NAIDOC Week Brings Connection Through Food and Tradition

Pictured above (L-R): A glimpse of NAIDOC Week at Lyrebird Village, Hudson House, and Costa House.

This week, our homes came together to celebrate NAIDOC Week—an opportunity to recognise and reflect on the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It’s a time for all of us to learn more about, and appreciate, the contributions of Indigenous communities across the country. 

One of the highlights for the week was a project led by our catering team, who created a special menu across our homes, using native ingredients to showcase traditional flavours. Each home selected a dish (or multiple dishes) to feature during the week, from lemon myrtle chicken to wattleseed desserts, which also gave our chefs the opportunity to get a little creative and try something new. 

Residents loved trying new ingredients and flavours, with many mentioning how delicious the dishes were and how interesting it was to learn about spices or ingredients they’ve never heard of. Kitchen and social care team members decorated dining spaces and made some tweaks in the activity calendars to tie everything into the celebration to make it memorable. 

To make the experience more hands-on, the native ingredients were also put on display, each accompanied by information about their origin, flavour profile, and health benefits. 

At Hudson House in Cooma, NSW, the kitchen team prepared and served a menu featuring dry rub roast chicken, saltbush fattoush salad with flatbread, and a delicious pavlova topped with fresh fruit and plum compote. 

One resident, Peter, who has Aboriginal heritage, stepped away from his usual activities to join other residents in the dining room. He shared stories of his culture and spent time at the display table, which featured native herbs, spices, and traditional cups. Peter was deeply moved when the kitchen staff gifted him one of the Aboriginal cups to keep. 

“This is what I grew up with,” Peter said. “I appreciate the work and the artwork behind it; it’s a great opportunity for Hudson House to help educate others about our culture.”

At Cooinda, residents, staff, and volunteers came together for a traditional smoking ceremony, offering a chance to reflect and connect. Residents also enjoyed many delicious meals throughout the week, including a lemon myrtle pavlova, which was a crowd favourite.

Harjinder Singh (Harry), Respect’s Hotel Services Coordinator, said the project had been months in the making, with teams across Respect coming together. 

“This was a really rewarding project and took efforts from a lot of team members for it to all fall into place,” he said. “From sustainably sourcing native ingredients locally for each home, to organising displays, creating artwork and prepping our chefs and cooks, there was a heap of planning behind the scenes. 

“I recently joined Respect, and one of the first things I noticed was how much the organisation genuinely values its people, the community, and most importantly, its residents. With NAIDOC Week approaching, I wanted to explore how we could honour the week with something pretty different to what has been done in the past. After doing some research, I spoke with our Hotel Services Manager, Melinda Beilby, who was completely encouraging and on board with it. 

“It’s been a great collaboration between kitchen, lifestyle and marketing teams, and the positive feedback from residents has been fantastic. It’s definitely something we’ll build on and make even better next year.”