Community reunion celebrating culture

MEMBERS of Ballarat’s Bangladeshi community got together last week to catch up, socialise, and share food and culture.

The event took place on Friday at the Ballarat Masonic Centre and co-organiser Ahsan Chowdhury said it was an “excellent” for the city’s Bangladeshi locals.

“It was really good to see everyone having a relaxed afternoon. We’re all migrants from Bangladesh so we discussed our national issues and events, music,” he said.

“It’s a really good bonding among the community members. They love to share their feelings, their struggles over good food and each other.

“And it’s good for our older members who might not know many people here to see that connection continued and getting to see new or younger faces.

“It’s about meeting each and everyone, getting to know new members of the community and saying goodbye to those who are leaving.”

Nearly 115 people attended with the event organised by a committee of about 15 people.

Activities like quizzes and guessing games were put on for the kids while adults took part in trivia and poem-reading.

First established in 2017, the social gathering was the community’s first in about four months and Mr Chowdhury said it showcases a strong Bangladeshi culture in Ballarat.

“I think events like these are a message that that this is a colourful bonded group. We love to enjoy culture and our food with other people,” he said.

“This event was more for our Bangladeshi community but we do have our religious festival gatherings, usually two a year that we invite people of all cultures to come to.”

The organising group is a voluntary association of Bangladeshis, and Mr Chowdhury said he hopes to establish a registered community body by mid-next year.