Councilor Blair Barker (Elgar Ward) speech at World Falun Dafa Day on May 18, 2024 at Box Hill

Thank you very much for your warm welcome and welcome to Box Hill and welcome to Whitehorse. I'm Blair Barker the Councillor for the Elder Ward. I know the Falun Dafa is a very active community here in Whitehorse and we welcome it because in our great democracy of course anyone is free to practice whatever faith or spirituality they have. Myself I'm a Christian but I've been sorely tempted to join the people that I see in the gardens regularly. My faith is practised behind closed doors. Your faith is practised in the open and I thank you for that because you bring so much to our great city. Indeed the very essence of it, truthfulness, forbearance, absolutely core to Australian values as well as they are to your faith. So thank you very much. Always feel free to use this space to express your faith and spirituality and I welcome you. I thank Harry, Louisa and everyone else because I know that you've had to endure horrendous persecution at the hands of communists. That will not happen in this great city. You're always safe here so welcome and thank you very much. Thank you Councillor Clare Baker. Next we have solo singing Return Home by Chang Shau-Tung