Wave of orange as Salvos nationwide celebrate Harmony Week
BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE
Inclusiveness and respect for all cultures were the focus of celebrations across the country as Salvation Army corps, departments and services marked Harmony Week last week.
Corps and departments in Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory all celebrated the occasion with food and fun.
Harmony Week, which this year ran from 18-24 March, with Harmony Day on 21 March, is an event that honours multicultural Australians and promotes the successful integration of migrants into the Australian community.
Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect, and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background. According to the Department of Home Affairs, it is united by a set of core Australian values.
At the Macquarie Lodge Aged Care Centre in Arncliffe (NSW), staff were encouraged to dress in both the trademark Harmony Week orange and their own traditional cultural dress on Harmony Day, and artworks by residents were also on display. Likewise, Riverview Gardens Aged Care Centre in Brisbane’s south-west hosted an orange-themed morning tea.
In Tasmania, The Salvation Army Emergency Services team hosted a free-themed barbeque on the grounds of the Glenorchy City Council.
Cairns Corps in Far North Queensland, Bankstown Corps in Sydney and Tuggeranong Corps in the ACT celebrated the diverse range of cultural backgrounds in their corps with sausage sizzles, cakes and cupcakes.
At Salvos THQ in Blackburn, Melbourne, the Human Resources department hosted an International Potluck lunch where staff enjoyed a wide variety of dishes from across the world, as well as themed trivia at their quarterly gathering.
Click on photos in the slideshow below to view more Harmony Week celebrations:
