Geoff Lyons (Bass, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate the Tasmanian Liberian community. I recently attended the Liberian Independence Day festival celebrations in my electorate of Bass. The celebrations were to mark Liberia's freedom from colonisation—the day the West African country became a sovereign nation—and the 164th year since Liberian independence.

The evening of independence celebrations that I attended was a great evening, with some guests wearing spectacular traditional Liberian dress. There are about 150 Liberian people currently living in Tasmania, and I experienced a part of this well-organised and close-knit community. There were sporting events and cultural events including music, dance and food at the celebrations, which were enjoyed by all.

I spoke to many other guests. One man told me about how he now travels all over Australia for work and lives in Tasmania. Another shared his story about how he came to Tasmania from Liberia. He trained at that great institution in Launceston, the Australian Maritime College, before meeting an Australian lady and marrying her. They have now started a family. He is an engineer working in Western Australia and living in Tasmania. The stories shared were fascinating and the celebrations were enjoyed by all. It was an excellent way to promote unity amongst the Liberian community and amongst the Tasmanian people in attendance.