Penaluna had no hesitation in hosting the day, giving the club an opportunity to celebrate the diversity in their area.
“It means a lot as we live in a very culturally diverse city. We want to encourage the involvement of everyone at our football club and we see the footy club as a friendly environment for everyone to be involved in a number of different ways from players to officials to volunteers,” Penaluna said.
“We think it is a great opportunity to showcase the people who have chosen the City of Wyndham as their home and the Werribee Football Club as an organisation that they want to be involved with.”
As part of the day, the work of The Song Room will be highlighted. The Song Room is a National not-for-profit organisation dedicated to introducing music and arts programs for disadvantaged children in selected schools.
Their vision is that all Australian children have the opportunity to participate in music and the arts to enhance their education, personal development and community involvement.
The Song Room has been working with Wyndham Park Primary School since the beginning of 2012. As with many of the schools involved, Wyndham Park Primary school has a high proportion of students from refugee and newly arrived migrant backgrounds.
The Karenni Community will be performing at the game on Saturday, presenting a group of cultural dancers. Karennis are an ethnic nationality from eastern Burma/Myanmar. These civilians fled their homeland in 1989 to seek refuge in refugee camp, in Thailand. They had lived in refugee camps along Thai-Burma border ever since before their resettlement to Australia in 2009 onward. Karenni are one of the new emerging communities in Wyndham, and Australia as a whole. There are approximately 700 Karenni in Australia.
Last Modified on 29/06/2012 13:57