‘EVERYONE HAS A ROLE TO PLAY’ SAYS AUSTRALIA AMBASSADOR TO YASS
Yass Tribune
ws/general/everyone-has-a-role-to-play-says-austra lia-ambassador-to-yass/1417415.aspx
Jan 28 2009
Australia
Everyone has a role to play. That was the theme of the address by
Australia Day Ambassador to Yass, Mr Stepan Kerkyasharian.
"Everyone has a role to play, everyone of us is an ambassador for
Australia," Mr Kerkyasharian, former head of SBS Radio and Chairman
of the Ethnics Affairs Commission of NSW, told the gathering in
Coronation Park on Monday.
"Australia is a shining light of democracy, unique among all nations,"
Mr Kerkyasharian began in his speech. "Sons and daughters have crossed
seas to defend the rights of Australia. These rights are part of out
psyche – things like mateship and giving people a fair go.
"People of all cultures, backgrounds, religions and creeds; every
immigrant represents a new beginning, because they know Australia
exemplifies all the good in the world," he said.
Of Armenian heritage, Mr Kerkyasharian migrated to Australia in
1967. He’s proud to call the Great Southern Land home and honoured
to be an Australia Day Ambassador.
"It is a real privilege for me to celebrate Australia Day in Yass. So
much of the image of our fine nation is not in the big cities, but
rather in country towns like Yass."
The Order of Australia Medal recipient paid respect to the traditional
occupiers of the land and called for people to remember Australia’s
past. "Indeed it is appropriate we pay our respects to original
owners of this land," he said. "Today Australia is a proud democracy
whose history is not just two centuries old, but tens of thousands
of years old."
From: Baghdasarian