JULY 4, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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The time of your life Abba’s greatest hits will be warming up your winter when Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again screens at The Sun Theatre. Set on the beautiful Greek island of Kalokairi, the sequel to the 2008 smash hit Mamma Mia stars Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan and Amanda Seyfried. Hobsons Bay Refugee Network is hosting the screening as its next film fundraiser, helping to raise funds to support people seeking asylum in Melbourne’s west. The Sun Theatre screening on Friday, July 20, will include a raffle and complementary snacks. Tickets: $25 via www.trybooking. com/395103 Benjamin Millar
Luke Savage (Bjorn), Kate Morrow (Agnetha), Cr Mia McGregor (Frida) and Jeff Krins (Benny). (Damjan Janevski)
Footscray’s Vietnam plan
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Australia’s first Vietnamese cultural and heritage centre will be built in the heart of Footscray to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first wave of refugee arrivals. The $20 million centre, proposed by the Victorian chapter of the Vietnamese Community Australia, is likely to be built on a carpark on Donald Street after Maribyrnong council threw its support behind the project. The VCA first began pursuing the project in Phong Nguyen, Chi Hoang and Nhan Nguyen at 2002, but has struggled to find a suitable site. the site of the planned Vietnamese cultural and A packed public chamber erupted into heritage centre in Footscray. (Benjamin Millar) applause last week when councillors voted to enter a memorandum of understanding for the to open the centre in time to mark the 50th project to proceed on the 985-square-metre anniversary of Vietnamese refugees arriving in council-owned site. Australia, which will fall in 2025. VCA vice-president and cultural centre “The support has been overwhelming, chairman Phong Nguyen said the aim was particularly from the community here in
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Footscray – they are very excited,” he said. “We are very proud that we have contributed so much to Australia and our second generation are very excited by this.” Mr Nguyen said the next step would be raising funds and he expected the Vietnamese community would dig deep. “For the right cause, our community are very generous and very committed,” he said. “I do believe with the support that we have so far, and the commitment we have from the businesses in the area, that it can be done in the timeline we have set, which is 2025.” Mr Nguyen said the centre would be one of the first of its kind in the world, serving as a lasting tribute to the Vietnamese community. “It’s very important to preserve the culture and the history of the Vietnamese settlement in Australia,” he said. “Words are not enough to say how appreciative we are.”
Chi Hoang, who is among the 10 per cent of Maribyrnong’s population born in Vietnam, is a strong supporter of the project. She said the local Vietnamese community was overjoyed by the council’s decision. “It will bring the tourists and make Footscray booming,” she said. “I want to thank Australia and the councillors who voted for this.” Nhan Nguyen said the project would be a way of sharing the Vietnamese community’s story with the broader community. “It’s a very central space, so students and others can easily travel here and learn the stories,” he said. Mayor Cuc Lam said Footscray had long been a welcoming place for the Vietnamese community. “This museum will be one of significance for generation to generation,” she said.
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By Benjamin Millar