Sharing curries and countries

South West Healthcare’s Catriona Campbell seized the moment this week when she heard about Vindaloo Against Violence. She rounded up her Psychiatric Services colleagues to join the worldwide campaign that saw 17,000 people eating Indian on Wednesday night.

More than fifty locals joined the Primary Mental Health Team Leader to dine at Warrnambool’s Indian Gate restaurant in a show of solidarity against racism. This very public display of support – the brainchild of a Melbourne couple – was aimed at welcoming and embracing immigrants from India and the rest of the world.

For as long as anyone can remember, South West Healthcare has been blessed with a multicultural workforce that currently includes three Indian psychiatrists and an Indian social worker.

‘Supporting our Indian community is especially important for the local health sector,’ Catriona explains. ‘Particularly in healthcare, we rely on professionals from Melbourne, interstate and overseas and I thought it was important for us as a service to recognise this.

‘We hope everyone appreciates these people are here for a purpose and are part of our community.’

Catronia says the night was also about giving a show of support to the staff at the recently-opened Indian Gate restaurant.

And the theme of celebrating our cultural diversity through food does not end here. For a second year running SWH’s Food Services staff, with the support of the organisation’s Cultural Diversity Committee and Psychiatric Services Division, will serve foods from different lands as part of National Harmony Day celebrations.

Last year 150 employees met in March at the Warrnambool hospital staff canteen to celebrate the rich heritage that exists between our 1,128 strong workforce which, at last count, consisted of people born in Australia, Belgium, Fiji, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, Sweden, Sri Lanka, the UK and the US.

photo 1 Sharing curries and countries are (from left) Sam Curwen-Walker, Dr Jim Blackett, Meg Lumsden, Catriona Campbell and Indian Gate owner Isaac Samuel. [Photo courtesy of The Standard and photographer Leanne Pickett.]

photo 2 One of our five respected Indian Psychiatric Services colleagues Dr Iby Neerakal chats with Director of Clinical Services Dr Jim Blackett. [Photo courtesy of Psychiatric Services Director Caroline Byrne.]