What a day! 20 June Refugee Cultural Day at Addi Road.

Some days remind you why community matters.
Refugee Cultural Day was one of those days.

What began as an idea became an inspiring gathering of culture, connection, solidarity and belonging. It was a day where people from different backgrounds came together to share stories, celebrate traditions, support one another and build the kind of community we all want to live in.

At a time when we continue to see harmful anti-immigrant and racist rhetoric amplified in public conversations, while live genocide is being transmitted on our screens, days like this feel more important than ever.
Because behind every statistic and every political talking point are real people – families, artists, small business owners, community leaders, volunteers and neighbours – each carrying stories, knowledge, resilience and contributions that enrich our society.

Refugees and migrants are not a burden to be debated. They are people with skills, histories, dreams and a deep desire to belong and contribute.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped make the day possible – the organisers, volunteers, stallholders, performers, speakers, community groups and everyone who showed up with open hearts.

This is what community looks like: people choosing connection over division, compassion over fear, and solidarity over silence.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the day happen, and to everyone who came out to support us. Months of planning, organising, problem-solving and plenty of emotions went into this – all for one very long (and, at times, very stressful!) day… but seeing it all come together made it so worth it.

Events like this don’t happen because of one person – they happen because so many people give their time, energy, skills and kindness behind the scenes. We feel incredibly lucky to have had such a wonderful group of people come together to make this day possible.

A huge thank you from the organising team to:

Aunt Tarunna and Ivor for offering us a beautiful Acknowledgement of Country, a smoking ceremony, and sharing the sounds of the didgeridoo.

All the volunteers who gave their time, energy and care on the day.

The amazing young people who stepped up as volunteers and contributors: Lilly, Georgia, Layla, Hamoudy and Adam. The future is in very good hands.

The wonderful teacher volunteers who run children’s activities throughout the day, making it easier for parents to shop, connect and enjoy themselves.

Grisha from Mutual Aid Mehendi for donating all proceeds from her stall to the fundraiser for RACS and Blak Caucus.

Everyone who contributed to the Families for Palestine fundraiser stall by donating sweets, drinks, chocolates and raffle prizes.

Speakers – Jenny Leong, Mursal Rahimi from RACS, Mursal Azizi from Hoori Handmade, and Asma from Yaffa Sweet, who shared beautiful words of wisdom, courage, education and inspiration.

Performers from the Roots of Palestine dabke group, Ana Nguyen, Julius Sackey, Philippe Lincy, and Mawida, made the day extra bright.

Addison Road Community Organisation for supporting this project. Awesome Foundation and Mums For Refugees for their generous financial contributions.

And thank you to everyone who came along on the day, supported the stalls, bought from the incredible small businesses, donated, and simply showed up. Every dollar spent was supporting a truly meaningful cause – because every person involved was there with purpose: either as a refugee, someone supporting refugees or oppressed people, or someone using their skills and creativity to raise funds and awareness.

Thanks to everyone’s generosity, the Families for Palestine fundraiser stall raised $1160, with 100% of proceeds going to @racsaustralia and @blakcaucus. The funds will be shared equally between these two important causes.

Feeling incredibly grateful for this community and for everyone who played a part, big or small.

Amazing photos by our photographer friend who just showed up without being asked or any expectation: https://www.johnjansonmoore.com/journal/2026/6/20/refugee-cultural-day