(Clearwisdom.net) Tumut is a small town in eastern New South Wales Province with a population of about 11,000. On Saturday April 28, 2007, for the first time the people of Tumut saw Falun Dafa at the Falling Leaf Festival Parade, a celebration with a 53 year history. Falun Dafa brought rich Chinese traditional culture to the small town and displayed the beauty of Falun Dafa.
|
|
|
|
Tumut is at the north gate of Kosciusko National Park. Along with two other towns, Adelong and Batlow, it is located at the north edge of the snowy mountain of Australia, and has four distinct seasons. In autumn, the parks, river banks and the valleys are colored with leaves. In spring, flowers blossom. In summer, the temperature is pleasant and cool, and in winter, the snow entertains the whole family with the joy of skiing. To a town of this size, the parade is comparatively a large scale event, and one with about 2000 spectators. The people of Tumut gave Falun Gong a warm welcome. They waved their hands and cheered, and were very willing to take truth-clarification materials.
The local practitioners also arranged a booth for Falun Dafa that attracted many people. Residents came to watch the exercise demonstration, and asked for information about Falun Dafa and the persecution in China. Even though Tumut is a small remote town, many residents have heard of Falun Gong. They were also happy to learn that over 20 million Chinese have quit the Communist Party.
There was a drought in Tumut recently. The province of New South Wales announced that if there was no rain in the next few weeks, the irrigation system would be shut down. The night before the parade, there was a heavy rain, but when the parade was about to start, the rain stopped and the golden sunshine broke through the dark clouds. The Falun Dafa practitioners and other parading groups were surrounded with golden leaves and sunshine.
A local resident said they needed rain before winter so the crops would grow well. A few days earlier, Sydney had a lot of rain but there was none in Tumut. She thanked Falun Gong practitioners for bringing rain to Tumut. The practitioners looked at each other and smiled. They knew that they brought Tumut more than just the needed rain.
After the parade, the practitioners drove home and saw a rainbow in the sky. What a beautiful day! The practitioners also found out that more pure and kind people in the countryside are waiting for Falun Dafa, so decided to participate in more rural activities in the future.
