ADELAIDE: The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) has launched into 2012 with the appointment of Adelaide Armenian community activist Elena Harrison as the organisation's Adelaide Representative.
Currently the President of the Armenian Cultural Association of South Australia, Harrison will be tasked with increasing Armenian political presence in Adelaide and throughout the State of South Australia in her new role as ANC Australia Adelaide Representative. More broadly, Harrison will also act as the main link of the Adelaide Armenian community to the community in Sydney, facilitating their access to events and initiatives based in Sydney and Canberra.
“With guidance from the ANC Australia National Board and the support of the near 200 Armenian-Australians living in Adelaide, we will work to expand the political and media reach of this community,” said Harrison.
A graduate of International Relations from the Yerevan Gladzor University in Armenia, Harrison has been an active member of the Armenian community of Adelaide after moving there in 2009.
“I have been following the work of ANC Australia and it is an honour to now be the first official representative of the organisation in Adelaide,” she said.
Commenting on the presence of a 75,000-strong Greek-Australian community in Adelaide, Harrison added: “Since passage of the motion recognising the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian Genocides in the South Australian parliament in 2009, the Armenian community in Adelaide has been strengthening its relationship with Greek-Australians.”
“We will endeavour to work with the Greek-Australian community on raising awareness of mutual issues of human rights, particularly the shared history of our two peoples.”
Harrison formally accepted the role of ANC Australia Adelaide Representative after meeting with Executive Director Varant Meguerditchian.
“Since the establishment of a permanently staffed national office in Sydney, ANC Australia has embarked upon a policy to expand grassroots advocacy activities at the regional level,” Meguerditchian said.
“Our Adelaide Representative is the fourth in a series of regional appointments since May 2011 which aim to increase grassroots activity at the local and state levels and to broaden our representation of Armenians nationwide.”
“We trust that Elena Harrison will immediately begin to garner Armenian community support for ANC through the Armenian Cultural Association of South Australia while working with other community, academic, political and media circles to build a coalition which can effectively pursue Armenian-Australian issues in Adelaide.”
In the coming months, the Armenian community of Adelaide plans to host several events, including exhibitions, presentations and film screenings that will raise awareness of Armenian issues.
The ANC Australia Adelaide Representative Elena Harrison can be reached at adelaide@anc.org.au.
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Since its foundation in the 1960s, the Armenian Cultural Association of South Australia has been the main organisation of the local Armenian community under the leadership of former Presidents including, Alec Balayance and Gevik Avedian. Mainly based in Adelaide, the small but vibrant Armenian community in South Australia has been very active in organising annual balls, picnics, and social gatherings. On March 25th, 2009, the Legislative Council of South Australia unanimously passed a motion recognising the Armenian Genocide as a crime against humanity. This was followed by a similar motion in the Legislative Assembly on April 30th, 2009 recognising and condemning the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian Genocides. Additional information regarding the Armenian community of South Australia can be found on the website of the Armenian Cultural Association of South Australia www.armeniasa.com .
