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Fairfield Advance, Wednesday, April 5th, 2006 Rasha Yousif(from Left), Ramina Bityou and Atour Georges enjoy the festival as part of a youth dance- Picture : Dave Swift A crowd of 7000 to 8000 people turned out for the Assyrian Festival at Fairfield City showground on Sunday.
Hermiz Shahen, from the Assyrian Universal Alliance Australia Chapter, said the day had been a great success and had provided the perfect opportunity for people of an Assyrian background to celebrate who they were. "It is something that binds you to your past and your history," he said. He said the festival was a way of recognising the contribution Assyrians had made to Australia and of calling for freedom for those still living in Iraq. He said representatives of the federal and state governments and opposition parties spoke on the day. The event included entertainment from singers, dancers, choir group, and musicians and culminated in a fireworks display at 8pm. "The young people were dancing together and stamping the ground. It was really good," Mr Shahen said. "Then at the end of the day the 8000 people sat and watched the fireworks. It was beautiful." Mr Shahen praised police officers that attended the day and said that because of their hard work there was no trouble. "I'd really like to make the point that the police did a great job," he said.
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