As a Chinese living in Australia, I go to see the New Year’s Eve fireworks as a ritual every year. It is always a good time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the next when the firework spectacular lights up the sky from Sydney’s iconic attraction – the Sydney Harbour Bridge. This year’s display did not disappoint with photos shared on WeChat wowing many of my friends back home.
Promoting health in multicultural communities
Local Doonside resident Mervat Sidra has been working to bring issues around health to multicultural Western Sydney.
Egyptian-born Mervat Sidra was inspired to help spread the word about a healthy lifestyle after joining the Get Healthy Coaching and Information Service. Losing five kilos in the first two months, she said the free telephone-based service was crucial to her health journey specifically her coach Josh. Josh is one of the countless qualified health professionals who provide free services to motivate, advise and support people in their healthy eating and physical activity targets.
Mervat said that weight loss was not her main goal but rather focusing on activity and food to help her address her stomach issues. Weight loss was seen as an added bonus.
“I just really wanted to better manage my pain and generally feel better.”
Now the 58-year-old is working during the Multicultural Health Week (September 4-10) to get other women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to take their health seriously.
The Western Sydney Local Health District’s Centre for Population Health deputy director Christine Newman said that in the first half of 2017, only around 7% of participants in the program reported speaking a language other than English at home.
“We want to see more CALD women take that important first step to improving their health for the long-term.”
Mervat Sidra’s is serving as an example for the rest of the CALD community, particularly women to prioritise their health by getting involved in programs such as the Get Healthy Coaching and Information Service.
Mapping Sydney’s Multiculturalism
The 2016 census provided by the Bureau of Statistic has revealed the multicultural makeup of Sydney’s suburbs. The data has shown that there is no Sydney suburb where no-one is born overseas save for Wheeny Creek: a suburb 86 kilometres north-west of the Sydney CBD with a population of only 21. [Read more…] about Mapping Sydney’s Multiculturalism
Not-to-Miss Event this Weekend: The Mardi Gras Parade 2017
The annual gay and lesbian Mardi Gras parade comes back to Sydney this Saturday. Initially a political protest in 1978, the Mardi Gras has evolved into one of the most significant events in Sydney’s event calendar, attracting thousands of people locally and internationally to this grand spectacular of sparkles and self-expression.
[Read more…] about Not-to-Miss Event this Weekend: The Mardi Gras Parade 2017
Our Picks of the 2017 Chinese New Year Events in Sydney (Now – 29th January)
Don’t know where to go and what to see during this Chinese New Year celebration? There are a lot of events around the town competing for our attention, but here is our picks of top events you should go.
[Read more…] about Our Picks of the 2017 Chinese New Year Events in Sydney (Now – 29th January)