A Taste of Harmony at Golden Circle

A Taste of Harmony is Australia’s biggest celebration of cultural diversity at work.

Golden Circle’s Northgate site will today kick off A Taste of Harmony - a week of lunchtime feasting in the lead up to National Harmony Day on March 21, 2010.
Queensland’s 4.5 million people come from more than 220 different countries – and this March will see Aussie workers lunch together during Australia’s biggest celebration of cultural diversity at work.
More than 30 cultures are represented among Golden Circle’s 800 employees at Northgate, including China, Vietnam, Canada, The Philippines, the United Kingdom, India, Sudan, Cambodia, Hungary, Germany and Pacific Island countries such as Samoa and Tonga.
“Multiculturalism has always been a strong feature of our team at the Northgate site” said Site Manager Simon Leonard.  
“A Taste of Harmony is a great way for us to celebrate that.”
Staff will bring dishes that reflect their cultural background, their favourite ethnic dish, or cook something from a country they have never tried before.
This year around 100,000 Australians will share deliciously diverse lunches while getting to know more about their colleagues’ cultural backgrounds. Almost 6000 workers from Queensland participated in A Taste of Harmony in 2009.
In its second year, A Taste of Harmony is an initiative of the Scanlon Foundation and is supported by the Australian Multicultural Foundation and the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
Local federal member Wayne Swan joined Northgate employees today for the lunch.
“The Rudd Government is pleased to be supporting this initiative, and I am delighted to be here with employees at this iconic Queensland manufacturing facility,” he said.
“A Taste of Harmony celebrates the contribution of migrants to our great country, and it underlines the importance of social cohesion for our shared economic future.”
Simon Leonard urged all local businesses to get together for A Taste of Harmony.  
“This is a great opportunity to recognise the importance of our cultural diversity in the workplace and in our communities” said Mr Leonard.
A Taste of Harmony runs from March 15-21, 2010. For more information, visit www.tasteofharmony.org.au