Australia: Falun Gong Entry Warmly Welcomed in Blacktown Parade in Sydney

In the morning on May 30th, 2009, an annual grand parade was held in Blacktown, western Sydney. It's the largest community holiday in western Sydney. This year was the ninth time Falun Gong practitioners were invited to join this parade.

The "Falun Dafa" banner led the Falun Gong entry in the parade	Falun Gong float
The Waist Drum Team	Local resident Warwick and his family in front of the Falun Gong entry

It was a sunny day with clear skies. The singing and dancing in the parade made the street festive and bustling. About fifty groups joined the parade. The city introduced Falun Gong as a major part of the parade.

Blacktown is one of the major business suburbs of Sydney, with a population of 300,000. The parade started on First Street at 11:00 a.m. and moved along Sunny Holt Road heading toward downtown Blacktown.

A Falun Dafa banner led the Falun Gong entry. Members of Divine Land Marching Band wore traditional Chinese costumes. The music they played, "Falun Dafa Is Good" and "The Fa Rectifies the Cosmos," won warm applause from the audience. Following the Divine Land Marching Band was the Falun Gong Waist Drum Team dressed in golden costumes. Their drumming delighted the crowd. Many people smiled and snapped photos.

Some practitioners gave out fliers with information on Falun Dafa and the persecution in China to the parade spectators. Many people read the fliers immediately after they received them.

This was the first time local resident Warwick and his wife Michelle saw the Falun Gong group. They were curious about Falun Dafa, its healing power and the teaching of Truth-Compassion-Forbearance. As they read the fliers, they said, "If everyone does things following the principles of Truth-Compassion-Forbearance, the world would be such a wonderful place." Warwick's family was pleased to have their photo taken in front of the Falun Dafa entry.