Monday, 7 January 2002, in Gympie, Queensland, was proclaimed Falun Dafa Day.

We woke early in the morning to a beautiful day with birds chirping and singing. Righteous thoughts, a 30-minute mediation and sharing over breakfast prepared us well for our trip to Gympie from the Sunshine Coast, approximately 70 minutes away.

The Fa assisted everything to proceed smoothly as we efficiently worked together to set up at Goldfield Plaza for the day. Soon the gazebo was set up in the foyer with the "Journey of Falun Dafa" photo exhibit, banners, and tables of information flyers, Falun Gong books and posters. At 10 am we began performing the Falun Dafa exercises.

The location was excellent, as the shopping centre was very busy. Many curious shoppers stopped to watch, take flyers and ask for more information.

Little practitioner in meditation during exercise demonstrations	State MP Elisa Roberts signing official proclamation

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State MP Elisa Roberts arrived shortly after 10:30 am to convey her best wishes and sign an official Proclamation for Falun Dafa Day in Gympie. She was most supportive and positive, sharing with us her feelings that we should do more to let Australians know about the goodness of Falun Dafa.

Mayor Mick Venardos and his wife arrived at 12 noon to also present us with an official Proclamation and Certificate of Appreciation. He stayed for some time, enjoying the exercise demonstrations.

The day went by quickly. Shortly after the Mayor left, the reporter from the local Gympie Times newspaper stopped in and took some photos and information for her story. Throughout the day, many interested people left their phone numbers requesting to be notified of any upcoming events.

Later in the day we dropped by the Council Offices to see the Councillors, but they were out of the office until next week. We then presented the Gympie Library with a copy of Falun Gong.

We felt that the day's activities had been most successful, offering us many opportunities to share the righteousness of Falun Dafa with the local community and government officials. Everything flowed smoothly and whenever possible, we clarified the truth about the persecution in China. At the conclusion of the day, we packed up and headed for Maryborough.