Today is Harmony Day which marks the start of Harmony Week. It’s all about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone.

But Harmony Day is also about reflecting on the ways we can all live together in harmony, regardless of our backgrounds and circumstances.

Mater is proud of its rich multicultural diversity of both patients and staff.

We are also proud to be a member of the Multicultural Queensland Ambassador Program—one of 83 organisations involved.

In addition, Mater’s Language Services team provides translation support to patients across all Mater hospitals in Queensland. The team is able to translate up to 93 languages, including Auslan.

Our hospitals across the state are full of Mater People from a variety of backgrounds who all have their own stories to tell and skills to offer, including Mater Private Hospital Brisbane Foodservices Supervisor Maricar Grindrod (pictured).

Despite missing her family back home, Maricar has never looked back after moving to Australia from the Philippines 15 years ago to start a family and to work in the hotel hospitality industry.

“I found my husband here and we raised our daughter (in Australia) for a better education and job opportunities,” Maricar said.

“I have done a hospitality certificate but here in Australia, if you are a hard worker you are in.”

Maricar has been with Mater for five years and said her number one priority was making patients feel comfortable through top quality service.

“A lot of patients don’t want to be in a hospital, so we focus on customer service and they really appreciate being able to eat food that is restaurant quality,” she said.

“My job is hands on, but I like learning and seeing what needs to be improved.

“There’s around 30 people in our team who I organise and my main duties are to ensure meals are delivered in a timely manner, the patient is looked after and stock is sorted.

“It’s a really good team environment here at Mater.”

For more info on Harmony Day, go to the website: https://www.harmony.gov.au/