2012 Cultural Diversity Week’s Harmony Feast at Maidstone Community Centre
30 Mar 2012 - The city of Maribyrnong has just bid farewell to another wonderful installment of Cultural Diversity Week.
The week ran from March 17th until March 25th, ended in very entertaining and tasty fashion with an array of activities and multicultural cuisines at the Harmony Feast at the Maidstone Community Centre (MCC).
The community centre has come a long way from the overgrown expanse of garden that it was back in September 2011, and due to the diligent and high-quality work by the participants of the National Green Jobs Corps (NGJC) training program, the site has been dramatically transformed.
After some skilful fence relocation and shed-dismantling, the MCC now boasts 10 vegetable gorwing boxes with inbuilt irrigation systems attached to rainwater tanks, sturdily constructed outdoor picnic and barbecue furniture and some nice neat pathways to the gates. A lush lawn was put in place, perfect for cushioning the picnic blankets, and a nice collection of shady fruit trees to recline under. And last, but certainly not least, a permanent barbecue was contructed to make way for many more community events.
And so, at the MCC on Sunday the 25th of March from 12noon to 3pm, the garden was packed with fun and games and a real connection with one of the most universal components of any culture; food. An amazing mix of flavours from around the world (and over six kilos of sausages), all prepared on site, complemented great entertainment and a host of cultural activities that were on offer. The Harmony Feast was a remarkable success in bringing the community together and celebrating the local cultural diversity in great style. Ron Miers, CEO of WCIG was delighted to be involved in such a joyful event with the local community; 'Harmonious is definitely the word for it, events like these are a great demonstration of what the city of Maribyrnong has to offer in culture and diversity.'
Now in its third year, Harmony Feast also aims to encompass other practical areas of culture and food, including teaching people new food production skills, and add a few different dishes to their regular home meals, and importantly to demonstrate how easy and affordable it is to source their produce and products from local sources.
With nearly half of the City’s residents speaking a language other than English, encouraging the community to come together to share and experience a celebration of culture is a fantastic way of broadening horizons and learning something new.
