Dr Farvardin Daliri's Healing Fund

You may know him most recently as the creator of the famous “Laughing Kookaburra,” or the organiser of Australia’s largest cultural festival, the longstanding director of the Townsville Intercultural Centre, an author, artist, educator, thought leader and community development and social cohesion champion; but he is also a husband, a father, a father-in-law, a grandfather, a brother and a son – and now, after a lifetime of service and social justice advocacy, Dr Farvardin Daliri OAM is facing one of the toughest challenges of his life.

On January 9, 2023, he was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. The “bad cells” (as we are calling them), have spread from the colon to his liver and his lungs. Over five decades of service to the Australian and international community, through his projects and programs for a socially cohesive, inclusive and harmonious world, he has sustained his work through the grace of God, with little financial gain or personal reward.

As it turns out, this dis-ease was with him as he travelled around the country with the Giant Kookaburra, Platypus, and Talking Cockatoo, for no reason other than to bring joy to the hearts of thousands of people during the post-Covid period.

There is little Dr Daliri has not done for the betterment of the world. From starting the Youth Agents of Change development camps 20 years ago, to advocating for the rights and sovereignty of First Nations Australians since his arrival as a refugee in 1984, from supporting communities of new Australians, to shifting the dial on many prevalent social discourses including effective youth engagement, ethical settlement services, cross-cultural competency and the relationship between science and religion; Dr Daliri has committed his life to the service of humanity.

As a Baha'i, his service to the community has been galvanised by the teachings of The Baha'i Faith, and it is quotes like the following from Baháʼu'lláh that have inspired his work:

"Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts..."

Since the diagnosis, he has had to stop full-time work and put all ongoing projects on hold. As he prepares his body and soul for months of chemotherapy and recovery, we are looking to the community to which he has dedicated his life, for your help and support so that he can continue serving for many years to come.

As we embark on this healing journey with our dad, we are grateful and humbled by your compassion and consistent prayers as well as any contributions to this campaign so that he may make a full recovery and continue serving. Your generous contributions through this campaign will help us to cover the costs of treatment, travel and recovery as well as the loss of income.

We also ask that you engage with his website and share the link with anyone who would like to own their very own Farvardin Daliri masterpiece.

www.farvardindaliri.com

With love and gratitude,

The Daliri Family