Walk for Respect- Together by the Sea

25 February 2019

25 February 2019

Waverley walks for respect on Sunday, 3 March

Waverley Council invites you to join us on our Walk for Respect- Together by the Sea on Sunday 3 March.

Bring along your family and friends as we celebrate harmony, diversity and multiculturalism in our beautiful part of the world.

The Walk for Respect begins at 11am at Biddigal Reserve, North Bondi and continues along the promenade to the Dolphin Court at Bondi Pavilion for speeches and entertainment, until 1pm.

Former president and CEO of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board, Dr Stepan Kerkyasharian, will be speaking at the event.

Dr Kerkyasharian was born in Cyprus of Armenian heritage, the son of refugees who had survived the Genocide of the Armenians in 1915. After studying in London he migrated to Australia in late 1967. From 2003 to 2014, he concurrently held the positions of Chair and CEO of the Community Relations Commission and President and CEO of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board. In 1992, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia. In 2014, he received his second Premiers Community Service Award. The NSW Government has also named the Annual Community Harmony Medal the Stepan Kerkyasharian Community Harmony Award.

Entertainment will be provided by Walangari, Doudoumba African drumming, Mi-Kaisha and HIA (Davey and Nancy Denis).

In December 2018, Council resolved to fund a Walk for Respect in recognition of community harmony and diversity, promote positive awareness around multiculturalism and reject racism.

Mayor of Waverley, John Wakefield, said the Council strives to ensure that our vibrant and diverse part of the world remains inclusive, resilient and fair.

“Waverley is an open, strong and welcoming community that celebrates multiculturalism and the contribution it has made to society,” Mayor Wakefield said.

“We walk together, side-by-side as citizens of the world.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the graffiti attack that took place in Bondi this month and repeat that racism has no place in our culturally diverse community.

“We also believe that all tiers of Australian government should be providing enlightened leadership that supports and enhances an inclusive and dynamic multicultural society that does not tolerate prejudice.”

For more information about Walk for Respect- Together by the Sea, visit waverley.nsw.gov.au/recreation/calendar_of_events/events/walk_for_respect.