CHESTER SUPPORTS LATROBE VALLEY CULTURAL CENTRE
August 14, 2009
Concept plans and architectural drawings are well advanced for a proposed Immigrant Cultural Centre and Museum, to be built directly across from the Gippsland Immigration Wall of Recognition in Morwell.
An application for Federal Government funding of $460,000 has been submitted this week by The Nationals Member for Gippsland Darren Chester to complement the highly successful community fundraising campaign.
In Canberra for the sitting of Parliament, Mr Chester personally delivered the application to the office of the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, taking the opportunity to reiterate his support for the project.
The Immigrant Cultural Centre and Museum is expected to cost around $1.5m with a mix of local contributions and funding being sought from all levels of government.
“Congratulations must go to the local volunteer committee, which has already established the popular Gippsland Immigration Wall of Recognition,” Mr Chester said.
“These plans for a new cultural centre and museum will further complement the immigration wall and provide a place to reflect and celebrate the achievements and contribution of immigrants who have helped to make the Latrobe Valley the prosperous community that it is today.
“Gippsland has a rich history of multiculturalism to be proud of and it is important to recognise the role that this mix of cultures and heritage has played in the overall development of Gippsland.”
Mr Chester said the proposal to build a cultural centre and museum would build on the good work of the Immigration Wall and provide a meeting place and exhibition space for local immigrants to share their stories with the Gippsland community.
