Australian candidates for the Queensland Government election have commended the good work Falun Dafa practitioners do in the Gold Coast community.
Each week practitioners volunteer their time to set up free exercise sites and help others enjoy the many health and psychological benefits of doing Falun Dafa’s five sets of exercises. Falun Dafa is a member of Gold Coast City Council’s Active and Healthy Program, which provides free a-frame signs and prints Dafa brochures carrying council’s logo on them.
On 14 October 2017, candidates from the Liberal National Party (LNP), Independents and Greens took up an offer by practitioners to experience Falun Dafa first-hand at the local practice site in Harley Park, Labrador.
All three candidates for the State Government’s new Seat of Bonney had a chance to learn each set of the exercises. LNP candidate Sam O’Connor and his girlfriend, Cat, diligently performed all of the exercise sets and found the exercises to be very interesting.
“Thanks to the local Falun Dafa group for inviting me to visit today and especially to Richard for leading me through the exercises,” said Mr O’Connor, pressing the palms of his hands together in gratitude (heshi).
“I think I understand what you mean about the flow of [qi] energy and could feel something unique during the exercises.”
Independent candidate Ron Nightingale felt a past connection to the Dafa exercises, recalling similar wheel-embracing movements he previously performed in the military and visual meditation techniques he had heard of in his ancestral homeland, Scotland.
“My thanks to Richard and Nina and all the guys and girls from Falun Dafa who invited me down to observe their exercise group, and learn more about the wonderful work you are doing promoting Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance,” Mr Nightingale said.
“The Falun Dafa exercises were very relaxing.”
Greens candidate Amin Javanmard was initially unable to attend the exercise site due to work commitments, but still decided to come anyway for a short time and show his support in-person.
He happily accepted brochures about Falun Dafa’s exercises and also ongoing human rights abuse in Mainland China where practitioners are being arbitrarily detained, tortured, organ-harvested and even killed by the communist regime.
“I popped in at the invite of the Gold Coast Falun Dafa group to observe them during their weekly exercise session in the Harley Park gazebo. Falun Dafa practitioners have suffered state persecution in China,” Mr Javanmard said.
“The vast variety of people, traditions, and cultures living and sharing with each other is one of the things that makes Bonney – and the Gold Coast in general – such a great place … the Greens recognise this as one of this nation’s strengths and will fight to keep us as the welcoming society we are.”
Dafa practitioners thanked all candidates for their time and kind words of support.