Waters of belonging : Al-miyahu Tajma'unah: Arabic Australians and the Georges River Parklands

Abstract

Waters of Belonging: Al-Miyahu Tajma'unah, has been created by talking with the Arabic Australians who live around the Georges River and who often visit its parklands. They explain here their memories of their early homelands, which are given a context with information about the histories of rivers and protected areas in the Middle East. Then these Arabic Australians talk about their hopes about parks in Australia and their actual experiences in the parklands around their new homes near the Georges River. The book arises from the Parklands, Culture and Communities project, supported by the University of Technology Sydney and the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, to investigate the ways cultural diversity shapes people's understandings and uses of green spaces, especially in cities. The book is one of a series (available through the Georges River Project website), which focus on the knowledge about nature which immigrants bring from their homelands as well as on the experiences they have in Australian parks and on Australian rivers. Waters of Belonging: Al-Miyahu Tajma'unah concludes with the recommendations of the Arabic Australians who took part in the book about how parks can be made more inclusive, relevant and welcoming for all communities.