Gippsland Multicultural Services Inc

29/08/2026

👏

Sorry… a little emotional today 😆💚

Last night we attended the Gippsland Business Awards Gala as finalists. 🥹🏆

We didn’t bring the trophy home, but we definitely didn’t walk away feeling like we lost.

A huge congratulations to Harman Wines very well deserved 👏💚and congratulations to all the incredible finalists and winners.

When Suresh and I started this journey just two years ago, we had no idea where it would take us. We simply had a dream, a passion for Sri Lankan food and hospitality, and the courage to give it a go.

Behind the happy photos and achievements are sacrifices people don’t always see — missed birthdays, family gatherings, school holiday fun, sleepless nights, financial pressure, exhaustion and plenty of tears.

Our children have sacrificed so much with us, and without my mum and sister, none of this would have been possible. 💚

This journey has also taught us a lot about people. We heard the rumours, we saw who supported us and who didn’t, and we learned that sometimes strangers really do clap the loudest.

Some of our biggest supporters started as complete strangers and are now part of The Leaf family. 💚

While people talked, we kept working.
While people doubted us, we kept showing up.
And two years later, here we are.

🏆 Gippsland Business Awards Finalists
❤️ AGFG Readers’ Choice Award Winners

So even without the trophy, we’re allowing ourselves to be proud because WE know what it took to get here.

We know the tears, sacrifices, disappointments, rumours and sleepless nights.

And most importantly, we know we didn’t give up.

To every person who has genuinely supported us — whether you bought a meal, shared a post, left a review, recommended us, sent a message or simply told us to keep going THANK YOU. 💚

You may never realise how much those small acts of kindness meant during some of our hardest days.

But our biggest achievement is being able to share a little piece of Sri Lanka with Gippsland. 🇱🇰🇦🇺

As the first Sri Lankan restaurant in the region, seeing people fall in love with our food, culture and hospitality means more than any trophy.

To our family, our team past and present who genuinely contributed to this journey, and our beautiful community — thank you. 💚

Proud of our family.
Proud of The Leaf.
Proud of how far we’ve come.
And forever grateful to Gippsland. 💚🇦🇺

09/08/2026

🌟 Building strong, connected communities starts with creating opportunities for people to belong.

💁🏽‍♀️ Through the Regional Settlement Support Fund, Gippsland Multicultural Services (GMS) is proud to partner with Warragul Community House (WCH) to strengthen community connections and support people from migrant backgrounds as they build their lives in Australia.

💁🏼‍♀️ Our CEO, Carmel Riley, recently joined the WCH Friendship Group to share the range of programs and services delivered by GMS and to explore how, together, we can make it easier for people to access local services, build meaningful social connections, and feel welcomed as valued members of our community.

💁🏻‍♀️The discussion highlighted the vital role collaboration plays in reducing social isolation, fostering inclusion, and creating opportunities for everyone to participate, contribute, and thrive.

🤗 We are also proud to highlight the expansion of our aged care and disability services across the Baw Baw Shire. Guided by our ethos of cultural humility, we remain dedicated to delivering respectful, person-centred care to the whole community.

📍 Connect With Us in Warragul

✅ Our team can be found on-site at Warragul Community House most Mondays and Fridays.

😌 Whether you’d like to learn more about our services or are interested in exploring job opportunities with our growing team, we’d love to connect—reach out to us today!

🙏🏽 A heartfelt thank you to Warragul Community House for partnering with us on this important initiative.

😊 Special thanks to Shaun Mallia and all Friendship Group members for their warm welcome, valuable insights, and ongoing support.

🥰 We look forward to continuing this partnership and working together to build a more connected and inclusive Gippsland!

08/08/2026

🙋🏽‍♂️Want to make a positive impact in your community?

✅ The Morwell Leadership Program is now open for registrations!

💁🏻‍♂️ A free leadership program to help you develop skills, connect with others, and contribute to safer families and stronger communities.

🤳Scan the QR code to register your interest.

08/08/2026

*12 August Diversity Lunch*

🤗 Gippsland Multicultural Services warmly invites community members to join us for our August Diversity Lunch.

💁🏽‍♀️ Join us for an afternoon of learning, connection and a shared lunch with guest speakers from WIRE and Latrobe Community Health Service

📅 **Wednesday, 12 August 2026*
🕐 *1:00 pm – 3:00 pm**
📍 Gippsland Multicultural Services
26–28 Tarwin Street, Morwell

This month’s program will include:

✅ A presentation from *WIRE* on free legal information and support services, including separation, family relationships, property matters and understanding your legal rights.

✅A presentation from Latrobe Community Health Service (LCHS) about the *Community Led Integrated Health Clinic (CLIHC) Program,* which helps people connect with local health, wellbeing and community services.

🥰 An opportunity to connect with others over lunch.

*Please RSVP by 10 August 2026.*

🎟️ To register, please contact Gippsland Multicultural Services or send us a message via Facebook.

😊 We look forward to welcoming you to another enjoyable and informative Diversity Lunch.

07/08/2026

🎊 Happy Aged Care Employee Day!

🥳 Today Gippsland Multicultural Services (GMS) celebrate our dedicated staff who work tirelessly to ensure the dignity, comfort and wellbeing of older people living at home and participating in their community.

☕️ We celebrate our amazing staff with a small token of our appreciation in the form of a gift card to have a well-deserved cuppa or two on us!

🫶🏾 Every day, our team makes a meaningful difference in the lives of older Australians through their support, compassion and dedication.

🙏🏽To every member of our team – thank you for your care, kindness and commitment. We truly appreciate everything you do!

👏🏿Please join us and Ageing Australia in recognising our amazing aged care superheroes.

28/07/2026

Gippsland Multicultural Services was pleased to support Alay Kapwa Green Runway – Sustainable Teen Fashion Showcase through the Regional Settlement Support Funding Program.

It was wonderful to see young people, families, and the wider community come together to celebrate creativity, sustainability, and cultural diversity.

Congratulations and thank you to the Alay Kapwa community and everyone who contributed to making this event such a success.

We are proud to support initiatives that bring people together and strengthen our community.

25/07/2026

👋 It’s CEO Carmel here!

🤭 I’ve taken over the socials!

🙏 A huge shout out to our entire team for their participation at our all staff meeting yesterday.

💁‍♀️ Did you know we have field staff across west, southern and central Gippsland, with some team members who have worked with us for over 20 years!

🥰 We take enormous pride in our staff retention and I’m always learning from our team about:
👉 what drew them towards GMS in the first place,
👉 what keeps them here,
👉and collectively exploring how we can actively lead with people and culture of the heart of who we are and how we deliver - particularly as we attract new team members to join us.

😃 We are thrilled to be sharing our collective learnings around inclusive employment and community development as a keynote at the upcoming Gippsland Renewable Energy Conference!

✅ We will be sharing these learnings through the historic story of GMS as it relates to post-WW2 migration to Gippsland and its connection to industry and employment, and

✅ reflecting on what this looks like for our new and emerging migrant communities in the context of the current energy transition and urgent workforce, liveability and community needs for Gippsland to thrive into the future.

19/07/2026

✨ 𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭 ✨

✨ On 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝟐𝟕 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, a 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭 test will be conducted across Australia.

✨ During the test, many people may 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 on their mobile phone. This is 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 to help ensure emergency warning systems are working properly and can reach communities during events such as bushfires, floods, storms, and other emergencies.

✨ 𝐍𝐨 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭.

✨ Testing these systems helps improve emergency preparedness and supports the safety of communities across the country. Staying informed and prepared can make a real difference when emergencies occur. 🚨

13/07/2026

✨ 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 – 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐃𝐎𝐂 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 ✨

🌷 A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for our July Diversity Lunch.

Together, we came together to recognise and celebrate 𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐃𝐎𝐂 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, taking the opportunity to learn more about the histories, cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

🌸 A special thank you to our local Aboriginal community member for sharing this year’s NAIDOC Week theme and the meaning of the word “𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲” in Aboriginal English, where it is commonly used as a positive expression meaning excellent, strong, inspiring and something to be proud of. The presentation also highlighted why NAIDOC Week is important and encouraged us to listen, learn, reflect and continue building respectful relationships with First Nations communities.

⭐ We were also pleased to welcome representatives from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), who shared valuable information about the 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐬. Participants had the opportunity to learn how Census data helps governments, organisations and communities better understand local needs and plan services that support everyone.

🌺 Most importantly, the afternoon provided another wonderful opportunity for people from diverse backgrounds to come together, share conversations, build connections and enjoy lunch in a welcoming and inclusive environment.

🌼 Thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the event such a meaningful and enjoyable afternoon. We look forward to welcoming you to our next Diversity Lunch.

🍀𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧.

07/07/2026

✨ 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐢𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 ✨

✨ Representatives from the 𝐀𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐮 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 (𝐀𝐁𝐒) will be joining our 𝐌𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐋𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 & 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 (1pm - 3pm) tomorrow to share information about the upcoming Census 2026 and explain why it is so important for our communities.

🌷 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐬 takes place every five years and helps build a clearer picture of who we are and how our communities are changing. The information collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics helps governments, businesses, and community organisations plan essential services and infrastructure, including healthcare, education, transport, housing, and community support programs.

🌸 By taking part in the Census, you help ensure that everyone in our community is counted, represented, and included in future planning.

🌼 Every person. Every household. Every community. Every story counts. 💙