Harmony has its price

AS I was standing in the queue waiting for my coffee to be served, I saw a gentleman ahead of me with a tattoo stating: “Lest We Forget”. I had no doubt that he was a proud war veteran.

I stood behind him hoping that I could shake his hand, thanking him and reassuring him that I will never forget. Soon, in the rush of the moment, he was off with his coffee and I lost sight of him.

That moment left me with sadness, so I decided to write this letter and express my thoughts about this issue.

Our soldiers don’t create or choose these wars that our nation gets involved in. They respond to the call and face the ultimate sacrifice for us Australians. This should never be forgotten, politicised or trivialised. On the contrary, their spirit of sacrifice and service should be shared with the entire younger generations to help them to understand that we all need to give back to our nation.

This Friday at 10am we are celebrating Harmony Day at Harmony Park, cnr McKinley and Rose streets, North Ward, along with hundreds of refugees and migrants who will come together to celebrate the freedom, peace and equality that Australia has offered them.

On such an occasion we need to remind everyone that democracy, freedom and peace comes with a price and some of us, like that gentleman at the coffee shop, have to pay for that. And the rest of us have to remember and learn to give back to our community in other ways.

This year’s Townsville Cultural Fest is being held from August 17- 19 at JCU, featuring a great Australian war veteran who is now a rising musician star, Fred Smith, who served in Afghanistan. Mr Smith will be offered greetings and thanks by representatives of the Afghan community living in Townsville.

We’ll never forget the bravery and selfless sacrifice of soldiers and the Townsville Cultural Fest is committed to bringing the Townsville community together to appreciate the goodness within all of us. DR FARVARDIN DALIRI Executive Director Townsville Intercultural Centre