OVER 100 performers capped off a celebration of culture at Great Shepparton Secondary College last Friday, May 3, for Harmony Day Celebrations. Greater Shepparton is home to many different cultures and a vibrant display of this diversity was on parade around the campus as students and teachers wore traditional dress from their many mixed backgrounds as they performed and took part in a cultural fashion parade.
Proud Samoan student, Sharon Simaika represents the Pacific Islander group which this year included performances honouring the Samoan, Tongan and Maori peoples and bought the show to an exciting finale with the haka.
“Today is just embracing what our ancestors went through. It shows the strength and dedication and how far they’ve come to get us here from overseas. To showcase our culture today and just letting us be proud of who we are and where we come from and to show the diversity in our school,” said Sharon.
Along with the Pacific Islanders, there were performances by students representing their Afghani/Hazaragi, Punjabi, Malaysian, First Nations, Burundi, Congolese, Gujarati and Albanian students. Teachers also joined in on the celebrations with a number of performances including an Italian song, Karate demonstrations and a rendition of the Aussie classic, Working Class Man.
The Harmony Day event was a great success and a showcase of the continued work of GSSC to welcome and include all their students and demonstrate that EVERYONE BELONGS.
