Vince Garreffa and Michelle Jenkins launch A Roast To Remember.
Camera IconVince Garreffa and Michelle Jenkins launch A Roast To Remember. Credit: Supplied/Kelly Barker

Perth: Host a roast to remember for dementia

Matt ZisEastern Reporter

ONCE revered as the centrepiece of a traditional Sunday meal, the humble roast has become central to a delicious campaign for dementia awareness.

West Australian service and support organisation Community Vision has set an ambitious target of raising $250,000 by December, which will pay for a dementia bus to carry all the tools, equipment and therapy information to better help the thousands who care for a loved one with dementia.

Dementia is the second leading cause of death in Australia, behind only heart disease.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

It can also take away a significant amount of quality of life, from both people with the condition and the people who care for their loved ones.

Which is why organisers of the A Roast To Remember campaign believe there is significant value in encouraging people to get together and create a memorable experience over a roast this September.

Firstly, it’s about the aroma.

The smell of a full roast dinner cooking in the kitchen can elicit happy memories of times past and could be all it takes to lift the spirits of a person with dementia.

Secondly, it’s about community togetherness.

At the campaign launch last Monday, Community Vision chief executive Michelle Jenkins described how getting the family together for a big roast dinner used to mean a chance to sit down and solve all the problems of the world.

Popular chef Vince Garreffa lamented the effect that the pace of modern life had on regular family meal times, with time spent together the missing ingredient when taking easier options such as eating out or ordering in.

“Please have time together with your loved ones or your friends; it is so important for your sanity and for your total health,” he pleaded.

Finally, it’s about the fundraising.

Here’s how to take part:

1. Host your own roast meal and collect donations from your guests. Register as a host at Community Vision’s website.

2. Purchase a roast from Vince Garreffa’s Mondo Butchers in Inglewood and receive 10 per cent discount and a further 10 per cent of the cost will be donated.

3. Enjoy a roast meal at participating OZeating restaurants or purchase a WAfoodies membership and $5 will be donated.

4. Make a donation at a participating Commonwealth Bank branch or via Community Vision’s website.