John Howard - actor from All Saints and Sea Change

To begin, may I firstly recognise the Barramattagul of the Dharug people as the traditional custodians of this land and acknowledge their sustainable culture that survived unchanged for thousands of years. And I also recognise the successive waves of migrants who have come to our great continent and, along with our Aboriginal Australian peoples, helped to make Australia this great nation of ours. 

May I acknowledge my colleague, Clr Glenn Elmore and his wife Catherine. We also have Tony Dickson who is representing the Shadow Minister for the Arts, Anthony Roberts MP.

We have our Gold Sponsors NAB – Rod Morrissey. Can I say I really like NAB's new slogan, "Give More". I can't remember what the second half of that slogan is, but I do like the first half.

Our Silver Sponsors – Crinitis

Our Bronze Sponsors - Coleman & Greig, DeVries Tayeh, Forum Transport, Parramatta Eels, Parramatta Advertiser

We also have Members of the Riverside Advisory Board, in particular Judith Rowland, Val Squires and Toni Courtelis.

Rod Morrissey - Managing Partner NAB

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I am delighted to join with you today at this “Get on Stage” fundraising luncheon and I thank everyone here today for generously getting behind this worthy event.

Modern societies including ours place a high value on the arts.

We also put a high value on human rights, including the right to participate fully in all aspects of the artistic and cultural life of the community.

Yet not often enough do we bring those two values together.

The result is that a number of groups including, of course, people living with disability, often experience discrimination as spectators and participants.

Access to art in all its forms - music, dance, painting, and sculpture - gives us the opportunity to understand where we have come from, who we are, and what kind of world we will leave behind for our children.

And I know from personal experience, how vital the arts are, to a happy and healthy lifestyle.

Last year I was a performer in the Cumberland Gang Show, I’ve worked extensively with Camp Quality and each Monday evening I take part in a unique form of performance art, otherwise known as Council meetings!

But in all seriousness, it’s a sad fact that people with a disability have been largely excluded from equal and independent access to art in all its forms.

I am proud to say that here in Parramatta we are working against this situation with our extremely popular Workshops in the Arts for People with Disabilities program.

This program has been run by the Riverside Theatres for over 14 years, and is one of the most professionally run programs of its type in New South Wales.

It focuses on improving and developing skills in; movement, drama, dance and singing.

In fact the program is so popular, that the Riverside Theatres needs to increase the number of classes, just to ensure participants continue to receive personalised tuition and attention.

And that’s why I am speaking to you today, ladies and gentlemen…

There is already much evidence to inform us about the number and condition of people living with disability – and still they do not tell us the complete story.

Their individual and personal stories tell the plight of a courageous section of our community, only too familiar with the daily tragedies and triumphs of living with a disability.

How we care for people with a disability and how we promote and celebrate their lives, is a reflection of our values and our character as a society.

I am proud to stand with you, working to ensure people with a disability have the opportunity to be involved in their communities, including the arts, and to have the quality of life that they deserve.

By being here today you have already demonstrated your interest in helping us support this program and realise our goal.

People with disabilities are not heroes, and are not victims - they too are also the masters of their own destiny, seeking an equal place in the Australian community.

On behalf of our community, I thank you for support and interest in this program, which makes such a wonderful contribution to so many lives.

Be first to comment this article

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
Title:
Comment:
Code:*