Hon. Bobby Whitfield President of the Federation of Liberian Communities in Australia Independence Day Message 26 July 2013 Theme: “Moving Our Community Forward together for a Bigger, Better and Brighter Future” My dear compatriots, as we celebrate 166 years of independence of our beloved country of origin let us thank God and our ancestors for Liberia, Africa’s oldest independent republic. Before going any further I would also like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land. I pay my respect to their Elders, past and present. I also extend my sincere gratitude to the governments and people of Australia for their humanitarian gesture to resettle Liberians in this great country. Australia has not only provided for us a safe haven but also countless opportunities with endless possibilities which have made settlement in Australia a remarkable achievement. We will forever be grateful. I also salute the leaderships and members of Liberian communities across Australia for the important role they play in the settlement process of our people. Since Federation, Australia has welcome and successfully settled over 800,000 refugees from around the world and as President of the Federation of Liberian Communities in Australia (FOLICA) I am delighted to say that our community is on the right trajectory of becoming part of this great success story. I am very optimistic we can achieve this, Liberians are generous and strong and decent, not because we believe in ourselves, but because we hold beliefs beyond ourselves. I ask every member of our community to put aside our differences and seek a common good beyond our comfort, to serve our community and countries, beginning with our family. I ask you to be active community members, not passive spectators; responsible people, building a community of service and contributing to this great nation of character. We must also emulate a true sense of belonging while at the same time leveraging our community’s unique position as a pivotal link in Liberia – Australia relations and a major player in Liberia’s post-war recovery and development. With our wealth of knowledge, skills and experience of both Australia and Liberia, we stand ready to support the efforts of the Government and people of Liberia in maximising the numerous opportunities for cooperation between Australia and Liberia. Ladies and gentlemen, with profound gratitude I am pleased to seize this opportunity to acquaint you with some activities of our august peak body (FOLICA) over the past six months since the elections of its new Management Committee in January 2013. FOLICA has assumed its rightful position as a professionally managed, viable and credible national peak body representing every individual of Liberian heritage and their communities, organisations, associations, social, tribal and interest groups in Australia. Some of our activities over the past six months include; structuring our leadership, strategic planning, raising awareness of our community, forming partnerships, developing purposeful relationships, preparing for this year FOLICA Annual National Convention and July 26 celebration as well as welcoming Noble Peace Laurent Leymah Gbowee and H. E. Hon. Joseph Nymah Boikai Vice President of the Republic of Liberia respectively to our community. Community spirit, participation and momentum are at an all-time high which is very encouraging, thanks to our robust community engagement strategy. Our national day celebrations in Australia is growing bigger and better every year with federal, state and local government representatives, service providing organisations, mainstream and various ethnic communities, stakeholders and friends of the Liberian community, community members, elders and leaders from across Australia including our keynote speaker Hon. George G Wisner II Former Deputy Minister for Afro-Asia Affairs of the Government of the Republic of Liberia, guest artists US based Liberian superstar Jodi Clarke and the darling boy of Liberian music Sundaygar Dearboy all set to grace this year occasion in the beautiful of Melbourne. Fellow Liberians at home and abroad as we celebrate the 166th independence anniversary of our beloved motherland, let us reflect on our nation’s history and the meaning of independence. In a sombre spirit of reflection on the true meaning of freedom let us rise up with greater readiness and determination in advancing our conviction with civility and initiating a “zero tolerance” attitude towards all the things that have kept us from progressing, divided and living the true meaning of freedom including corruption, nepotism, tribalism, poverty, illiteracy, human rights abuse, violence and all forms of suppressions and oppressions. We have the opportunity to make Liberia a better nation. Happy July 26. All Hail, Liberia Hail! All Hail Liberia Hail!
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 00:20:56 +0000
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