This Is Me - 2025
This Is Me – Stories of Culture, Connection & Community was delivered as a powerful and heartfelt community event, creating space to hear directly from people sharing their lived experiences of migration, belonging and identity.
Hosted by the Bunbury Multicultural Group, This Is Me provided an opportunity for attendees to hear first-hand the many stories of new migrants as they settled into their new country and built a home in the Bunbury Geographe region. Through these stories, important questions were explored — why people chose to emigrate, what life was like in their country of birth, and what their new life in Australia has offered.
Previous Events
Interviewer Stan Shawy from ABC Radio and guests Ati Sadeghi and Sarah (2020)
Interviewer Anthony Pancia from ABC Radio and guest Sanella Acatincai (2018)
Then BMG president Saswati Pal and guest Hien Le (2017)
Held on Sunday 20 July at the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre (BREC), the event brought the community together in a welcoming and inclusive environment. This special edition focused on connections to Thailand and featured an afternoon of meaningful storytelling, conversation and cultural reflection. The event was exceptionally well received, with strong attendance and genuine engagement from the audience, reinforcing its value in building understanding and connection across cultures.
Guests heard from inspiring speakers including Nathrada Howard, who shared honest and personal insights into moving to Bunbury and building community, and Elizabeth Larkin, who spoke about her experience adopting two Thai children and how culture is woven into their everyday lives. The conversation was guided by emcee Shauna Willis, whose warmth and experience helped create an engaging and open dialogue.
This Is Me continued to play an important role in dispelling myths and reducing the ‘fear of the unknown’, while building knowledge, awareness, harmony and acceptance within the Bunbury Geographe community. Delivered as an informal and free gathering with complimentary food, the event ensured both speakers and attendees felt safe, welcomed and connected.
The event also aligned with the Bunbury International Film Festival program and led into a screening of the Thai film How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, further enriching the cultural experience of the day.
