Community

Successful night for POD — addressing seasonal worker health

By Contributed

Mar 14, 2023

Working hard: Paese Fepulea’i cooking sapa sui for everyone.

On the night of Wednesday, March 8, Point of Difference Studio, now in Shepparton, held an information session for over 200 Pacific Island seasonal workers living in the Goulburn Valley.

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Spilling in from Shepparton, Mooroopna, Ardmona, Tatura, Cobram and towns all over the region, seasonal workers gathered to hear Jodie New and Cherie Holland from Goulburn Valley Health talk about the importance of protecting themselves from Japanese encephalitis.

Happy days: Everyone shares an island meal.

Providing food: Some of the over 200 take-home plates.

Among the audience members, four Pacific Island languages were spoken: Fijian, Samoan, Tongan and Pidgin. For the first time, the opportunity to gather a large group of multicultural seasonal workers needing English translated into their mother tongue was possible with the help of four volunteers. Maka Atu translated the health messages into Tongan, live, for Tongan workers; Leaisa Pele translated the information into Samoan; Sue Ngahooro translated into Pidgin for Papuan and Ni-Vanuatu workers; and John Kunaqoro translated into Fijian.

Helping out: Jodie New and Cherie Holland from GV Health.

Inclusive of the short, translated presentation, gift bags featuring health accessories such as COVID rapid antigen tests, masks, hats, sanitisers, sunscreen and bug sprays were handed out, along with flyers breaking down the steps for the workers to care for themselves, in one of the four languages.

The group was then invited to share a free island dinner, cooked with love by POD workers and volunteers. Smiles were all around and gratitude was expressed openly among workers and volunteers, as the studio continues to find ways to make key information accessible to all groups of people.