Tuesday, 26 August 2025

Onam festival

Gary MAAS (Narre Warren South) (13:17): I recently had the honour of attending the Onam festival held by Casey Malayalee at Arthur Wren Hall in Hampton Park alongside my colleagues the member for Cranbourne and the federal member for Holt. The Onam festival celebrates the bounty of nature and the homecoming of the asura king Mahabali, whose spirit is said to visit Kerala during this period. The celebration is marked by a beautiful display of culture through feasting, dance and song, fostering unity and bringing community, friends and family together.

Casey Malayalee has a wonderful celebration, and I was grateful to be there to participate in the occasion alongside hundreds from this fabulous community, many of whom reside in the outer south-eastern suburbs. The event featured fantastic music and dance performances, spectacular traditional dress and delicious food – a true display of our vibrant and diverse multicultural local area.

Casey Malayalee is a not-for-profit organisation doing excellent work supporting our community, particularly those who have recently arrived in Australia, through various cultural, social and educational initiatives. The work they do is instrumental in preserving and promoting the culture, traditions and language of Kerala for future generations. I would like to thank the president, Ajith Kumar, of Casey Malayalee for his invitation and to thank him and all organisers and volunteers for their hard work in putting this event together.