Refugee Week 2020 – celebrating Maroondah’s culturally diverse community

Refugee Week, which runs from Sunday 14 June to Saturday 20 June, is a time to raise awareness about the issues affecting refugees and to celebrate the positive contributions they make to our community.

Mayor of Maroondah, Councillor Mike Symon, said the week is an opportunity to learn about, celebrate and share in the many cultures in Maroondah.

“The City of Maroondah is proudly diverse, speaking many languages, and celebrating many and various cultural events and festivals,” Cr Symon said.

“Normally we would gather to celebrate the amazing resilience and achievements of people of refugee backgrounds through various cultural events and festivals. Just because we can’t gather in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions does not mean we can’t still celebrate and acknowledge the week,” he said.

Cr Symon said Refugee Week provided an occasion for refugees to celebrate the new lives they were establishing in Australia, and for many who now call Maroondah home.

“There are a growing number of new communities settling in Maroondah. The City of Maroondah is home to the second highest number of refugees from Burma (Myanmar) in Victoria, many having lived in refugee camps for 10 years or more before coming to Australia,” Cr Symon said.

Most of Maroondah’s settlers from Burma are ethnic Karen from the Thai border area, and Chin, from the area bordering Bangladesh and India.

Burmese Community Leader Wesley Bawia, a project officer with the Migrant Information Centre of Eastern Melbourne, said the week was significant in not only highlighting those who had sought refuge in Australia, but of the many people who remained displaced around the world.

Originally from Chin state in Myanmar, Mr Bawia has settled in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne alongside approximately 3000 fellow Chin people and around 800 people from Karen state in Myanmar.

“We are a harmonious and peaceful people. We want to show others that while Maroondah is now home, and that we are part of Australian culture, we still have a unique cultural identity as well,” Mr Bawia said.

Council supports local Burmese community groups by providing access to facilities for their programs and activities. The Coopersmith Pavilion in Ringwood East is a community hub for the Falam Chin community and Hughes Park is a community hub for the Hakha Chin community.

“Chin Community Victoria is a co-tenant at the Coppersmith Pavilion, where they provide language classes, festivals, craft and social activities, as well as settlement support to the large local Chin community in Maroondah,” Cr Symon said.

“Maroondah is built on the back of cultural diversity, with people from across the world bringing their own unique identities and sharing them.

“The fact that we have such great diversity, as seen with the more than 118 languages spoken, is one of the reasons our city is such a vibrant place to call home,” he said.

Refugee Week coincides with World Refugee Day, Saturday 20 June.

Communities across Maroondah are being invited to Share a Meal, Share a Story, as part of a community fundraising initiative being run by the Refugee Council of Australia.

The event encourages people to get together, share a delicious meal, and share stories that help build empathy and understanding of refugee experiences.

“Sitting around a table and enjoying food with others is a tradition that transcends differences in culture, religion, nationality, or political beliefs,” Cr Symon said.

The community can take part in the event by either preparing a meal themselves or by purchasing takeaway from a local restaurant that connects to this mission of Refugee Week. They can then share their meal and stories with family members or guests.

“This a wonderful way we can learn a little more about each other,” Cr Symon said.

To register your own event, visit

The City of Maroondah is home to a culturally diverse community and has been a Refugee Welcome Zone since March 2013.

Flags proudly showcasing Maroondah as a Refugee Welcome Zone will be flown on the corner of Mount Dandenong Road and Maroondah Highway during Refugee Week.

A Refugee Welcome Zone is a Local Government Area which has made a commitment in spirit to welcoming refugees, upholding their human rights, displaying compassion and enhancing cultural and religious diversity in the community.

Council is also involved in various networks to assist refugees to settle, and also produces a Migrant and Refugee Handbook – a valuable resource for refugees and agencies assisting them.

The handbook lists the various services and resources available to migrants and refugees living in Maroondah, including where to get advice, support and help when it comes to housing, settlement, immunisation, refugee and migrant community groups, employment, education and learning.

For more information on services to assist newly-arrived refugees and migrants to settle in Maroondah, or to access the Migrant and Refugee Handbook visit our Migrant and Refugee services page or call 1300 88 22 33.