Canning Cultural Ambassadors
Expressions of Interest for the Canning Cultural Ambassador program are now open.
Applications for the 2026/27 cohort are open from 13 April 2026 to 15 May 2026. Interested applicants are invited to submit their application through the online form. For more information, please read application information below.
The Canning Cultural Ambassadors program connects Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD) communities and the City.
Canning Cultural Ambassadors (CCAs) are selected community members who represent the cultural diversity of the City of Canning. The role is a voluntary leadership and engagement position that acts as a two-way conduit between the City of Canning and its culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
A Canning Cultural Ambassador is:
- a community member who lives, work and provides services within City of Canning
- actively involved in their community and supports positive change through practical actions and initiatives
- able to communicate in the language(s) of the community they represent
- able to maintain strong connections and regular engagement within their community
- committed to attending a minimum of 10 monthly meetings
- required to obtain a Police Clearance and a Working with Children check.
Program objectives:
- Strengthen communication and understanding between the City of Canning and culturally diverse communities through effective two-way engagement.
- Support the delivery and promotion of City-led services, programs, consultations, events, and initiatives within representative communities.
- Improve community awareness of City opportunities and encourage participation in civic life.
- Ensure community perspectives, needs, and feedback inform City planning, policy development, and service delivery.
- Reduce access, equity, and inclusion barriers by supporting culturally responsive engagement and service design.
- Build resilient, connected, and thriving communities through collaboration, advocacy, and shared understanding.
The program is integrated into the City’s volunteer program, and as a result, it adheres to its guidelines. This implies that ambassadors who are City volunteers must relinquish their ambassador role if they assume any paid positions within the City, including if they run for, or are elected to the City of Canning Council.
Application Process
- Expression of Interest (EOI) – The City initiates a public EOI call out for a limited time, with applications for the 2026/27 cohort open from 13 April 2026 to 15 May 2026. Interested applicants are invited to submit their application through the online EOI form.
- Review of applications – Shortlisted candidates are contacted to schedule an interview.
- Interview of candidates – Applicants attend a face-to-face interview conducted by one or two City officers. A reference check is also done at this stage.
- End of process – Applicants are notified of the outcome. Successful applicants are appointed Canning Cultural Ambassadors for x10 months.
The City of Canning acknowledges the support of Lotterywest, Curtin University and Multicultural Futures in helping to establish the program.
Download the Canning Cultural Ambassador Program presentation (PDF 8MB) to learn more.
Cultural Ambassadors
Ammara Zahid
Country of Birth: Pakistan.
What culture/s do you identify as: Pakistani, South Asian Muslim, Urdu and Punjabi.
Languages spoken: Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi and English.
Churamani Lamichhane
Country of Birth: Nepal.
What culture/s do you identify as: Nepali.
Languages spoken: Nepali, Hindi and English.
Idzauriza Idrus
Country of Birth: Malaysia.
What culture/s do you identify as: Malay.
Languages spoken: Malay and English.
Imran Munir
Country of Birth: Pakistan.
What culture/s do you identify as: Pakistan and India.
Languages spoken: English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi.
Sarah Suleiman
Country of Birth: Australia.
What culture/s do you identify as: Australian and African.
Languages spoken: English and Arabic.
Thurka Sitparan
Country of Birth: Sri Lanka.
What culture/s do you identify as: Sri Lankan Tamil.
Languages spoken: English and Tamil.
Viktoria Saar
Country of Birth: Estonia.
What culture/s do you identify as: Estonian and Russian.
Languages spoken: English, Estonian and Russian.
Anbumoly Kuppusamy
Country of birth: Malaysia.
What culture/s do you identify as: Tamil – Malaysian / Indian.
Languages spoken: fluent in Tamil, Malay, English, Telugu Hindi Intermediate: Malayalam and Arabic. Basic in Cantonese.
Dr Cynthi Senarath Yapa
Country of birth: Sri Lanka.
What culture/s do you identify as: Sinhalese.
Languages spoken: fluent in English and Sinhalese.
Hameed Mohammad
Country of birth: India.
What culture/s do you identify as: Indian and Arab Culture.
Languages spoken: fluent in English, Telugu, Hindi, Urdu. Intermediate in Nepalese. Basic in Tamil and Italian.
Haneen Shehadeh
Country of birth: Qatar.
What culture/s do you identify as: Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim.
Languages spoken: fluent in Arabic and English.
Jess Yaping Jiang JP
Country of birth: China.
What culture/s do you identify as: Chinese.
Languages spoken: fluent in Mandarin and English.
Dr Khanh Ho
Country of birth: Vietnam.
What culture/s do you identify as: Vietnamese.
Languages spoken: fluent in Vietnamese and English.
Marwiah Liklee
Country of birth: Singapore.
What culture/s do you identify as: Malay.
Languages spoken: fluent in English and Malay.
Padmini Saxena
Country of birth: India.
What culture/s do you identify as: I am an Indian Hindu woman.
Languages spoken: fluent in English, Hindi and Urdu. Intermediate in Punjabi.
Dr Parwinder Kaur
Country of birth: India.
What culture/s do you identify as: Punjabi (Indian).
Languages spoken: fluent in Punjabi, Hindi and English.
Rasha Abdelmonem
Country of birth: Egypt.
What culture/s do you identify as: Muslim Egyptian Arabic.
Languages spoken: fluent in Arabic and English. Intermediate in Mandarin.
Sabah Suleiman
Country of birth: Ethiopia.
What culture/s do you identify as: Eritrean /Sudanese/Ethiopian.
Languages spoken: fluent in Tigrinya, Arabic, Ethiopian and English.
Dr Siddier Chambers
Country of birth: Jamaica.
What culture/s do you identify as: Jamaican/Caribbean culture and African culture.
Languages spoken: fluent in English and Patois.
Dr Udbhav Mehta
Country of birth: India.
What culture/s do you identify as: Gujarati.
Languages spoken: fluent in English, Gujarati and Hindi. Basic in Marathi and Punjabi.
Verna Kanagaratnam
Country of birth: Malaysia.
What culture/s do you identify as: Ceylonese.
Languages spoken: fluent in English, Malay, Tamil, Cantonese and Indonesian.
Zainon Mohamad Kassim
Country of birth: Singapore.
What culture/s do you identify as: Indian Muslim.
Languages spoken: fluent in English and Malay. Basic in Tamil.
Amit Mehta
Cultural background: Indian
Languages spoken: Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi and English
Profile video
Ankur Verma
Cultural background: Indian
Languages spoken: Hindi, Marathi and English
Profile video
Astit Olszowy and Richard Olszowy
Cultural background: Indonesian and Polish
Languages spoken: Indonesian, Dutch and English
Profile video
Balli Singh
Cultural background: Indian (Punjabi)
Languages spoken: Punjabi, Hindi and English
Read biography
Elvie Yap
Cultural background: Chinese
Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien, Malay and English
Profile video
Hyejin Um (Grace)
Cultural background: Korean
Languages spoken: Korean and English
Read biography
Israa Sedda
Cultural background: Arabic-Muslim
Languages spoken: Arabic and English
Read biography
Jayaseelan Marimuthu
Cultural background: Malaysian
Languages spoken: Tamil, Malay and English
Read biography
Karunakaran Kutty Veluthakkal
Cultural background: Singaporean
Languages spoken: English, Hindi and Malayalam
Read biography
Kirtida Shah
Cultural background: Indian
Languages spoken: Gujarati, Hindi, Marathi and English
Profile video
Luul Ibrahim
Cultural background: Somali
Languages spoken: Somali and English
Profile video
Dr S Zaung Nau
Cultural background: Myanmar
Languages spoken: Myanmar (Burmese) and English
Profile video
Dr Sadhana Bose
Cultural background: Indian
Languages spoken: English, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi and Sanskri
Read biography
Santhye Subramaniam
Cultural background: Malaysian
Languages spoken: Tamil, Malay and English
Read biography
Selam Tegegn
Cultural background: (Ethiopian – Eritrean) Sub-Saharan Africa
Languages spoken: Amharic, Swahili and English
Read biography
Simrat Kaur
Cultural background: Indian
Languages spoken: Hindi, Punjabi and English
Profile video
Syed Muzaffar Ahmed
Cultural background: Bangladeshi
Languages spoken: Bengali and English
Profile video
Syeda Maisara Muzaffar
Cultural background: Bangladeshi
Languages spoken: Bengali and English
Read biography
Vijayakumar Vijayaratnam
Cultural background: Malaysian
Languages spoken: Tamil, Malay and English
Read biography
Wageesha Gamage
Cultural background: Sri Lankan
Languages spoken: Sinhalese and English
Read biography
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