(Minghui.org) The annual Maroondah Festival was held at Town Park in Croydon, Melbourne, on November 8, 2026. The Falun Gong practitioners’ Tian Guo Marching Band and waist drum team brought music and dance to the festival, and the practitioners also set up a booth to introduce the spiritual practice to the public.

Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises at the Maroondah Festival on November 8, 2026. (Minghui.org)

The Tian Guo Marching Band and waist drum team perform at the festival. (Minghui.org)

Many families with children visit the Falun Gong booth. (Minghui.org)

Residents Appreciate Falun Gong’s Universal Values

Bet, who works in construction, brought his children to the festival.

After he was told that Falun Gong’s guiding principles are Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, he said these values are important for him, the next generation, and society. “They are important and everyone should have compassion,” he said.

When he heard that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has persecuted Falun Gong practitioners for 27 years, he said, “That’s terrible. It should be stopped.”

Kylie, a housewife, paused in front of the booth. Seeing the exercise demonstration, she said, “The exercises look very relaxing, calm and very peaceful.”

When she saw the words Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance on the flyer, she said, “I think they are good values, and I think everybody should follow these principles.”

She said about the persecution, “I previously heard about the persecution and the organ harvesting. I read about it online. It’s very sad and shouldn’t be happening in the 21st century.”

Emma, a mother of two children under 10 and a part-time medical assistant, was happy to learn about Falun Gong. She said, “I like the way it helps with mental health, and the exercises, that you can do them sitting down or standing up.”

She praised Falun Gong’s principles, “Especially compassion, you need to be compassionate with everyone. You need to be compassionate at work because you don’t know people’s circumstances or what people have been through, and you need to be truthful with them on how they are doing.”

She said she liked Falun Gong and it could “help my mental health.”

Practicing Falun Gong Helps a Doctor of Law

Nguyen Duy Hung, a 64-year-old with a Doctor of Law, played the waist drums during the festival. He was upbeat and walked with light steps, and looking at him, it would be hard to believe that he had endured major upheavals in his life.

Nguyen Duy Hung participates in the waist drum performance. (Minghui.org)

Before immigrating to Melbourne in 2016, he taught at the law school of a prestigious university in Vietnam, and he served as a postgraduate advisor and dean.

In February 2010, Nguyen Duy Hung suffered a spinal injury due to a medical malpractice incident. He said, “I had to spend most of my time in bed. I could only sit up for 30 minutes.” Just as he reached the prime of his life, he was struck by this devastating blow, leaving him in a desperate situation.

The turning point came a few months later, when a university classmate gave him a copy of Zhuan Falun. “Every word and sentence in the book touched me. From the moment I read the book, I was reluctant to put it down. I read it from cover to cover in one go.”

After he read the book three times, he recovered from his injury. He has practiced Falun Gong for more than 10 years. Besides improving his health, he is no longer irritable and impatient; instead he is calm and serene.

He said, “I would like to tell everyone that the opportunity for Dafa to be widely spread in the human world may not come once in a thousand years or even ten thousand years. This is a unique opportunity, so please do not miss it.”