No Graffiti! Yes Clean and Safe Town! 2

Brothers and sisters in the Sydney Zion are from various cultures and races, but they are one in mind for proclaiming Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother with every small good deed. A good opportunity to shine Their light was given to us. In response to the community’s call for volunteers to roll up their sleeves and take part in the Graffiti Removal Day, we participated in the event.

On October 29, 2017, clothed in bright yellow vests, we put on gloves and goggles and performed the mission to erase the unsightly graffiti on the wall of an industrial building at Blacktown. Participants came from across age groups: children, high school students, young adults, and adults, so we could share the job efficiently. The depressed-looking wall became a backdrop of laughter and of New Songs.

The Graffiti Removal Day didn’t last long. The estimated two hours of work was done in less than an hour through the unity of all the members. One of city officials complimented that we worked as if we were one body in harmony.

“You really blitzed it today. It has made a huge difference. Graffiti breaks the social order. When people see graffiti, they think their community is run down and lose love and pride in it. By removing graffiti, you’ve shown everyone that we do care and have pride in our community,” said the event supervisor.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that graffiti and other forms of vandalism cost the Australian community 2.7 billion dollars annually. In New South Wales which Sydney belongs to, more than 300 million dollars are spent each year to remove unwanted graffiti.

Through the efforts of volunteers nationwide, the government can save considerable amount of taxpayer’s money that can be allocated for other valuable use. We were proud that we could help our community. Though it wasn’t part of the plan, the council asked us to lend a helping hand to the volunteers who were weeding in the bush nearby, and we cheered in happiness like children who were given an extended playtime. The wall that became a clean white canvas shined brightly.