Tonight we have our AGM. 6pm for a quick overview of the year and some yummy dinner. We’ll be having duck curry for dinner which will be delicious. I’ll make a veg. option too of course. Yes … bribes to come along - it’s not too late just send us an email before lunchtime if you can make it.

Lots of great stuff last week. Check out the posts below for photos etc.

Coming up …

• Garden to Plate is proving popular (note you do need to book in as we only have 10 spots).

• We made some lovely art at Crunch on Thursday. If you enjoy sharing a meal and being creative this is a great program for you! You are very welcome to join us.

• AAA Bowls is back.

• AAA Arts is running.

• Community Yoga is back this term - book in online!

• Keiko is here running Sound Healing on Wednesday.

• Another Embracing Life and Death discussion session is on Thursday afternoon.

Please note that we’ll be taking the Monday off next week before Melbourne Cup Day holiday. Hard to believe it’s nearly November already!

Also, note our campaign for more funding … and please sign a postcard if you can. It’s been lovely to read some of the messages you have written about why the neighbourhood house is important to you! Warms the cockles of our hearts ♥️.

Hope to see you here soon.

Cheers Leanne

We’ve got heaps! Last week at Preserves Group we made 24 jars in just 1.5 hours - very industrious and efficient.

So now we have loads of cucumber pickles, tomato relish and marmalade for sale. If you’d like some drop past $7 a jar. The profits support our AAA programs.

Thanks to those that came along.

Hi everyone

We have our AGM coming up next Monday night, that is Monday 27 October at 6pm here at ACC. Please let us know if you’d like to join us for dinner by emailing us here. It will be pretty low key. A look back at the last year and all the fun things we have done. Something nice to eat! Chats etc.

This week sees the start of our AAA Bowls program at Alphington Bowls Club on Wednesday at 10am, along with Garden to Plate cooking program today (Monday) from 11.30am-1pm AND Crunch on Thursday at 12.30pm-2pm. Book in online. We’d love to see you!

We were sorry to hear last week that John who runs of Men’s Breakfast fractured his hip - so breakfast didn’t go ahead on Saturday - and we really do wish him all the best with a speedy recovery. We hope you feel better soon John!

We had Alphington Arts last week - see some of the great art works started on the night in the post below - such a fun and inclusive program.

Social nights at Alphington Bowls Club is back on Fridays - see the post below for the details.

ALSO … we have a funding campaign underway! the 400 neighbourhood houses in Victoria are asking the State Government to increase the annual funding by 25%. And we’re hoping to send 40,000 postcards to the Minister to physically demonstrate just how many people use the houses across Victoria.

You can find out more in the post below and … we’d really appreciate you popping into the foyer and completing a card to add to the mix! Or completing one when you are next here. We’ll drop some off at line dancing too! It is actually really, really important to us to get this funding (it would make a HUGE difference) so please help us!

Also FYI, I have been invited to be part of the Community Reference Group for the 2 Wingrove Street site review that Darebin Council is undertaking. There are about 15 people on there - and most of them I knew from around our area which is great. We met for the first time last week. I will keep you updated on the details as they emerge!

Hope to see you here soon.

Cheers Leanne

We need your help.

Around 400 neighbourhood houses are funded by the Victorian State Government through the Neighbourhood House Coordination Plan (NHCP) to provide all the activities and events you know (and enjoy) in both urban and rural communities across Victoria - amazing services and support uniquely targeted at and for each local community and its needs.

This ‘base funding’ as we often refer to it, was first devised back in the last century (that makes me feel old!) with an 80/20 split - 80% covered the costs of the Executive Officer/Manager salary AND 20% contributed to operating costs. Unfortunately, over time this funding has not kept up with staffing costs OR operating costs. Today the funding we get from the State Government doesn’t cover the award salary costs to employ the Executive Officer/Manager, let alone contribute to operating costs … which means ALL neighbourhood houses are scrounging around for additional money year in and year out to keep the doors open.

Many houses are now at breaking point. Nearly half of all houses in Victoria have recorded a loss for two years running. Years of progressively less funding compared to actual costs has seen houses having to limit staff, stretch resources, cut hours and reduce programs - just to turn on the lights.

This October and November all neighbourhood houses across Victoria are campaigning for additional ‘base funding’ to be included in the 2026 State Budget. In particular we are calling on the State Government to increase the NHCP rate by 25% (an additional $11.7M annually). This increase is the minimum required to restore funding to sustainable levels (eg. back to an approximate of what it was with the 80/20 split).

YOU CAN HELP! When you are next here please sign a postcard. We are hoping that if each house can collect 100 signed postcards then we’ll able to deliver 40,000 postcards in person to our local members to have a conversation about how ace neighbourhood houses are (which of course they already know) and why we need additional funding support … and we’ll ask them to then forward the postcards from their local constituents (you) on to the relevant Minister, Ros Spence MP. We’re hoping that the collective voices of everyday Victorians through our informed local parliamentarians might influence the funding allocated for neighbourhood houses from the State Government into the future.

And then we will keep our fingers and toes crossed.

In the mean time we look forward to your help when you are next here. Please complete a postcard and drop it in the box in the foyer. It will take like 30 seconds tops!

Thanks Leanne

We had a great night on Thursday with Alphington Arts. Elise Coughlin led a workshop on landscape painting - giving us lots of tips … and then we all had a crack!

As usual it is amazing to see how everyone approaches things differently. Everyone went home with the start of something … and I am sure with fresh eyes tomorrow and an hour or two more of painting they will evolve into masterpieces! Here are a few of the works in progress.

Super right? Thanks Elise. I think everyone learnt a lot!