Tuesday, 15 August 2023

 Gary MAAS (Narre Warren South) (13:05): I recently had the pleasure of attending the Casey Malayalee multicultural festival on 12 August with my colleagues the very good member for Cranbourne and the federal member for Holt. I am so proud of our vibrant and very multicultural community and all that they offer my electorate of Narre Warren South as well as the rest of Victoria. Hundreds of local community members attended the event at Arthur Wren Hall in Hampton Park, which recognised Onam. Onam is an ancient annual harvest festival at which Hindus celebrate the return of the legendary King Mahabali and commemorate Vamana. The event has significance in Indian culture, and this celebration through song, dance, dinner and incredible food brought the whole community together.

The Casey municipality has the highest Indian population, at 8.9 per cent, with over 32,000 residents born in India. Casey Malayalee is a union of Malayalam-speaking families residing in the City of Casey that was formed as a not-for-profit, non-political organisation to assist the Indian community in their cultural, social and educational development. I would like to thank Casey Malayalee for their hard work in putting this Onam event together and their president Girish Pillai for such a warm welcome and for the absolutely wonderful hospitality.