Rizal Day commemorative rites in Sydney started at 8:00 am on December 30 a series of Philippine community events, at the American Ibero Plaza in Sydney’s Surrey Hills, and to four other locations later in the day in Sydney. It was the first time the American Ibero Plaza hosted a commemorative event since it was closed and gave way to developments for the construction of Sydney’s brand new Light Rail Train for inner Sydney travel.
Members of the Philippine community’s Knights of Rizal an order chartered by Philippine law, residing in greater Sydney commemorated the death and martyrdom on its 123rd anniversary before the bust of Philippine national hero Dr Jose Rizal and resonated with many such December 30th commemoration events where Filipino communities reside,
An annual grand commemoration actually occurred at 7:10 in the morning of that day in Manila’s Rizal Park formerly Luneta, to accord the Philippine national hero the Filipinos’ reverence to his exemplary life during the Spanish rule, which led to Rizal’s death and martyrdom.
A large bronze of Rizal on a striated sandstone plinth is among the series of busts of famous Latin American heroes, an acknowledgement of the Spanish and Portuguese speaking people in the history of Australia.
The Filipino community led by the organisation Knights of Rizal paid homage to Rizal every year to this bust, and several other statues in Sydney, namely in Ashfield, Rooty Hill and Campbelltown where separate commemorative rites were held by the Knights of Rizal and community organizations under the day’s Australian sweltering sun.
This year, Philippine to Sydney Consul General Ezzedin Tago himself invited a separate commemorative rite a the consulate on Wenthworth Avenue at its auditorium appropriately named Sentro Rizal which had been set aside for the promotion of Philippine culture and history, particularly those concerning the lifetime ideals and memory of Rizal.
Separate commemorative events were held at Ashfield Park, Rizal Park in Rooty Hill and an the Rizal Park in Rosemeadow suburb of Campbelltown.