Council has been a fantastic experience, and we truly appreciate their unwavering support and gratitude toward our work and the dedicated volunteers making this event possible. We are excited to create an inclusive and memorable festival that strengthens cultural understanding and community connections in Manningham and beyond.” Bihong Wang, Asian Business Association of Whitehorse President
IN CONCLUSION The development of activity centres, the businesses within and the reputation which determines whether people will choose to shop there is delicately balanced with a number of processes potentially impacting from global pandemics to localised incidences. When the Jackson Court activity centre faced challenging times, it was the resolve and commitment of the business community that established the platform for growth. A strong trader group emerged working in partnership with their local Council to deliver strategic initiatives to build a strong, inclusive and vibrant centre for economic development and community wellbeing to thrive.
Manningham Council ' s Asian Cultural Festival
welcomes opportunities to further build local businesses and a sense of community. Our ability to embrace our multicultural centre is achieved through the support of initiatives such as a State Government grant through the Multicultural Business Chambers and Trader Groups Program to allow us to develop an inclusive multi-lingual website.” Con Valsamis, President Jackson Court Traders Association
EMBRACING MULTICULTURALISM AS KEY TO DEVELOPING AN ACTIVITY CENTRE Council has undertaken a number of initiatives in Jackson Court to further promote the multiculturalism of the centre through its commitment to delivering goals in the Welcoming Cities Standard. The Standard supports local councils and community leaders to leverage ideas and innovation that come from being welcoming and inclusive. One of these initiatives saw Council enter into a sponsorship agreement with the Asian Business Association of Whitehorse( ABAW) to work together to deliver the inaugural Manningham Asian Cultural Festival in March 2025. ABAW has been operating for more than twenty years and has a strong focus on building local community and economic development. The event provides Jackson Court traders with an opportunity for increased sales and for visitors to experience a family orientated multicultural event.
“ The Asian Business Association of Whitehorse is honoured to be entrusted with the task of creating the first-ever Manningham Asian Cultural Festival, scheduled for March 9, 2025. This festival will be a vibrant celebration of the rich and diverse cultures across Asia, bringing together communities through food, music, dance, and traditions. Working alongside the incredible team at Manningham
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ANDY WAUGH Andy Waugh, MSc Honours( 1st Class), is a human geographer with more than 20 years’ experience in local government and not for profit organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand. He is currently the Coordinator Economic
Development at Manningham Council where he leads a team delivering initiatives on Placemaking, investment attraction, local business support and designing strategic processes to develop activity centres. As both an economic and community developer, he is focussed on creating sustainable communities with shared triple bottom line outcomes. He is passionate about empowering local people as the key component to driving community projects in partnership with local government. His work on developing communities through a humancentric approach has twice been recognised at the New Zealander of the Year Awards( Community category) achieving nominee and semi-final status.
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