The Rural City of Murray Bridge is celebrating cultural diversity during Welcoming Week 9-18 September.

Welcoming Week is an initiative of Welcoming Australia and is an annual campaign to showcase and celebrate how communities across Australia and the globe are working to be more welcoming places for all, including migrants.

Mayor Brenton Lewis said “Murray Bridge is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in South Australia. We have more than 30 different ethnicities within our community and one in eight of all people who call Murray Bridge home were born overseas.”

“Welcoming Week is a chance for us and our community to show how we care for, respect, and show generosity. By attending or organising local events and spreading welcoming messages, we can encourage mutual understanding, stronger connections and deeper belonging among all residents- new and old.”

The Rural City of Murray Bridge is an accredited Welcoming Cities Council, acknowledging the organisation’s leadership in providing services to all sectors of the community – including refugees, migrants and First Nations people.

The theme for this year’s Welcoming Week is ‘Where We Belong’ and focuses on the places and spaces that encourage belonging including our Regional Gallery, the riverfront and the Murray Bridge Library.

#WhereWeBelong aims to spark reflection on how and why belonging occurs, and ways to break barriers to encourage belonging for all those who call Murray Bridge home, no matter their origins.

As well as celebrating the people and places that make Murray Bridge truly welcoming, Welcoming Week is an opportunity to include Traditional Owners of the land as leaders in welcoming activities.

“We respectfully acknowledge the Ngarrindjeri people as the Traditional Owners of the land and respect their culture and identity, and we seek to engage them as leaders in welcoming activities and recognise the importance of cultural diversity and inclusion,” he said.