The Story Behind Harmony Day

Harmony Day is an annual celebration that takes place across Australia on the 21st March. It began in 1999, coinciding with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. It’s a time to reflect on the importance of inclusiveness, celebrating diversity, respecting each other and our differences. People from more than 200 countries make up our Australian community and 300 languages are spoken in our homes. Having people from all over the world with many different cultures and backgrounds helps us to be more innovative, knowledgeable and connected with the world.

Each year, people from diverse cultures and ethnicities come together to participate in local activities. Since 1999, a wide variety of groups including sports organisations, community groups, local government, churches, schools, and businesses have hosted more than 55,000 Harmony Day events. Different communities come together to mark the occasion in different ways – some have morning teas; others organise a fair and some dress up in national costumes.

This year at Inspection Manager, we decided to celebrate Harmony Day with our annual shared lunch but we also mixed things up a bit. Instead of making dishes from our own countries, each team member was asked to pick out a flag at random and cook the national dish of that country. We believed that in the process of researching and preparing food from another country, each person would learn more about its culture and share their newfound knowledge with the team. On Friday afternoon, everyone enjoyed a shared lunch with national dishes from 25 different countries and ended the day with a World Trivia. With full bellies and lots of laughter, it was a memorable day for all of us.‍

Inspection Manager is incredibly proud of the cultural diversity within our office. We aren’t just co-workers but a family where everyone feels included and respected no matter where they come from or which culture they identify with.