World Down Syndrome Day is on 21 March because people with Down syndrome, like me, have three copies of chromosome 21 (3/21). There was a special morning tea hosted by Down Syndrome Australia at Parliament House on Monday to celebrate the lives and achievements of people with Down syndrome.

The theme of this year’s World Down Syndrome Day was “Together Against Loneliness”. We had two young speakers from Canberra that I know, Matthew Barrett and Annie Lee. They gave talks about how they manage loneliness. Matt likes hanging out with mates and reaching out when he feels sad. Annie likes to do things that she enjoys, like listening to music and going to the movies.

I like taking photos and I took photos of some politicians who came to enjoy morning tea with us. I took a photo of Member for Dickson, Ali France, buying a pair of socks. The “Lots of Socks” are a theme of World Down Syndrome Day and they show that like lots of different socks, people with Down syndrome are also very different. Wearing brightly coloured socks on the day shows that you are supporting Down syndrome awareness.

I also met Independent senator for the ACT, David Pocock. He spent a long time talking to people at the morning tea and let me take a photo of him. There were a lot of people that I know from Canberra at the morning tea, but there were also a lot of people from across Australia. It was a lovely event and I feel happy and proud to be able to attend and take photos.