It was great to see so many people at Saigon Place on Saturday with thousands turning up to welcome in the Year of the Dragon as part of Bankstown's Lunar New Year Festival. I was pleased to officially open the Festival which was followed by the Chinese firecrackers and dragon dance ceremony. My thanks to President of the Vietnamese Community in Australia (NSW Chapter) Thanh Nguyen for joining me on the day alongside dignitaries Minister Jason Clare MP, Clr Tania Mihailuk MP, and Councillors Pam Gavin, Alex Kuskoff and Ian Stromborg. Special thanks to stallholders, local businesses and performers as well as our event sponsors Bankstown RSL, Bankstown Sports, News Local and TVBA for their support.

As part of the Festival, I was pleased to visit the card making stall to join the Australian Vietnamese Volunteer Association (AVVA) for a special ribbon cutting for their "Art for Everyone Project". The project had been funded through Council's Community Grants Program and was aimed at promoting art using recycled materials while also raising awareness about recycling through being creative with materials that otherwise would go to waste. Congratulations to everyone involved. Diana Nguyen of AVVA was also at the ceremony.

That night I was pleased to attend Chinese & Vietnamese New Year celebration hosted by the Indo-Chinese Senior Citizens Association. Thank you to President Van Quang Truong for such an enjoyable evening. Tania Mihailuk MP and Councillor Alex Kuskoff were amongst the guests in attendance. It was great to see so many people participating in these celebrations.

Tomorrow, Thursday 19 January is the last free Bankstown Bus to the Beach for these summer school holidays. Contact Council on 9707 9999 for more information.

Preparations for Bankstown's Australia Day celebrations are in full swing. With a great line up of entertainment, rides, food stalls and an awesome fireworks display, come on down to Garrison Point from 4pm on the 26th for fantastic day out for all the family. Visit www.bankstown.nsw.gov.au or call Council on 9707 9999 for more information