You Are the Collective Voice!

On March 23, 2019, the Multicultural Association of Caboolture and Surrounds Inc. hosted a Candlelight Vigil to honour the victims and lives lost in Christchurch.

Bernard Raffaut, our Vice President, was among a number of speakers who spoke at the vigil. Below is what he said.

Good afternoon.

We live in a cruel world. A world filled with hatred, racism, violence, bullying and religious persecution.

All of these have become so commonplace in our society. Everyday we turn on the TV, we expect the news to report the next tragedy... it’s become so commonplace, that we are no longer shocked... in fact, some might say we are numb to it.

If we keep going the way we are going, we run the risk of beginning to accept these occurrences as the norm, and there in lies the danger for us.

I don’t want to live in a world where violence and racism and religious persecution are the accepted norm!

I have hope. I have faith... that one day I will be able to turn the TV on and see something good for a change.

I have this hope because of all of you. You are all here today. You are the difference I want to see the world and you all can make a difference one day at a time, one person at a time.

Essentially, you are the collective voice and together we can drown out the bad in the world and uplift and celebrate the good in our world.

Celebrate life, love, compassion, tolerance, acceptance, inclusion, diversity.

The Multicultural Association of Caboolture and Surrounds Inc. for the last 20 years has been a beacon of hope for our multicultural communities. We promote the harmonious coexistence of diverse cultures. In fact, we champion cultural diversity!

We run events and initiatives aimed at raising cultural awareness and celebrating cultural diversity.
As you can imagine, it's a big job and we can do with all the help we can.

If you were moved today and feel like you want to make more of a difference and help our community embrace unity, inclusion and diversity, I ask that you join us.

There are three ways you can help us.
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1. Become a member. It’s only $10 a year for individuals or $50 per year for organisations. Funds go towards organising and hosting events and initiatives in the community.
2. Become a volunteer. We run a number of Events throughout the year and we can’t do it alone. We’re always seeking volunteers to join us and help us champion cultural diversity in our region.
3. Join our management committee and help us shape the vision of the future and take steps to implement ideas and initiatives in our region that help us continue our mission to promote the harmonious coexistence of diverse cultures.

There is a fourth way also. That is, to continue doing what you’re doing. Be the voice of change and stand up for what is right in our world. Only you can change the conversation and affect change in our community.

If any of this interests you, please come see me or anyone of our team. There are membership forms at the MACS table at the back.

Thank you for joining us today to honour the victims and lives lost in Christchurch. Thank you for attending our Harmony Day celebration. Thank you to all those who helped make today possible. dusk Australia for donating all of the candles, Minuteman Press for the beautiful posters on the walls and to the MACS team of amazing individuals who help pull all this together. I also thank the Moreton Bay Regional Council for supporting this event.
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I wish you all a happy harmonious weekend.