The national celebration of Harmony Day took over Gold Coast SUNS headquarters this week, largely thanks to the efforts of multicultural ambassadors Karmichael Hunt and Tom Nicholls.
On a day where Australians around the country celebrate our nation’s cultural respect for one another, the club were busy spreading the positive word through a variety of club-organised activites.
A highly-entertaining skills clinic, coordinated by Hunt, gave Griffith University’s international students their first taste of AFL football and although the Sherrin was completely foreign to the club’s newest supporters, the Gold Coast midfielder said the opportunity to engage with the enthusiastic cohort by using AFL as a common grounds was a fantastic experience.
“We had some exchange students come down to the stadium and they thoroughly enjoyed it,” Hunt said.
“They had plenty of fun kicking the footy, learning the rules and learning how to officiate, and from everyone I have spoken to they really enjoyed it so it was good to see.”
The Gold Coast SUNS administration team and AFL Queensland also participated through A Taste of Harmony Day, with staff members bringing in a dish best representing their cultural background.
Hunt praised the club for its continued commitment in the space of multiculturalism on the Gold Coast.
“It’s great the club is really involved, give the majority of AFL Clubs are doing their bit this week,” he said.
“But its all-around cultural awareness and acceptance and obviously Australia is quite a diverse nation so it’s really good that we can recognise their backgrounds and encourage them to be a part of the community.”
GC SUNS Diversity Engagement Officer, Michael Gugliotta told goldcoastfc.com.au the club had gone above and beyond to successfuly deliver on its third Harmony Day celebration.
“It’s great that we can come together and celebrate the traditional owners of our land and all the different cultures that reside in Australia,” Gugliotta said.
“The celebration has been terrific and the support the club has generated has been well received by our international community partners.”
The Gold Coast SUNS will continue celebrating Harmony Day over the weekend, with the club also supporting the Welcome to Australia march at the Broadwater Parklands in Southport this Sunday.
