Last weekend saw thousands of citizens across the country celebrate the diverse and multicultural communities of Australia through Harmony Week.
Harmony Week has been celebrated in Australia since 1999.
According to a report by the Australian Human Rights Commission, one in four people residing in Australia were born overseas and 20 per cent speak a language other than English at home.
Despite having a culturally diverse population, there are still many barriers to racial equality in Australia.
Breaking these racial barriers is a key focus of Harmony Week, which was celebrated in the City of Armadale with a festival at Harrisdale Oval on Sunday.
The official Harmony Day saw 19 local business and community stalls flock to Harrisdale.
Stalls included food and drink, with nine food trucks offering a diverse range of cuisines.
The Harrisdale Piara Waters Residents Group (HPWRG) hosted the event, and received a COVID-19 recovery grant towards the event, which saw a diverse range of entertainment and food.
Manveer Singh, a representative from the HPWRD, said the celebration was important to acknowledge the culturally diverse community.
“Harrisdale and Piara Waters is one of the largest and fastest growing multicultural suburbs in Armadale,” he said.
“Harmony day is very unique and important, it also creates good bonding for the residents.
“The grant received from the City of Armadale went towards getting the performers to the event for entertainment.”
Mayor of Armadale Ruth Butterfield said Harmony Day gave citizens the opportunity to celebrate the City’s vibrant diversity.
“Our diverse community brings together many different cultural traditions that all of us get to enjoy, such as foods, music, dance and even sport,” she said.
Activities at the event included turban tying, henna tattoos, cultural dances and music performances.
“It is wonderful to see people from all over the world calling Armadale home,” Mayor Butterfield said.
