More than 150 seniors from multicultural communities across Victoria came together at Coburg Town Hall for ECCV’s Multicultural Seniors Celebration, recognising the valuable contribution older people make to our communities and cultural life.
Attendees represented a wide range of communities, including Chinese, Iranian, Lebanese, Fijian, Turkish, Indian, Filipino, Greek, Polish, Italian, Vietnamese and many others.
ECCV CEO Farah Farouque said:
“Positive ageing is about more than living longer. It’s about ensuring older people can access the information and services they need and continue to participate in community life with dignity and respect. Our event was an opportunity to celebrate that contribution.”
The event celebrated positive ageing while providing an opportunity for older people to share their knowledge and hear about services and supports available to them. The program featured cultural performances, information stalls, opportunities to socialise over lunch and a panel discussion chaired by ECCV Senior Policy Advisor Nikolaus Rittinghausen with Prem Sinha (President of the Northern Region Indian Seniors Association of Victoria Inc, NRISA), Nurten Kim Hasan (President of the Hampton Park Turkish Seniors Club) and ECCV Ageing Well Lead Hayat Doughan.
During the event, ECCV launched its updated elder abuse awareness resource library, now available in 24 languages, including a new Ukrainian translation. Attendees also received a preview of the latest edition of Multicultural Ageing magazine.
ECCV was pleased to welcome guest speakers from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and Victorian Senior of the Year, Dilnaz Billimoria, alongside nine organisations that hosted information stalls and shared practical information on healthy and positive ageing. These included: Department of Health, Disability and Ageing; Elder Rights Australia; Holstep Health; Independent Living Assessment (ILA); Justice Connect; La Trobe University; LiverWell; Palliative Care Victoria and Services Australia.
ECCV thanks everyone who attended, as well as facilitators Elmina Joldic and Gabrielle Fakhri for leading the day. We also acknowledge the dedication of the ECCV Ageing Well team, whose work made the event possible.
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