Funds to finish Centre welcomed

THE Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council has received a funding boost from the State’s Multicultural Community Infrastructure Fund to continue renovating the Ballarat Welcome Centre.

The Centre is housed in the old Ballarat East Library building at Barkly Square. BRMC has been allocated $65,700 to refresh the heritage space, paint and repair it, improve security, and the stairwell’s accessibility and safety.

There’s also plans to adapt upstairs rooms, halls and foyers into usable creative areas, and spaces for events like exhibitions, meetings and functions, which community groups will hire.

BRMC chair Joy Sawiche Juma said the Welcome Centre will officially launch later in 2021.

“We’ll invite all the multicultural and interfaith groups, and show them our rooms and enterprise centre upstairs so we can get more people involved, communing and using the Welcome Centre,” she said.

“The Welcome Centre is where people can come for resources if they’re settling in Ballarat, or they want to access the other programs that are running, like dance and English tutoring.”

BRMC executive officer Ann Foley said her team is working with Heritage Victoria to protect the “significant” building, and they are grateful to the State for their ongoing support.

Member for Buninyong Michaela Settle said BRMC’s work to link new migrants to community services, resources, and education is “amazing.”

“Multicultural communities have faced unique challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic,” she said.

“This funding will support culturally and linguistically diverse Victorians to connect in purpose-built physical spaces, preserving, sharing and celebrating their culture.”