Celebrating Our Stories at Ararat Harmony Day 2025

Ararat Rural City’s annual Harmony Day event was held last weekend at Gordon Street Reserve Community Centre, showcasing the incredibly diverse music, dance, food and stories of our local community.

See our gallery of photos from the day!

Beginning with a Welcome to Country from proud Gunditjmara - Kirrae Wurrong man Paul “PK” Kelly, the event proceeded with newly-elected Councillor Teli Kaur encouraging everyone present to stand up for the values of Harmony Day and continue to spread the joy which comes from genuine unity and diversity.

Attendees were treated to a fantastic array of performances, including John Cavanaugh playing the bagpipes; Journey to Ararat by Aris Mallari, President of the Filipino Australian Community of Ararat; singing and dancing from the Ararat Punjabi Girls (featuring Councillor Kaur); a traditional Karen performance on horn and harp by Eh Su and the ACEC volunteers; two songs on a traditional whistle and ukelele by Maori singer-songwriter Taane Thomas; a number of dances from the Solomon Islanders Team; a dance performance from Unit Dance Crew, comprised of Congolese performers Arcel and Jack from Cultural Connect; and a vocal performance of the song Unity from Ngun Bor of the Chin community and Wyndham Community Education Centre (WCEC).

Lunch was a homemade feast of spring rolls, Indonesian chicken wings, butter chicken, lamb curry, lentil curry, the Filipino noodle dish ‘Pancit Bihon’ (chicken, shrimp, and vegan friendly versions), and snack buns for kids courtesy of Baker’s Delight.

Guest speakers included Hollie Monro, the Community Engagement Team Leader at the State Emergency Service (SES); and John Sheen, Director of Education at WCEC. Both the SES (Ararat) and Wyndham Community Centre were proud sponsors of the event, along with Ararat Neighbourhood house, Rural Australians for Refugees, the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, GWMWater, AME Systems, and Ararat Meat Works. 

Ararat Rural City Council also thanks the many volunteers who made Harmony Day happen, with enthusiastic assistance coming from the Indonesian, Filipino, Karen, Chin, Australian, Indian Punjabi, Indian, and Congolese communities, and GWMWater.

“Harmony Day recognises the many dynamic cultures we are lucky enough to live amongst in our community,” says Ararat Rural City Council Mayor, Cr Jo Armstrong. “It’s no secret that diversity is strength, and our municipality is made stronger every day that we embrace the stories of community members whose lived experiences are different from our own.”