Page 424 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 19 February 2019
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seek wisdom, artistic and technical skill and academic excellence. I think we can all agree that it is a very good thing for a community not only to celebrate learning and wisdom but also to hold events and engage in activities specifically designed to strengthen those values in the community and to help children and young people make these values their own.
I have read that many parents will use this day to first introduce their young children to writing, teaching them the alphabet and helping them to inscribe their very first words. I know from my own experience as a mother of five kids the importance of introducing children to literacy as early as possible, because so much other learning depends on being able to read and write.
The evening was filled with skilful performances, rich colours and fragrant, delicious food, all of which reinforced the importance of having the skills necessary to create beauty. As I celebrated the Saraswati Puja with my fellow Canberrans, I felt their great faith, love and goodness. I understood at least in part the emphasis that their faith places upon academic and artistic excellence. I could see how much their devotion blesses their children and how much it enhances and enriches this entire nation, especially its capital city.
I extend special thanks to Dr Ajoy Kar for assisting me in being able to address the attendees in the Bengali language. I also wish to thank Mr Avijit Sircar, convenor of the Canberra Sanatani Sangha, for extending to me his warm welcome. Lastly I thank all the good families in Canberra who do so much to strengthen our community by strengthening their own families, by teaching their children to seek and to achieve excellence and by helping them learn to appreciate beauty and to become the kinds of people who can then create beauty and harmony in their own lives and in the lives of others.
We are truly blessed, all of us, to live in such a richly pluralistic society where we can learn from and be inspired by so many cultures and faith communities. In the spirit of Saraswati, I sincerely hope that all of us, including those of us who have been given the responsibility to serve the people of Canberra in this Legislative Assembly, will have our perceptions sharpened, our talents magnified, our wisdom enhanced and our capabilities increased.
Scullin Community Group
MS CHEYNE (Ginninderra) (4.06): It is my pleasure this afternoon to draw the Assembly’s attention to the work of the Scullin Community Group. Late last year I was approached by Scullin resident Sue White about what could be done to create a greater sense of community in Scullin as well as what could be done to reinvigorate the struggling Scullin shops.
Together with other Scullin residents, like Rachel Howard, I met with Sue in the grounds of the Scullin shops. Their enthusiasm and motivation were contagious. Scullin residents are very proud of their suburb but are keen to be better connected with each other and to make it even better. That afternoon we talked about small ideas,
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