In German 'eine gute Zeit' literally translates to 'a good time' and that is exactly what everyone who attended the German-themed lunch had at Emmaus Village on Wednesday 11 June.

The brainchild of Steven Dietrich, who is a Home Companion at Emmaus Village, the lunch featured the food – pretzels, sauerkraut, knackwurst, beer (ginger) – and music (traditional Bavarian Oom-pa-pa music) of Germany.

Some fifteen residents from Emmaus Village and Emmaus Home, as well as family and friends attended, enthusiastically embracing the opportunity to raise a glass, ‘ein Prosit’ (a toast) to say ‘Cheers!’.

“The food, atmosphere, and hospitality created such a memorable experience for our residents. A big thanks to Steve for coordinating the lunch and to the Emmaus staff who supported him in bringing it to life for our residents, who thoroughly enjoyed it,” said Emmaus Residential Service Manager, Colleen Banks.

The family of Hart Kiehn, who moved into Emmaus Village in November 2024, expressed their gratitude for the wonderful event saying, ‘thank God for those special humans taking on the role of carer and behind-the-scenes-magic-maker’.

“Carving out a new life in care isn’t easy… it takes courage, grit and a whole lot of grace. That’s why moments like this matter,” said Ann-Kathrin Kiehn.

Such was the atmosphere and success of the lunch that there is now talk of arranging more such celebrations for Oktoberfest!