Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a great privilege and honour for me to rise about an emerging community in my electorate, one that is growing at an enormous pace—and that is, the Ethiopian community. I have many members of the Ethiopian community who have decided to make their homes in the western suburbs of Adelaide, around the suburbs of Cowandilla, Richmond, Brooklyn Park, Torrensville, Mile End—and I think our area is better for it.

A few weeks ago I attended the annual church service of the Orthodox Ethiopian Church on Saint Urael Day, which is a very big day for the Ethiopian Orthodox community, and they celebrate one of the archangels, which is Saint Urael. I was very pleased to attend that day on 27 July. In attendance at the church service, and at the celebrations afterwards, was the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Jennifer Rankine and the member for Croydon, Michael Atkinson. The service was very colourful with lots of music. I have to say that the Orthodox Ethiopian church is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. It has been in continuous reign for nearly 2,000 years, so a lot of that traditions, a lot of the ceremonies, go back thousands of years—the rituals, the traditions—and they have remained strong until this present day. So it was an absolute joy to be part of those ceremonies and part of the celebrations with the Ethiopian Orthodox church in my electorate to celebrate their annual feast day of Saint Urael.

I always feel very comfortable and welcome when I attend their services and their celebrations. As I said, there is lots of colour, music and singing, which is always followed by lots of great food and a special, very tasty home-made brew, which is similar to beer—which, after a couple of glasses, you wander off and are not sure whether you are walking in a straight line. But I was brave enough to have a couple of glasses and made sure someone drove me home that day.

The Ethiopian community is making the most of the opportunities that exist here in Australia. I have two Ethiopian restaurants in my electorate, which are both run by people who came here as refugees, sought permanent residency and are now running successful businesses in my electorate.

I would like to acknowledge Father Aba Fesha, who is the administrator of the church and the local priest of Saint Urael and Dr Tilahun Afrassa, who is the chairman of the board and the community leader as well. The Orthodox Ethiopian Church has been going for a number of years and, before they had their own building, they started meeting behind the Coptic Orthodox Church, in my electorate at Cowandilla, in their hall just behind the church. As they outgrew this, they then moved to the hall next door to the Anglican Church in Croydon. They have outgrown that church as well and have now bought their own building, through their own fundraising and through their own funds, at Ferryden Park, which is not in my electorate but services the majority of Ethiopians who live in my electorate. I wish them all the very best with this new building. It was a group of shops that has been converted into a church, and a lot of hard work and effort has been put into it by all the community to ensure that they are up and running and have their own building now and do not have to move from place to place, as they did in the past.

I would like to congratulate all of the community members who have worked, not for their own benefit but for the benefit of their community, through their church. I appreciate all the hard work that is done by so many in the Ethiopian community, in all sorts of ways. We see their volunteers who help their older citizens, volunteers who keep their church running and tidy, to make it look beautiful—especially on special days, like Saint Urael Day, when I was there, the volunteers who cook those wonderful meals—and, of course, the volunteers who made the homemade beer when I was there.

But I would like to thank all of them for the service that they give to the community. The last time I went there was when they had their opening of their brand new church. I know that they are very successful. They will be successful and I wish them all the very best. As I said, I am very honoured to represent the Ethiopian community in the electorate of Hindmarsh.