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Indian influence prominent at Hornsby festival

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Hornsby Shire Council celebrated its annual OneWorld Multicultural Festival on March 20 with much fanfare. It was a day dedicated to harmony and to cultural diversity, with numerous schools in the Shire also celebrating Harmony Day.

Hornsby, once a small town on the northwestern fringe of the Sydney metropolitan area, is today a thriving and growing city of over 18,000 people. It is the capital of the Hornsby Shire Council (population about 160,000) and an important transport hub. It is a rapidly growing centre where new developments have sprouted at what might seem like an alarming pace.

The change was not limited to increased numbers. With growing immigration, an increase in diversity has also resulted. Quite a large portion (over 30%) of the population of the Hornsby LGA (Local Government Area) were born abroad, of which about 23% come from a non-English-speaking background.

This indicates that the current generation is witnessing an era of demographic change and it is to the credit of all concerned that this change is being ushered in peacefully. The Hornsby Festival was intended to generate, according to the Mayor Nick Berman, harmony amongst the various cultural groups.

There was a veritable “smorgasmord” of foods at the festival. The subcontinent was well represented with two Indian (including one Goan and Portuguese) and one Nepali food stall. Most people speak about Indian food being ‘hot’; such connoisseurs should have tried the very hot Portuguese peri-peri chicken at the Goan stall, which also had prepared a very pungent vindaloo. The Mexican food stall had a good element of spice too.

The Hornsby LGA has an ageing population; the Shire’s average age is 38 years which is comparable to the national average of 37.2 years. This has implications for having sufficiently qualified personnel to man such industries as health, communications and computers.

Australia is experiencing an ageing workforce with the ‘baby boomers’ approaching retirement in unprecedented numbers. The median age of an employed person now exceeds 40 in almost every industry sector, and in some like education and health it exceeds 45.

With this in mind, the Hornsby Council is running a Healthy Living Festival throughout March and April with activities for all age groups, that is, for seniors and for the young. There are several sessions targeted at the Asians in Asian languages, as for instance on diabetes which is a problem many migrants develop after living in Australia. There are classes in Tai Chi and other Eastern practices.

The Vishva Hindu Parishad has had a show featuring South Asian dances in Pennant Hills.

Statistics of the years 2006 to

2008 show that the Hornsby LGA is a prosperous area compared to other areas. For example, the Hornsby LGA had higher average incomes ($52,199) when contrasted to the national average ($42,476), a higher percentage of professionals (28.9%) compared to the national (19.88%), and lower unemployment (3%) figures compared to the national (4.2%).

Statistical figures clearly show the great ethnic diversity now populating Hornsby Shire. If China and Hong Kong are taken together, they form the largest group of immigrants (8,764); in fact, there are 2.4% of Hong Kong migrants in Hornsby in contrast to 0.9% in Sydney as a whole. India has contributed 3,361 migrants and Sri Lanka, 1,453. The Mayor Nick Berman is of Sri Lankan descent and one of the Councillors Dilip Chopra migrated from India.

During the festival there was almost non-stop dance and music on a stage with seating for the appreciative audience. The Latin American dances and music were very energising.

The much more sedate and colourful Indian dances received great applause. They were organised by the IABBV Hindi School under the guidance of the School’s coordinator Mala Mehta, OAM. The Hindi School also organised other activities such as creating rangoli designs with colours, hand-painting and lightly spiced food. The mango lassi was particularly attractive to the children.

Not all Indian contributions related to India itself. TV personality Indira Naidoo, whose origins are Indian, presented a ‘Meet the Author’ talk at the main Hornsby library during the festivities. She presented and discussed her book The Edible Balcony: How To Grow Fresh Food In A Small Space Plus 60 Inspiring Recipes

Multiculturalism is here to stay. Our multiple ethnic communities should be allowed to contribute their creations to a new pot-pourri of tastes and sounds. The ultimate goal is that all residents in the country can then strive to live in harmony. These objectives are best achieved at the grassroots municipal level such as those achieved at the Hornsby Harmony Festival.

Clockwise from top: Dancing troupe all dressed up

Hand painting with henna colours

Councillor Dilip Chopra at the festival

Mala Mehta and her team at the Hindi School stall. Creating rangoli designs

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