Kubir Khanal is a member the newly formed Bhutanese Community in Melton group, which recently hosted a celebration that brought together people from different cultures. He spoke to Sumeyya Ilanbey.
What’s your connection to Melton?
I have been living in Melton for the past year after moving from Meadow Heights. My favourite thing about Melton is that it’s a good community and a quiet place to live in. There’s cheap housing to buy and rent. I also love that there are open spaces and it’s close to farming areas.
Tell use about the Bhutanese Community in Melton group.
We are a newly emerging refugee community from Bhutan … living in Melton for only a year. There are about 17 families who felt it was necessary to introduce ourselves to the council and other community groups in Melton. There are 11 members in the group who are working actively in order to promote our culture with other community people and share the happiness together.
The group recently held a cultural celebration – how was the reaction to the day?
We had a really positive reaction by all the guests and everyone from the community. We celebrated one of the biggest Hindu festivals, Dashain and Tihar, where more than 120 people came together. It was a big success, bringing together a number of different community groups … everyone gave us positive feedback and encouragement. People said “see you next year”, which makes us more confident.
What are your hopes for the future?
I hope more people from different communities will come together and share their experiences, cultures and traditions.
