Celebrating the South East

More than 600 members of the South East Melbourne community have celebrated the achievements and diversity of the vital Melbourne region on Thursday night at Government House.

Hosted by the Governor of Victoria the Honourable Linda Dessau AC, community members representing areas as far apart as Glen Waverley and the tip of the Mornington Peninsula – including the shires of Cardinia and Mornington Peninsula, and the cities of Casey, Frankston, Greater Dandenong, Kingston and Monash – gathered at Government House.

In his address, the Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, said the gathering was to celebrate the achievements of the communities of the south east.Aishwarya Pokkuluri, 22, who was honoured at the Greater Dandenong Australia Day Awards for her volunteering work with young leaders, delivered a speech on behalf of the community. Aishwarya moved to Melbourne from India as a five-year-old and now works as a quality assurance assistance at Cobs Popcorn in Dandenong South.

SEM chair Simon McKeon said: “South East Melbourne is a diverse region with more than 1.2 million residents, many of whom have come here from across the globe to make their home, raise families and create jobs as well as seek and create opportunities.” “This was a great opportunity to celebrate the diversity and achievements of the south east Melbourne community.”

For more information contact: Jenny Ljunggren, South East Melbourne, 0401 839 811, info@southeastmelbourne.org