Anne Lyons from Naracoorte chats to Afghanis Esmatullah Ahmadzadah and Abduh Qanbari who travelled from Bordertown for the day.
Sharing their stories from Afghanistan (from left): back row - Khadim Karimi, Kazimi Fawod; front row - Ismail Haidri, Ewaz Hussaini.
Celebrating diversity in small communities (from left): back row - Migrant Resource Centre SA chief executive officer Eugenia Tsoulis, Department of Immigration and Citizenship's Danny McAteer from Adelaide; front row - Migrant Resource Centre settlement officer Abdul Hakimi, Afghan United Association SA president Hussain Razaiat and Department of Immigration and Citizenship's Victoria Stevenson from Canberra.
Afghanis Abdul Qanbayi (left) with Haiedar Rahimi with Naracoorte Highschool teacher Rebecca Lohmeyer and former teacher Peter Nation.
Alizada Azizullah from Afghanistan chats to Sunny Halley from Taiwan and friends.
Naracoorte Rotary's John (left) and Judy Stafford get to know Afghanis Abbas Haydarzadah and Ahmad Nesar Kazimi who live in Bordertown.
Naracoorte local Heather Boddington mingles with Taiwanese residents Avon Hsu, Ann Yang, Sandy Tsu, Afganis Abdul Wahed Mohammadi and Enayatullah Hasani and Naracoorte Migrant Resource Centre settlement officer Julie Burdett at "A Trip Around the World" last Sunday.
Ex-Naracoorte local Helen Feist with Abdul Ali from Afghanistan. Ms Feist is in Naracoorte conducting research on migrants integrating into small towns for the University of Adelaide.
Janet Chan and Penny Shieh from Taiwan wow the crowd with their belly dancing routine, a popular dance in their home country.
Maricris Pitt (left), Jheramae Kenny and Fe Francis from the Philippines mingle with Peter Flavel who is a member of the Rotary Club of Naracoorte.
Jezreel Reyes (left), Elvin Reyes, Manny Castro, Tracy Cauilan, Red Urmenita and Marlon Magbujos serve up a roasted pig for lunch - a traditional dish in the Philippines.
Naracoorte Highschool teacher John Agnew talks to Year 10 student Wenqi Huang and mum Xiu Lin Huang, originally from China.
Eight-year-old Maisan Akbeai, from Aghanistan, enjoys trying food from different cultures with 10-year-old brother Yousaf Akbeai.
Mohammad Jafari, Nazir Hussain Jafari, Akhtar Nabawi and Jaffr Hussain all moved from Afghanistan to the SE.
Six-year-old Sara Anizada (left) and mum Nooria Anizada sit with friends Kareema Qayyumi and Masuma Ali, all from Afghanistan.
Sarwar Shakuri (left), Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, Noori Jawid and Mohammed Amiri listen to the guest speakers.
Tom Chi from China with his friend's five-month-old daughter Vivian Tu.
Chinese Xiu Lin Huang (left) and Li Jing Hoang share a table with George Tan from Adelaide and Afghani Syed Hedari.
Zamin Bakhtyri (left) from Afghanistan gets to know Hynam's Anne and Phil Nolan with Abdul Haid Samaid, also from Afghanistan.
OVER 300 people took "A Trip Around the World" last Sunday to celebrate the region's cultural diversity with an afternoon of food, fun and entertainment.
Migrants from all over the world including Afghanistan, Taiwan, China and the Philippines came together in Naracoorte from as far away as Bordertown and Mount Gambier to enjoy the day.
Hosted by the Rotary Club of Naracoorte and the Migrant Resource Centre, the informal event included several guest speakers, games and a shared lunch.
People were encouraged to bring food traditional to their home country resulting in a cultural feast which was enjoyed by all.
Naracoorte Lucindale mayor Erika Vickery said a few words as well as Migrant Resource Centre of SA chief executive officer Eugenia Tsoulis.
Representatives from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship and the Afghan United Association also spoke, travelling from Adelaide and Canberra to participate in the day.
The event, now in its second year, was an opportunity for people of all nationalities to be a part of the wider community and mingle with locals and each other.
Activities included musical chairs, karaoke and a dance performance as well as games for the children.
Fe Francis embraced her Philippino roots by wearing a traditional dress and said the event was really good for the small community.
"I have been in Naracoorte for 16 years and have never seen so many different cultures all together before," she said.
"I feel very special. There is no discrimination. We feel like we fit in."
Also from the Philippines, Red Urmenita agreed.
"It is a kind of new experience to meet new people from different nationalities," he said. "It is a very good thing. Even if we have different languages we can still communicate."
Stay tuned for Naracoorte's next cultural event in May next year.
