Bath Lane business owner Ellie Gammon was one of many dressing up their premises with splashes of yellow on Thursday ahead of Friday’s We Believe in Bendigo picnic.
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The Merinda owner said she would be open between 10am and 2pm in spite of the new Grand Final eve public holiday but would head straight to the Civic Gardens after she closed up.
Ms Gammon said she was attending the picnic to celebrate diversity.
“I'm intolerant of intolerance,” she said.
“I'm not a religious person myself but I have friends who are Christian, Jewish, Hindu – and I have a very dear friend who is Muslim and personally I cannot see what all the damn fuss is about.”
I like a place where everybody’s welcome, that’s why I’m still in Bendigo, because everybody’s welcome here.
- Noemi Cummings
Ms Gammon said the rowdy group of protesters who shut down last month’s City of Greater Bendigo council meeting did not speak for the majority of Bendigonians.
“I think controversy and anything that’s a bit outrageous always gets in the news and the person that shouts the loudest and all that sort of stuff always gets a lot of attention and that’s what this particular group of people has done,” she said.
“It makes it look like this is who Bendigo is but there is a large group of Bendigonians who don’t feel that way at all, we’re not loud and we’re not making all that noise and causing such a fuss and I think this is a nice way for that group of people to express how they feel about what’s happening.”
Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services’ Noemi Cummings said she would also be attending the picnic.
“It’s a good event for the whole family and everybody’s welcome,” she said.
“I like a place where everybody’s welcome, that’s why I’m still in Bendigo, because everybody’s welcome here,” she said.
Small business owner Jayson Tayeh said the day was about embracing inclusiveness and diversity.
“I think it’s important because it shows that Bendigo does have a lot of vibrant and fantastic things happening each week,” he said.
“There are always events the town is putting on which are fantastic it and it’s just great to be among the list of really positive things happening in Bendigo.”
The We Believe in Bendigo picnic is on at the Civic Gardens next to the Bendigo Town Hall between 11.30am and 4pm Friday.
The event will feature performances from local bands including Sol Nation along with various children’s activities such as face painting and Castlemaine’s Tim Tim the clown.