Lathams News: THE BIG KOOKABURRA COMES TO TOWN...

The big Kookaburra came through town this week on it's way to Townsville where it will find it's permanent home...

It has been stopping at towns all the way along the Queensland coast from where it was built in Brisbane.

It was created by Dr Farvardin Daliri.

Dr Farvardin Daliri OAM is an Iranian born Baha’i who migrated to Australia in the 80’s with a degree in Fine Arts and a background in community development. He promptly set about working in the refugee settlement sector as the director of the Migrant Resource Centre of Devonport and went on to commit himself to a lifetime of service to the broader Australian community.

Farvardin moved to Townsville and took on the role of the director of the Townsville Migrant Resource Centre (Intercultural Centre) and has spent almost thirty years in the community services sector, initiating projects and programs towards for a more cohesive and harmonious society.

He draws his knowledge from working in culturally complex situations in remote north Indian communities, his lived experience as a survivor of torture and a refugee, and over three decades working with remote communities from Tasmania to Far North Queensland with culturally diverse communities, service providers and government agencies. Dr Daliri has spent a great deal of time in remote regional Australia dedicating his time to creating intercultural dialogue and building relationships within whole communities.

He also draws on his knowledge from working within the Indigenous communities of North Queensland, and supporting them to achieve self determination and financial independence. He spent 15 years researching Aboriginal cultural influence on the early literacy of their children during transition from home to school. His PhD thesis is a major contribution to understanding the role of culture in early literacy acquisition.