General News
20 March, 2026
Harmony Day at the House
Maryborough Community House’s (MCH) ‘A Taste of Harmony’ event for 2026 has picked Kenyan cuisine to be shared among community members, marking a day of celebrating inclusiveness, cultural diversity and peace.
Every year has a different country of focus for MCH’s Harmony Day.
This time, celebrations, games and the flavours of East Africa will be brought to MCH next Wednesday, part of a popular event making a return following last year’s success, one the House’s Jo Carter recalls reached maximum capacity.
“If anything is expected to be fun here, it’s usually packed, so you need to book in, there is a limited number we can seat ... but we all learn something and have a bit of fun too,” she said.
“When we had our first event that was combined with a couple of other events and it worked and people asked ‘when is your next one?’.”
Harmony Day is an Australian campaign, launched in 1999 as a focus on promoting Multi-culturalism, diversity and inclusion, as well as the urgency of combating racism where ever it arises.
Originally marked on March 21, it coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and has expanded to a week long campaign held by schools, community groups, businesses, and government agencies across Australia.
Hosting caterers who specialise in Kenyan cuisine, MCH’s Kenyan theme offers attendees a unique opportunity to experience a different culture first hand, with traditional meals, quizzes and cultural displays, a fundamental purpose of Harmony Day.
“She came to us, we hadn’t decided on our food range this year and she said how about I cook Kenyan for you, and it was perfect for this event,” Ms Carter said.
“Harmony Day this year is a little bit more important with what is going on in the world. There are so many different things happening outside of our control, I think it is more important that our little community can get together and be more harmonious.”
Ms Carter said everyone who books will be catered for, regardless of dietary needs.
“We always make sure there is gluten free, vegetarian and other meals so we are able to incorporate everyone’s diets, because if they can’t come to eat at Harmony Day, what’s the point of coming? It’s all about trying different foods too,” she said.
“Bringing out musical instruments, decorations, clothes, all sorts of different displays, it’s not just about our culture, it’s about every different culture.
The event is sponsored by the Community Bank of Avoca, Maryborough and St Arnaud, a major support through a grant that was given to MCH.
The house will be celebrating Harmony Day on Wednesday, March 25 from 11.30 am to 1 pm at 23 Primrose street Maryborough.
Bookings close Tuesday, March 24 at 4 pm.
