Orana Residents of Indian Subcontinent Heritage (ORISCON) seek new members to carry on making an impact

The ORISCON committee sold 350 adult tickets while children attended the March 18 event for free. Visitors who travelled to Dubbo for the Black Dog motorcycle ride were also invited to join.

High-school students were given the responsibility of emceeing the event while performers of all ages from various backgrounds entertained with song and dance. Members with culinary talent catered for almost 400 people on the night.

"We cooked 1200 puris (fried bread) for the event and it was all done by volunteers, from the kneading to the frying," ORISCON executive member Gargi Ganguly said.

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Ms Ganguly said the whole event was a display of what communities can do when they come together.

"It's not only unity and friendship of one culture, it's a coming together of different cultures and faiths," she said.

"Even in the dances, we had one talking about the Bible and then we had Aayat, which sort of has Muslim faith connotations."

From humble beginnings in 2013, the ORISCON group has moved to bigger venues and created opportunities for young people to get up on stage. Ms Ganguly said 2022 had been "a very big year" for the group.

From cultural carnivals, sports tournaments and events to support new migrants, women and children to festivals like Holi and Navratri, the group had welcomed everyone to join in on celebrations.

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Ms Ganguly said ORISCON is aiming to extend its support in various ways, including recognising the achievements of the community as well as its struggles.

"We want to be an advocate for issues that we face, from domestic and family violence, to homelessness, to a lack of support for migrants who come settle here," she said.

"We also want to be relevant, we want to be able to support our migrants to come and make Dubbo a home not just a stopping point for the bigger cities, but actually a destination town. That's my aim and that's the aim of the organisation."

She said Dubbo was an "amazing place" where diversity was acknowledged, loved and celebrated.

"Here, the benefits of diversity are realised. We absolutely want to be a part of the bigger plan for economic prosperity for Dubbo," Ms Ganguly said.

The group is represented in the Multicultural NSW Engagement Program and the Dubbo Regional Council's Multicultural Advisory Committee. They are consulted for advice on significant issues impacting migrants in regional NSW.

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Ms Ganguly was enthusiastic about welcoming new members to join ORISCON.

"We need new blood, new ideas. I really look forward to new people coming and giving us a hand in moving this organisation into the future," she said.

"We invite you to consider joining the management, or enlisting your name as a volunteer so that you can help ensure the diversity in Dubbo always comes with a sense of pride at what we can and have achieved for this city and country."

Become a part of the ORISCON group on Facebook or by emailing oriscondubbo@gmail.com.