(Minghui.org) Locals gave a big welcome to Falun Dafa on July 10, 2016, at the Pacific Pines Winterfest on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

The festival is a major community event on the Gold Coast hinterland, attracting thousands of locals from both near and far. Falun Dafa practitioners have participated for the past four years, and many people have learned to appreciate the significant health benefits of practicing the five exercises and studying the main book, Zhuan Falun, which, in Chinese, means “Turning the Law Wheel.”

Victoria from the local Kiwanis Club visited the Falun Dafa booth and picked up information about the practice. After hearing about the benefits of the practice, she took a photo of the practitioners in front of their booth and promised to spread the good news about Dafa through her social networks.

James, an American-born local, said he had heard about Dafa before and wanted to know more, both about the exercises and why practitioners are being detained, tortured, having their organs harvested, and killed while in custody by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in China. After seeing the “Peaceful Journey of Falun Dafa” photo exhibit, he couldn’t believe such a peaceful practice was being persecuted in China.

He was impressed to hear that more people still want to practice Dafa in China despite the persecution. He expressed interest in learning the exercises at the local practice site after hearing that a practitioner’s knee, which was injured doing martial arts, was healed when doing the sitting meditation.

A couple from China gladly accepted information about Falun Dafa, while an Australian couple took a brochure and said how happy they were to see practitioners remaining committed despite the persecution happening in China. Others were shocked and concerned to hear about the CCP's crimes committed throughout its 17-year-long persecution of the practice, and festival goers admired the practitioners’ perseverance despite such tragedies.

Lindsay from the United Kingdom was visiting relatives in Australia and happened to stop by the Dafa booth. He was fascinated to hear about the exercises, and very interested in seeing the historical photos of 10,000 people doing the exercises together outside in China before the persecution began in 1999. He even brought his entire family back to see the photos, receive printed materials, and collect a few origami lotus flowers. His two daughters were also interested in learning the exercises, especially after hearing about the benefits of the practice. Lindsay also brought his family to watch practitioners demonstrate the exercises on-stage.

After the demonstration, the official emcee said he felt "very relaxed" after watching the gentle movements.

Nicole, a city employee, visited the Dafa booth and was very happy to receive information and origami lotus flowers, which in Asian culture symbolize peace and purity, something practitioners aspire to achieve, regardless of the chaos around them. She was told that the lotus flower is also a symbol of the “Petals of Peace” initiative, which raises awareness of children in China whose parents were persecuted to death. This really moved her, and she said felt she was predestined to come to the booth.

Tia, who was born in Indonesia, was very interested to hear that the practitioners sometimes do Chinese lion and dragon dancing at big festivals. She thought they should perform more often, because it is very popular with the crowd.

One of the organizers invited the practitioners to give an update on what is happening in China to their community group, and perhaps even teach them the five exercises.