It was a joy to celebrate Lunar New Year this weekend at the Mingyue Lay Buddhist Temple in Bonnyrigg. Mingyue Lay Temple is one of the most significant cultural buildings in south-west Sydney. It is also home to one of the largest Chinese Buddhist congregations in the southern hemisphere. Lunar New Year has been celebrated at Mingyue Lay Buddhist Temple for nearly 30 years. It has been my privilege to join the president and secretary, Vincent Kong and James Chan, on so many occasions to share the celebrations and milestones of this community. Lunar New Year celebrations are always special. This year, not only were the colours and movements of the daytime fireworks and lion dances COVID safe, but the rain did not dampen the spirits of the community. I'd like to commend all the volunteers that ensured that the temple held another great event this year.

The temple also maintains a strong sense of community. Volunteers and staff conduct major fundraising activities for humanitarian causes such as floods and bushfires, and we as a community can't appreciate that more. When they heard about the loss of firefighters Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O'Dwyer, from the Horsley Park Fire Brigade in 2019, they raised an amazing quarter of a million dollars for the bushfire brigade. This not only provided material support but also emotional support for those left behind.

To the Chinese and Vietnamese communities celebrating Lunar New Year at the moment: happy new year.