INSIDE: WHAT’S ON FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAYS, PET OF THE WEEK + MORE
Council News CITY OF WAGGA WAGGA
FIRST PRINTED SATURDAY 7 JULY 2018
Issue No: 202
Weekly information from us to you ALL TALK: Language Café participants Farzo Saeelm and Favaj Hamka chat with volunteers Chrissy Reid and Di McCarthy.
Language café turns 1
Language is often a barrier for people from different backgrounds, but a Wagga Wagga City Library program is bringing the community closer together through the power of conversation. There have been more than one thousand visits to the Language Café, which marks its first anniversary this week. Library Manager Claire Campbell said with Wagga Wagga being
both a Refugee Welcome City and resettlement area, there is a growing Cultural and Linguistic Diverse (CALD) community that now makes up six per cent of the city’s population. “The Wagga Wagga community has 99 language groups and through the Language Café we are assisting everyone from new arrivals to Australia and skilled migrants,” she said. Continued inside
Funding flows for Fusion festival The Fusion Multicultural Street Festival’s future is bright with Wagga Wagga City Council and Riverina Water committing a combined $75,000 to the major event each year for the next three years. Council adopted an ongoing budget commitment of $50,000 at the 25 June Meeting, while Riverina Water will provide $25,000 in sponsorship each year from
2018-20. “The Fusion Multicultural Festival is founded on a simple and successful philosophy that food, the creative and performing arts are a powerful means of engaging and uniting the whole community,” Council’s Director Community Janice Summerhayes said. “It is about celebrating the mix of music, dance, food, culture and the creative arts that make our community unique and liveable. “The funding commitment from Wagga Wagga City Council and major sponsorship from Riverina Water County Council will allow Fusion to continue to grow and
be an annual highlight for residents and participants from right across the Riverina and the state.” Riverina Water County Council General Manager Andrew Crakanthorp said Council was pleased to be re-investing community funds into this major community event. “Riverina Water County Council has a role to play in strengthening the social fabric of the communities it provides water to,” he said. “The Board of Riverina Water have made it clear to management that they are keen to pursue opportunities that increase the use of Council supplied water. “We see this sponsorship as a major
element of the commitment by Council to raise its corporate profile and use customer revenue to re-invest in the future of the communities we serve.” The Wagga Wagga Local Government Area is home to community members from 112 different countries of origin, who speak 107 languages and practice 62 faiths. “Wagga Wagga was declared an official Refugee Welcome Zone in 2012, by the Refugee Council of Australia, cementing and enhancing our commitment to cultural and religious diversity,” Ms Summerhayes said. The 2018 Fusion Multicultural Festival will be held at the Victory Memorial Gardens on Saturday October 20.
Council Committees - Expression of Interest
Want to be more involved in decisions that matter to your community? Two positions are now available for the Wagga Wagga City Council Floodplain Risk Management Advisory Committee. As a Floodplain committee member
you will provide advice to the Council on the development, implementation and delivery of actions in the Floodplain Risk Management Plan for the Wagga Wagga Local Government
Area. To apply, simply fill out the expression of interest form addressing the selection criteria available at wagga.nsw.gov.au/committees by 9am, Friday 27 July, 2018.
More info? 1300 292 442 council@wagga.nsw.gov.au wagga.nsw.gov.au/committees