(Clearwisdom.net) King George Square is located in the center of Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia, directly in front of Brisbane City Hall. This is where the offices of the Mayor and council administration are located. Being adjacent to the Queen Street Mall, it is a popular spot that many locals pass through and is visited by many tourists, including large numbers of Mainland Chinese tourists. Thus, this was a significant location to hold the first "Falun Dafa Week Celebrating Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" in Brisbane. During the weeks before the opening ceremony, Queensland practitioners personally visited over 70 councilors, State and Federal MPs to deliver information packages, invite them to the opening ceremony and clarify the truth.

(Chief Superintendent of Brisbane Police, a State MP and a Councilor giving their support)

On the morning of January 12^th, there was a flurry of activity as practitioners from Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Toowoomba arrived early in the morning to set up stalls, information tables, decorations and banners around King George Square, and to decorate the room being used for the ceremony.

Before the ceremony, the Queensland Falun Dafa Spokesperson was interviewed live by ABC radio. A woman in Ipswich heard this interview and immediately got on a bus and traveled over 40 minutes to attend the opening ceremony. She said that something strongly drew her and she just had to immediately come. She was very enthusiastic and stayed for the entire ceremony, learning the truth about Falun Dafa.

The opening ceremony was held in one of the beautiful rooms inside City Hall. The "Journey of Falun Dafa" photo exhibit was elegantly displayed down each side of the room. Zhang Cuiying (an artist practitioner from Sydney who was jailed for 8 months in China) also displayed her beautiful works of traditional Chinese art. Several paintings depicting Buddhas were hung in the main room, while others hung in a separate art gallery that was open to the public during the week. Zhang Cuiying donated all proceeds from the sale of her art to the bush fire victims in New South Wales.

A State MP, two Councilors and the Chief Superintendent of the Brisbane Police attended the opening ceremony. The Chief Superintendent, representing the Commissioner's Office, praised Falun Dafa practitioners for the peaceful example they set during the CHOGM events last year. Both the State MP and one of the councilors also praised practitioners for following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance and reiterated how much they personally support these principles. They also stated that they couldn't understand why the Chinese government was severely persecuting such a peaceful movement that followed these high principles.

Thirteen Proclamations and letters of appreciation were read from many other councilors, MPs and Senators who weren't able to personally attend the ceremony. Zhang Cuiying also gave a speech describing her experiences in China, and thanking the Australian government for their help in securing her release.

This was followed by young practitioners reciting "The Knowing Heart" and poems from Hongyin. One of the highlights of the ceremony came when a young Chinese practitioner played a violin solo and dedicated the music to the practitioners who had died in China, especially the infants who had died. As he played, many guests had tears flowing down their cheeks. The ceremony concluded with the Freedom Song and video, a demonstration of the exercises and the serving of refreshments. Zhang Cuiying also donated a painting to each of the VIP guests, which greatly pleased them.

Outside was the hottest day Brisbane has had this year, with the temperature soaring past 40 C. Because of this, many people came inside to enjoy the air-conditioning and ended up visiting our displays. The practitioners outside City Hall continued introducing Falun Dafa to passersby, including many Mainland Chinese tourists, delivering materials and clarifying the truth. The practitioners also demonstrated the exercises in spite of the intense heat. The celebration continued into the night with a candlelight vigil in front of City Hall, corresponding to many such activities around the world condemning the recent rampage of arrests, torture, and killings of Falun Dafa practitioners in China.