In an era where sound bites are loud, headlines fleeting, and attention spans shorter than a Sydney winter’s day, Cumberland City Council has managed to cut through the digital clutter—not with fanfare or fireworks, but with something far more compelling: humanity.
On Tuesday, 24 June 2025, between 10 am and 1 pm, The Granville Centre will become the beating heart of Cumberland’s community compassion as it hosts a stirring cultural showcase for Refugee Week 2025. The theme this year? Finding Freedom: Diversity in Community. And in true Cumberland fashion, this isn’t just an event—it’s a statement. A declaration that art, music, and story are more than entertainment; they’re bridges between the trauma of exile and the hope of belonging.
Attendees can expect a morning awash with colour and courage: visual art installations, poignant spoken word performances, soul-stirring music, and traditional cultural showcases—all led by artists who know exactly what it means to lose everything and still stand proud.
It’s not just theatre—it’s testimony.
A City That Doesn’t Just Talk the Talk
Cumberland City Council, one of the top two local government areas in New South Wales for hosting asylum seekers, wears its designation as a Refugee Welcome Zone not like a badge, but like a promise—a solemn, daily commitment to the people who arrive with little more than memories and dreams.
Refugee Week 2024
Mayor Ola Hamed, a champion of inclusion and social cohesion, didn’t mince words about the council’s ethos.
“Cumberland remains committed to creating an inclusive, compassionate community for all, and this celebration is just one part of the work being done year-round to support newly arrived refugees and asylum seekers,” Mayor Hamed said.
And she’s not just ticking boxes. The council’s refugee efforts read less like policy and more like poetry in motion: access to housing, healthcare, education, and employment opportunities—delivered with empathy and cultural sensitivity.
“Our focus remains on creating real pathways for refugees to rebuild their lives with ease and hope,” Mayor Hamed added. “This work is fundamental to shaping the inclusive and vibrant community we’re so proud to be today.”
Now that’s leadership with heart—and a spine.
Support That Doesn’t Clock Off at 1 PM
While Refugee Week offers a well-deserved moment in the spotlight, Cumberland’s support doesn’t retreat when the lights dim.
The council offers monthly orientation sessions for newly arrived refugees, in partnership with Services Australia, guiding them through their first critical 6 to 12 weeks in Australia—a period often marked by anxiety, uncertainty, and an overwhelming amount of paperwork.
Mental health is treated not as a buzzword but as a fundamental right. Refugees are connected to culturally appropriate care with interpreter support and trauma-informed services. And it doesn’t stop there.
Cumberland’s long list of partners reads like a roll call of modern-day saints: Accessible Diversity Services Initiative, Jesuit Refugee Service, House of Welcome, Freedom Hub, Refugee Advice & Casework Service, and more. Together, they form a safety net where hope can take root.
Education and employment programs—particularly those tailored for refugee women—are delivered with gusto alongside partners like TAFE NSW. The goal? Confidence, financial independence, and dignity.
Then there’s the very literal lifeblood of any struggling household: food. Thanks to initiatives with OzHarvest and grassroots organisations like Turbans for Australia, families can access food programs at local community centres and pantries. Grants from the Council’s Community Program keep the shelves stocked and spirits high.
More Than Multicultural—This Is Australia at Its Best
Cumberland’s diversity isn’t just a demographic line item—it’s a civic philosophy. A belief that multiculturalism is not just tolerated but celebrated, nourished, and woven into the city’s fabric like the many languages spoken at Granville’s grocery markets.
At a time when the world often turns inward, Cumberland opens its arms. And Refugee Week 2025 is not simply a calendar event—it’s a mirror held up to our better selves. A reminder that, as a nation built on stories of migration, we owe it to the next generation to preserve the values that brought us here: compassion, community, and a fair go.
So if you find yourself free on Tuesday, 24 June, make your way to The Granville Centre. It may not change the world, but for someone newly arrived, it just might change theirs.
Learn More and Register: 👉 Cumberland City Council Refugee Week 2025, 👉 Council’s Refugee Services and Programs.
By Charmaine Lu
