City celebrates cultural diversity

Linda Perry from Goodna with some bromeliad plants for sale at the Riverview Multicultural Festival.

Claudia Baxter

VARIETY was the order of the day at Riverview’s annual celebration of multiculturalism yesterday.

Hundreds of people packed into the grounds of the suburb’s Neighbourhood House, enjoying food, music and culture from all corners of the globe.

Local community groups, schools and politicians also took part in the fun while showing their support for a multicultural Ipswich.

Riverview Neighbourhood Centre vice president Paulo Paulo said his suburb was now home to large numbers of Samoan, Sudanese and New Zealand-born Aussies.

“This is a day where all cultures can put on food and entertainment and basically get together and have fun,” he said.

“It’s a day to show people what your culture is all about.”

Food stalls ranged from Turkish to Thai to Samoan to Spanish, while there was entertainment from blues bands and belly dancers on the main stage.

The kids enjoyed a bit of face painting and the sideshow rides.

Yesterday’s event was the 10th annual multicultural festival for Riverview.

Stall holder Neil Uluilakepa said he hoped the day would continue to grow in popularity.

He was selling fresh produce grown at the Westfalen Community Garden, which is just up the road from the neighbourhood centre.

“It’s a good multicultural community here,” Mr Uluilakepa said.

Federal Member for Blair Shayne Neumann, who also had a stall at the event, said it was good to see the community celebrating together after a bad start to the year.

“This was an evacuation centre during the floods, so it was important to have such a wonderful celebration staged here,” Mr Neumann said.

“Riverview is one of the most culturally diverse parts of Ipswich.

“You’ve got people from Samoa, Tonga, China, Vietnam, Europe, Africa and also a strong Indigenous community.”