Despite the cold and the rising concern around Covid restrictions, a small group of Lithgow residents gathered on the evening of Saturday 26 June to commemorate Refugee Week.
"Although there weren't many of us at the event, we do want to acknowledge the contribution that refugees and asylum seekers have made to this community by choosing to settle here, bringing diversity, employment and building our community," said Mayor Ray Thompson.
The Mayor continued "Lithgow is a very supportive and inclusive town. More people are recognising the qualities of this city and we welcome that. We must ensure however that the necessary services, jobs and housing are available. We will continue to push for more support from government for these things."
In 2017 Lithgow City Council became a Refugee Welcome Zone. This means that we are a community that welcomes refugees, is committed to upholding the human rights of all people including refugees and asylum seekers and that we demonstrate an ongoing commitment to enhancing the cultural and religious diversity of our community.
The vigil was just one of the ways that Lithgow City Council participates in Refugee week.
Displays were held in all of our library branches and a movie premier will be coming to Lithgow later in the year. Council works very closely with the Lithgow Refugee Support Group who meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 1:00pm in the Lithgow Library.
