It was such an honour to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Australian Assyrian Community Centre on Sunday 9 June, 2019. The multipurpose facility will address the needs of advancing the Assyrian language, culture and tradition here in Calwell.
The Australian Assyrian Community Centre is a Diocesan project to address the needs of the booming Middle East refugee community in Hume City and the wider northern region. It will provide an accessible, low-cost community facility for new and emerging communities with a particular focus on refugees, youth, seniors and women. It will also be the new and permanent home for the existing St George Assyrian Language School. The Diocese is proudly partnering with the Victorian Government to deliver the project with part-funding under the Multicultural Community Infrastructure Fund.
I want to thank the guest of honour His Holiness Mar Gewargis III Sliwa Catholicos-Patriarch for his attendance and prayers as well as His Beatitude Mar Meelis Zaia AM, Metropolitan of Australia, NZ and Lebanon and His Grace Mar Benyamin Elya, Bishop of Victoria and NZ.
And I also want to thank my Federal Parliamentary colleague Senator Raff Ciccone; State MP Frank McGuire; and Cr Joseph Haweil - Hume City Council for organising this wonderful event.
