Startts Coffs Harbour

The Coffs Coast Multicultural Society is looking for volunteers to help with the planning and running of the International Food and Dance Festival happening in October.

If you're interested, please contact The Coffs Coast Multicultural Society.

Come along on Wednesday August 12 to get help filling out the Census. Just drop in any time between 9:00am-5:00pm at Cavanbah Hall. Please bring your Census paper with you, if you have one.

It is very important to complete the Census so the government knows what kind of services and resources we need here in Coffs Harbour.

Witness to War & Violence Hotline - Free Call 1800 845 198

This is a national multilingual telephone support service for people affected by distressing events, conflicts or difficult experiences that are current or in the past. These can be things that happen in Australia or overseas.

This service is for individuals, families and communities who are feeling distressed, need someone to talk to, or need assistance finding information about useful services and support. There is no need to wait until things get worse; you can reach out for any reason.

Service Hours: Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) | 9:00 am to 8:00 pm (AEST/AEDT).

Witness to War & Violence | STARTTS Witness to War & Violence is a free, confidential national multilingual support line for people affected by distressing events. Call 1800 845 198.

It only takes 5 seconds to support this initiative and is an easy way to help support young people in Coffs Harbour.

Coffs Harbour is so very proud to call Htun a local. At STARTTS we are proud to support his local initiatives, such as the Coffs Coast Multicultural Society and the International Food and Dance Festival that have helped strengthen Coffs' social cohesion.

From surviving conflict in Myanmar and working as a trauma medic to building a new life in Australia, Htun Htun Oo’s journey is one of extraordinary resilience and service. Nearly two decades after arriving in Coffs Harbour as a refugee, he has become a passionate advocate for multicultural communities and a driving force behind many local initiatives that bring people together.

You can read his full interview here https://issuu.com/focus.mag/docs/coffs_coast_focus_i186_98e195e4e5842a

❗📢❗Important Scam Alert: Impersonating Home Affairs Officers

There is current scam where people are pretending to be Home Affairs Officers and visiting private residences.

Home Affairs officers do not go to people's houses to collect photographs, fingerprints, or any other biometric information.

If you get a suspicious visit, call, email, or message claiming to be from the Department of Home Affairs, you should report it to Scamwatch at www.scamwatch.gov.au right away and or your local police.

If you are ever unsure if something is a scam, do not engage with the person(s) and report it to to Scamwatch and your local police.

The Scamwatch website some translated resources on:
• types of scams
• how to spot and avoid scams
• how to report a scam
• what to do if you have been scammed
• translated resources

Home | Scamwatch Scamwatch is a website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and provides information to consumers and small businesses about how to recognise, avoid and report scams.

STARTTS' MICO volunteers have created some excellent videos about the Census in several languages. Please check it out:

Census Videos 2026 Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

Do you love to sing? Come learn easy songs in English tomorrow at Singlish.

Today is the AusAlert, a critical test that will create a loud siren sound for ten seconds from your devices (mobile phones) at 2pm. Please don’t be concerned about the sound as it is just a test. If you don’t want to hear it, you can turn your phone off or put it on airplane mode.

See the MICO YouTube link below for videos about it in language including:
Anuak
Arabic
Bahasa Indonesia
Ezidi
Kachin
Karenni
Spanish
Tigrinya

MICO Video about Test Critical Alert in Arabic by Bahin Test Critical Alert Video in Arabic. Thank you Bahin ...