Earlier this week, Warrigal, in collaboration with the Multicultural Communities Council of Illawarra (MCCI), hosted a special multicultural event to celebrate Harmony Week, featuring a range of excellent speakers, exciting cultural performances, and traditional food. The event was held in Canberra for the first time this year, to create an inclusive and diverse celebration for older people and their loved ones in the community to enjoy.  

The event, held last Tuesday at the Hellenic Club Woden, welcomed over 100 people from the Canberra and Goulburn community, including Warrigal residents, social group members, volunteers, staff, local cultural groups, and the general public. Guests enjoyed light refreshments on arrival, featuring a range of diverse foods including Lamb & Potato Empanadas, Porcini Arancini Balls, and Keftedes (Homemade Greek Meat Balls).  

Warrigal Chief Clinical Officer, Natalie Molloy, opened the event by inviting Aboriginal group Wiradjuri Echoes to the front for a special Acknowledgement of Country and cultural performance.

Natalie shared the importance of culture, inclusivity, and diversity in aged care, and how this allows our residents at Warrigal connect and thrive.  

“Today is not about aged care as a transaction. It is about connection. It is about how Warrigal, and our partners, help older people stay linked to their communities, their culture, and the people and things they love.”  

Next, our General Manager at Warrigal Hughes, Muhammed Syed, spoke to his experience working at Warrigal with staff of diverse backgrounds, and shared his insight about the multicultural communities we serve and how Warrigal supports our older people in Canberra.  

Following Muhammed, MCCI delivered an engaging presentation about their services, which featured a bingo game component where five lucky guests won a prize. MCCI has been supporting people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities since 1978, and continue to provide a range of vital services in the community today, which made them the perfect partner for this event.  

After the presentation, our wonderful Fijian staff from Warrigal Goulburn put on a beautiful performance of traditional dances and songs for attendees to enjoy. There was a warm, joyous feel around the room, with many guests dancing along to the music from their chairs.  

Natalie had the opportunity to sit down with Warrigal Hughes Community Village Resident, Mary Cachia, who shared her beautiful personal story of her move to Australia for a better life. Mary spoke about how she has found a supportive community in Canberra, and how she continues to live a life connected to her culture here. 

To finish off the afternoon, the wonderful dance troupe from the Gregory Academy of Irish Dance delivered a spectacular performance of traditional Irish dancing, making their way through the crowd and showing off their fancy footwork.

At the end of the event, attendees had the opportunity to chat about all things multiculturalism and aged care, with stallholders from MCCI and our Warrigal Customer Relations team available to chat. The event was a great success, and it was clear that attendees enjoyed and appreciated the amazing showcase of culture throughout the day.  

At Warrigal, we understand that culture and connection isn’t just something that happens at events like this. It happens every day, in our villages and homes, through the staff who take the time to learn someone’s story, organise a meal that feels like home, or link a resident to a community group that matters to them.  

Explore our image gallery of the event below!