ECC Vice Chair and convenor of the ECC's education subcommittee Raymond Arraj launched a new Arabic Collection at Panania Library late last year along with Clr Richard Maclaughlin, Deputy Mayor of Bankstown City Council. Below is an excerpt of his speech:
I wish first to thank Ferial, for the invitation to be part of this important day.
My name is Raymond Arraj and it gives me great pleasure, as Vice-Chair of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of NSW, to welcome you all here today, to launch a new Arabic Collection, or shall I say, to launch a new milestone in the life of Panania Library and to celebrate a new achievement of Bankstown City Council.
Let me tell you that this day brings back many fond memories of my involvement with the Arabic Language for over 25 years; having been one of the driving forces behind the introduction of the Teaching of Arabic in NSW both in Primary and High Schools, in addition to being a writer of the Arabic Syllabus for the NSW Board of Studies, as well as a HSC Senior Examiner of Arabic and a lecturer of Arabic at both of Macquarie and Western Sydney universities.
Today’s launch of a new Arabic Collection which offers a new range of items to the Arabic-Speaking Community, means a great deal to us at the ECC and it is indeed our role and duty to support it and even boast about it, because it epitomises what we have advocated and continuously lobbied for.
The Ethnic Communities Council of NSW which supports and encourages cultural activities like this one, is the peak representative body of the NSW multicultural community, and is recognised as such by the State and Federal Governments.
Our past achievements include, and just to mention a few:
-The establishment of the Federation of Community Languages Schools
-The Association of Translators and Interpreters
-And SBS Television and Radio.
More importantly, the ECC is involved in the process of settlement and integration, a process that the whole of Australia must be involved in. And Bankstown Council is thankfully playing a key role in the process and in ensuring that cultural diversity is accepted and respected within our democratic framework, where English is our common language.
In Bankstown, Arabic speakers are by far, the largest non-English speaking group. I know that many members of the Bankstown’s Arabic community are keen library users, and are very appreciative of what Panania Library has achieved for them. The new Arabic collection comprises mostly fiction and non-fiction books on a variety of subjects and themes. I encourage the members of the Arabic-speaking Community, to take their place in the “information society” and this includes making use of the range of services provided in Bankstown public libraries.
There is evidence that some Ethnic groups and indigenous Australians are greatly disadvantaged in terms of education, health, employment and accommodation.
These social problems must be overcome and require initiatives like the one we are launching today. This will contribute towards achieving a fair and equitable multicultural Australia.
On behalf of the ECC of NSW and on behalf of the Arabic-speaking Community in particular, I commend and congratulate Bankstown Council and Panania Library on their most appreciated initiative and on their continuing efforts to meet the important information needs of community language groups.
