Teej celebrations
Ms SETTLE (Buninyong) (10:00): On Sunday I spent the day in a whirl of colour and fun with the wonderful Nepalese community of Ballarat for a celebration of Teej. Teej is a series of festivals of celebration which sees the women in the community take the lead in organising and presenting the celebrations. The organisers on Sunday belong to the Ballarat chapter of Didi Bahini Samaj Victoria. The group Didi Bahini Samaj Victoria was formed in 2012 by a group of strong, active Nepalese women who were committed to lobbying for a better world for women in Nepal and Australia. The purpose of Didi Bahini Samaj Victoria is to advance, promote and empower women’s rights to live with dignity and respect in a diverse cultural setting. The Nepalese community in Ballarat has grown in recent years from a single family to over 100 wonderful people. The Teej celebration was vibrant, filled with fun, music, dancing and delicious food. It was an absolute pleasure to share the day with the dynamic women of Didi Bahini Samaj and the Nepalese community. It was wonderful to be a special guest along with Graeme from Aussie Action Abroad, Joy Juma from Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council and Shiree Pilkington from the Centre for Multicultural Youth. Our dancing may have been average, but the fun was absolutely first class, and I congratulate the women involved.