Cultura Connect September 2025 by ChatterboxMarketing

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Dear friends,

I am writing to you for the first time as Interim CEO of Cultura, and as the new Editor of Cultura Connect. It is an honour to step into this role, and I feel both the responsibility and the opportunity it brings.

We have some ambitious plans ahead of us. They will continue to build on the strong work Cultura has begun, and open new possibilities for the future and what we want to achieve for our multicultural communities.

In this edition of Cultura Connect, you will read more about our programs and services. These are things we are deeply proud of, because behind every program are real people, real stories, and real connections.

I also want to acknowledge the difficult backdrop of the recent anti-immigration

protests. At Cultura, we will continue to stand alongside our multicultural communities, to celebrate their many contributions, and to make sure everyone feels respected, valued, and included. For us, diversity is not a problem to solve - it is our greatest strength. It enriches our city, our workplaces, and our lives.

Our commitment is stronger than ever: Cultura will always work to promote social cohesion and harmony, here in Geelong and beyond. And with your ongoing support, we will keep building a community where every person feels they belong.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us. I look forward to sharing more of our milestones, challenges, and achievements with you in the months ahead.

Rebecca Smith

COMMUNITIES

Across Victoria, Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY)’s Learning Beyond the Bell (LBB) team supports hundreds of Learning Support Programs. In Colac, we are proud to have two of these afterschool learning programs, one for secondary students and another for primary. The club has existed in a few different forms since its creation in 2016 but always under the Cultura (formerly Diversitat) banner.

LBB are putting together a media project with three short videos showing the impact of Learning Support Programs from different perspectives. They’ve asked to feature our Family After-School Support (FASS) program, which focuses on supporting the whole family. The film will highlight the Homework club and include interviews with a long-time parent and student, one of our volunteer tutors, the Strategic Partnership Program Coordinator Francesca Gossi and Homework Club Officer Brittany Williams.

The Media team from LBB made their way down the highway to Colac accompanied by crew from TwoWay Media Melbourne. The set up was incredibly professional, and the interview team made us all feel very supported. It was an exhilarating experience to be able to share what we do to a much wider audience!

It was a great chance to reflect on the program’s impact. Families spoke warmly about the sense of community the club has built, how much their children enjoy attending, and the positive difference it’s made to their learning and wellbeing.

The finished videos will be used widely across CMY’s digital channels, and will premiere at the Learning Beyond the Bell Forum.

VOLUNTEERS

CELEBRATING OUR AMAZING VOLUNTEERS AT CULTURA RESIDENTIAL

At Cultura Residential, we are incredibly grateful for the dedicated volunteers who help bring life, warmth, and community to our home. Their generosity and commitment make it possible for us to offer a range of meaningful programs and services that enrich the lives of our residents.

Two wonderful examples of this are Stella’s Café and our Boutique.

Thanks to our volunteers, Stella’s Café is open every day of the week. It’s a welcoming space where families and friends can relax, share a coffee, and spend quality time together. It’s more than just a café—it’s a place where connections are made and memories are shared.

Our Boutique, open Monday through Friday,

offers residents the joy of a little retail therapy in the comfort of their own home. While it’s not about the money, it’s about the experience—the opportunity to browse, choose, and enjoy.

More than anything, our volunteers offer something truly special: a friendly face, a listening ear, and genuine companionship. Whether they’re serving coffee or helping someone find the perfect item in the Boutique, they bring kindness and connection to every interaction.

If you’re interested in volunteer opportunities at Cultura, we would love to hear from you! Please reach out to our Volunteer Coordinator, Amanda Kirk, at amanda.kirk@cultura.org.au or call 0432 392 344.

To all our volunteers—thank you. You make Cultura Residential a brighter place.

SETTLEMENT

The Pastor Who Forgot He Didn’t Want to Leave

How one head injury, a borrowed church hall, and a mountain people found a new home in Werribee.

Kachin State, in far northern Burma, is a place of misty mountains, tea leaves, and quiet villages caught in a long and brutal war. For decades, the Kachin people—an ethnic and predominantly Christian minority—have been trapped between the Burmese army and armed independence groups. Many fled. Some made it as far as Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where around 1,500 still live—without rights and without much hope.

Malaysia isn’t a signatory to the Refugee Convention, so the Kachin there are treated as illegal migrants, even with UNHCR registration. They can’t work legally, see a doctor without fear, or send their children to school. Instead, they scrape by in low-paid jobs—washing dishes, laying bricks, waiting tables—while constantly watching over their shoulders for police raids.

For many years resettlement options were scarce, and most Kachin thought they would be stuck in Malaysia forever.

It was from this limbo that an unlikely chapter began in Werribee, on Melbourne’s western fringe, where a small Kachin population of about 300 has lived since 2009.

When Cultura first opened its doors to Kachin applicants in 2018, the very first client was a quiet, thoughtful man named Maung Aung Htoi.

An ordained Christian pastor, Maung had built a life in Kuala Lumpur leading a small but faithful congregation. He never wanted to resettle in a third country—his dream was to return to Burma one day, to the mountains he still calls home in his prayers.

Then fate intervened. Maung was in a car accident. He hit his head. And that, his friends like to joke, was the moment he “forgot” that he didn’t want to resettle. “After the accident,” one laughs, “his brain changed. Suddenly he wanted to go to Australia!” Humour aside, the accident was life-changing.

Maung applied through the Community Support Program (CSP) with the support of friends in Werribee, and thanks to a smooth process at the Australian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, he arrived safely in Australia in 2023.

Werribee is now home. Each Sunday, the Lutheran Good News Church lends him its modest hall. By mid-morning it is full—plastic chairs scraping on the wooden floor, children running around, voices rising in hymns sung in Kachin. Around 70 or 80 people gather, clutching well-worn Bibles. The collection plate is passed around, not for Maung himself, but for others still in Kuala Lumpur. Every dollar goes towards helping more families through CSP. “It is our responsibility,” Maung says, “to make the path easier for the next one.” And it has.

Five Kachin families have now joined Maung in Werribee, with seven more in the pipeline. What started as one man’s unexpected change of course has blossomed into a growing, vibrant community—a people who once felt invisible, now singing their faith out loud in a borrowed suburban church.

For a group who fled war, endured years of invisibility in Kuala Lumpur, and still carry the longing for their homeland, Werribee isn’t just a settlement. It is proof that from hardship—and sometimes even from a bump on the head—new beginnings can take root.

RESIDENTIAL AGED CARE

For many of our residents, traditional travel is no longer possible physical limitations. But through armchair travel, residents can explore parts of the world from the comfort of their chairs. An experience that holds special meaning to many in our multicultural aged care set-ting.

Armchair travel involves manufacturing a journey to different countries using visuals, music, storytelling, food, and cultural activities.

The activity supports memory recall in individuals with dementia, encourages social inter-action, and improves mood. While also providing an opportunity for residents to grow their understanding of their fellow residents’ cultures, fostering additional compassionate and meaningful friendships.

Our experience showcases themed decorations, traditional foods, cultural performances, stories from our residents, a chance to reminisce and celebrate their homelands.

Cultura Connect September edition

AGED COMMUNITY AND DISABILITY

Ready for a Mind Vacation?

The Handpan Experience will take you there this October and November at the Healthy Living Centre.

No prior experience needed — just bring a willingness to relax, unwind, and enjoy the healing power of sound.

Supported by a City of Greater Geelong Community Grant.

Bookings essential.

Mind Vacation: The Handpan Experience.

Step into a space of peace and presence in a gentle wellness session designed especially for adults 55 and over. Let the soft, melodic tones of the handpan wash over you, guiding your mind and body into deep relaxation.

Live handpan music blended with mindful breathing, peaceful perspective and stillness, creating a soothing experience that calms the nervous system, reduces stress, and leaves you feeling refreshed and restored.

No prior experience needed — just bring a willingness to relax, unwind, and enjoy the healing power of sound.

OCTOBER:

Tuesday 7th 1.15 - 2.00pm

Friday 24th 1.15 - 2.00pm

NOVEMBER: Tuesday 11th 1.15 - 2.00pm Friday 21st 1.15 - 2.00pm

Where: Cultura Healthy Living/Sohl Centre, 25-41 Arunga Ave, Norlane

Bookings essential

To Book phone 03 5222 7275 or email aged.support@cultura.org.au Gold coin donation

YOUTH

Cultura’s Youth Council is quickly becoming a powerful advocacy machine and advisory committee, representing the voices of multicultural young people across Geelong. Last week, the Council had the incredible opportunity to visit Parliament House, invited by Ella George MP, to watch debates and engage directly with decision-makers.

During the visit, our youth leaders presented the issues they had identified within their communities and proposed practical solutions to address them. They shared their perspectives with Ben Carroll MP, Deputy Premier of Victoria, Natalie Suleyman MP, Minister for Youth, and Alison Marchant MP.

The experience was both humbling and empowering. Our Youth Council members

left inspired, motivated, and determined to continue their mission of driving change.

The visit reinforced the importance of giving young multicultural voices a seat at the table and demonstrated just how much they have to contribute to shaping Geelong’s future.

A huge thank you to Ella George for shining a spotlight on the importance of supporting multicultural youth leadership in her adjournment speech, and to everyone who continues to back the next generation of leaders. Thanks to their passion and drive, Cultura’s Youth Council is making waves and inspiring change in Geelong and beyond.