A permanent memorial is being built to celebrate International Mother Language Day at the initiative of Wyndham City Council, west of Melbourne, Victoria. The City Mayor Cr Josh Gilligan officially announced the budget last week.
This announcement is very significant for the residents of Wyndham City Council where substantial number of Bangla-speaking people live.
The City Council passed the budget last week for the financial year of 2020-21. The announcement has come in the meeting between Victorian Bangladeshi Community Foundation (VBCF) and the Mayor of Wyndham City Council.
The meeting was conducted and facilitated by Barrister & Solicitor, Mr. Nurul Islam Khan (Manik). It is a milestone achievement for the VBCF and wider Bangla speaking community in this region.
The long coveted project of a permanent monument to celebrate International Mother Language Day was initiated formally with the Council on 8 July 2016 led by then President of VBCF Barrister Khan along with Mr Morshed Kamal, Mr Kazi Iqbal, Ms Nusrat Islam Borsha as well as other committee members of VBCF with the help of Ex Acting Mayor Gautam Gupta. After that, the VBCF has been working hard constantly with Wyndham City Council to help get the project off the ground.
In the meeting, Barrister Khan has delivered a welcome speech, and right after this, Mayor Cr Josh Gilligan has declared the budget formally in the presence of Cr Walter Villagonzalo and Mr Steve Bentley, Manager of Vibrant City Centre, Wyndham City Council. The current President of VBCF, Mr Yousuf Ali has acknowledged the contribution of City Council and all council members of VBCF who were involved in making the project into reality.
Further, the patron of VBCF, Mr Kamrul Chowdhury has also acknowledged and thanked to the city council for this excellent initiative for which the Wyndham City Council should be proud of.
Wyndham City Mayor along with VBCF members Source: Supplied
Wyndham City Council is the first Council in Victoria which has taken this great initiative. The principal of Western Region Bangla School, Mr Morshed Kamal, General Secretary of VBCF, Mr Zaheed Muzumder, Mr Kazi Iqbal, Ex-President Ms Nusrat Islam Borsha, VBCF advisor and founder President Mr Abdul Quddus Syed and Ex President and current advisor of VBCF Mr Raquib Dewan also acknowledged and showed gratitude to the Wyndham City Council in their speech.
At the end of meeting, Barrister & Solicitor M Nurul Khan has acknowledged the support of local MPs and Federal MP Joanne Ryan, all other councillors who have supported this project and all other VBCF council members who were involved in the project at different times.
It is noted that the total budget has been declared for $320,000 to establish this monument and the project will be delivered by June 2021.
It may be mentioned that the International Mother Language Day is being observed every year in memory of the martyrs who were shot dead by the police in the movement to make Bangla one of the state languages in the then East Pakistan on 21st February, 1952.
Read More:
