Harmony Week launched at Bathurst Neighbourhood Centre

Bathurst Regional Council launched Harmony Week at The Neighbourhood Centre on Monday, welcoming citizens from across the globe who have made Bathurst their home.

Those same citizens - coming from Iran, Iraq, the Philippines, India, Thailand, Brazil, Sri Lanka and China - will featured on the Harmony Week posters to be displayed in the Armada Shopping Centre, Bathurst Library, civic centre, Seymour Centre and The Neighbourhood Centre.

They can also be viewed on council's website.

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Dr Miao Li, who migrated from China to the Gold Coast before moving to Bathurst to take up a senior lecturer position at Charles Sturt University's School of Engineering, said she had found Bathurst to be a very welcoming community.

"There are so many opportunities for the community to come together and the council has provided a great service for us as citizens," Dr Li said.

"A lot of volunteers work with migrants here to help each other where they can."

Nisreen Shihab and her artist husband Mohammed Jabbar escaped turmoil in Iraq and spent three years in Sydney before moving to Bathurst, attracted by the landscape and open spaces.

Ms Shihab said they had been in Bathurst for seven years and had no intention of ever leaving.

"I know many of the families in Bathurst now and we have settled now," she said.

Neighbourhood Centre executive officer Jean Fell said the centre had a number of programs to support migrants and refugees who moved to Bathurst.

"We have a migrant support service to help people with visa issues and all sorts of problems that might come up," Ms Fell said.

"We also have a multicultural women's group that meets once a month and it is a lovely way to meet some new people they can talk to.

"These are critical support services in our community because while we may not have large numbers of migrants and refugees in Bathurst, their needs are very important."

Mayor Bobby Bourke welcomed Harmony Week and praised the work of The Neighbourhood Centre.

"It's all about ensuring newcomers to our city can get the information they need," he said.

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