The Limestone Coast Multicultural Soccer Carnival plays an important role in building friendships and community connections across the region.
Transcript:
[Monique Crossling]: We have such a rich, strong, diverse, multicultural community. Days like today encapsulate everything that is great about the Limestone Coast and especially Naracoorte region. [Francis Kirby]: The soccer carnival was started with the drive to bring people from different cultures together, to build that sense of community. [Erika Vickery OAM]: The wonderful thing about sport is that it brings the community together, breaks down the barriers, and absolutely builds friendships.I’m proud to say that I am a migrant myself. My family came from Austria back in 1955, and I can remember that my family was very much embraced by the Naracoorte community, and it’s been absolutely fabulous to see over the years, the change in our community with people from all over the world coming to Naracoorte and being really welcomed.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t speak each other’s language. The rules are all the same and they connect with each other on the field.
[Josie Collins]: Everyone has embraced it. They love everything about it. They love the smiling faces; they love the people; they love the food; and everyone’s united by sport. It’s just amazing. [Malcolm McEachern]: You’ve only got to come along here today and see that there’s people from all over the world. In the last Census, there were about 70 different nationalities living in the town.It’s really good because it’s changed the perception of what a country town is.
[John Pakoa]: It’s most important to me to be an Australian and to be a part of the culture, and I love the way of living and the community that I live in. [Erika Vickery OAM]: I’d like to sincerely thank the Australian Sports Commission for sponsoring today to make it possible to hold a multicultural carnival.The concept of giving everybody a fair go is such an important Australian value and our community certainly demonstrates that in events like this.
Providing a ‘fair go’ for all community members is important to the Limestone Coast.
Learn more about the Australian values.
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