Burwood Council Mayor John Faker was joined by NSW Premier Bob Carr in the opening of the new Burwood Cultural and Community Centre. Over 200 representatives from State and Local Governments, social, cultural, economic and educational groups attended the evening described by Mayor Faker as a ‘celebration of culture’.
“The opening of the Burwood Cultural and Community Centre is a step Burwood Council has taken to address our community’s long term recreation needs,” Mayor Faker said. “This new centre will allow us to bring out the best of our community’s art and cultural expression in honour of our diversity.”
Last year Council commissioned a study to identify those needs. The study pointed to a requirement for dedicated space for the community to give life to a range of artistic and cultural expressions. The centre is the first piece of a larger civic and cultural precinct. The precinct will incorporate other indoor and outdoor arts, performance areas, gardens and a new library.
The cultural feast kicked off with a traditional Aboriginal welcome and smoking ceremony. This was followed by performances from groups representing Burwood’s multicultural make up, including Greek dancers, Chinese acrobats, and a local youth hip hop act by Da Funk Stylistics.
