Hi everyone,

In exciting (but necessarily low-key) news, we are going to be a Low Sensory Voting Site for the Northcote electorate. If you or someone you know would benefit from a quiet, low-sensory space for voting (lights low, all our pictures down, no noisy stuff happening outside etc.) then you are welcome to come here. This voting opportunity will happen 10 days before the actual election … on Tuesday 17 November from 9am-5pm. You can find out all the details from the VEC here.

Also, our Christmas Makers’ Market is next Saturday 21 November from 11am-2pm and we’re gearing up. Come on down to shop locally for your Christmas gifts and bring the kids along for Christmas crafty activities and a sausage in bread! It will also be the first weekend of Alphington Open Studios, which is a great annual celebration of our local artists. Pick up the brochure here in our foyer (or outside on the side of the street libraries) and check out the artists at ACC before following the trail around the neighbourhood to visit all the other local artists involved, in their studios or at the Parklands. AOS is supported by a grant from the North Fitzroy/Clifton Hill Community Bank (what an ace bank).

In the meantime, if you’d like to celebrate Diwali you can join us for Community Lunch this Friday at 12pm for an Indian feast and/or you can pop in at 12.30pm for a coffee/tea and some dancing! Should be both yummy and lots of fun.

Check out our website here at this link to find out more information about what’s on at ACC and to book in to all the things online!

Cheers Leanne

Do you love trivia? We hope to put together a table for the Friends of Baucau trivia night fundraiser coming up on Wednesday 18 November.

Tickets cost $60 or $45 for concession - but all the money goes to supporting on-the-ground community organisations in Timor-Leste.

If you want to join in please email us here. We’ll then coordinate booking seats at an ACC table.

Alternatively you might have a group of trivia buff friends and put together your own table - and then here’s the link to book directly.

Neuroblastoma Australia recently reached out to us to invite our ACC community along to their fun run and fun day coming up on Sunday 15 November. We encourage everyone to go along and support an important cause!

---

Run2Cure Melbourne is a fun and inclusive day for the whole family, featuring a 1km Little Heroes Walk, family activities, and run/walk distances suitable for all ages and abilities. Most importantly, the event raises vital funds for research into neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive childhood cancer that primarily affects babies and young children. Find out more and register here at this link.

For anyone interested in woodcraft, or in need of a new wooden spoon, the Friends of Darebin Parklands will be running whittling workshops using the local olive trees over the next few weeks - some of which will be sold as part of Alphington Open Studios! Check it out…..

---

Welcome back to Term 4. I had a great break and I hope you did too.

A quick summary from my end - I went down to Anglesea and caught up with my sisters, held my baby Scarlett’s 18th birthday party at our house (and survived the 100 guests - no it was actually super and they were very well behaved … lots of lovely kids live in our neighbourhood right! All buckling down for year 12 exams now). And I booked one of Darebin Council’s hard rubbish collections and did a big clean out of our tools and garden stuff - how did I accumulate so many rusty things? Also I pulled up some weeds and planted some tomatoes and capsicum … just before the rain of the last few days - so I hope they are settling in well.

Anyway, now I am back to all things ACC and look forward to the last quarter of the year!

And we’ve got lots coming up …

• Money Matters: AI and Scams (talk) - on Wednesday 14 October. Join us for this free lunch and talk. Advertised as part of Seniors Month (but open to all).

• Heart Centred Breathwork (short course) - starts up on Tuesday 20 October for the early risers (at 7.30am). John is running this course and it will be a super way to start the day!

• Money Matters: Managing on a Limited Budget (talk) - on Wednesday 21 October. Join us for this free lunch and talk. We are running it as part of Seniors Month - but we’re not ageist - anyone can attend!!!

• Community Yoga (short course) with Rosie starts on Wednesday 21 October at 5.30pm. Always lovely.

• Cook by the Book (short course) - on Thursdays from 11.30am, starting on 22 October, for 6 weeks. This term we’ll be cooking from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Simple cook book. I think he is my favourite contemporary chef with lots of fresh and delicious recipes that are often vego or vegan … and this book also at the back suggests some recipe combos that would go well together, or some ‘feasts’ … so the plan will be to dive in and try to make them together. YUM!

• CRUNCH (short course) - also starting Thursday 22 October, from 12.30pm (6 weeks). After sharing lunch with the Cook by the Book crew (looking forward to their Ottolenghi feasts) we’ll be doing weaving this term - basket weaving with rope and raffia, and perhaps with natural materials too. Join us to build up some skills as we work together (and maybe most importantly enjoy great conversations) and create some wonderful pieces (that could be super for Christmas presents I imagine).

• Uke Singalong (event) - Sunday 25 October, in the afternoon (details to be confirmed!). The Flukes (our uke group) are once again going to host a singalong on a Sunday afternoon. How fun! They have been practising some new tunes especially for the occasion. Last time was super, and it should be lovely again.

• Resuscitate a Mate (workshop) - 10 November at 10am-11.30am. Life Saving Victoria is running this short refresher course - aimed at older folk (you can identify with that any way you like) - but essentially building community skills around DRSABCD … including confidence to use a defibrillator. It’s not an accredited course, but a great opportunity to learn what to do (or get a practical reminder).

• Alphington Open Studios (event) - the last two weekends in November. We love having our space available and part of this suburb wide event. This year we will be hosting 4 or 5 artists in our space (how super).

And then it is Christmas - the Christmas Market on 21 November, Christmas Lunch on Friday 11 December, Christmas Carols (at the Bowls Club) on Sunday 20 December …

And of course all the other stuff - Playgroups on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, Toy Library, Line Dancing at the Scout Hall on Wednesday mornings, Alphingtones Choir at St Andrews Church, CWA meeting on the first Monday of the month in the Parklands, U3A Armchair Theatre (playreading) every Wednesday afternoon … and Book Clubs (currently finalising their book choices for next year).

And our Community Morning each Friday - art and craft, chats and gardening from 10.30am … Community Lunch at 12pm. AAA Arts at 1pm.

Also …. if you are feeling creative this Thursday (or next) Lee and I will be working on finishing off our new mosaic project for the very front garden bed- we’ll be on the job from 10.30am-12pm. And Clare will be working on it at the same time on Fridays. Come along and join us if you would like to contribute. We’ll be chatting (a lot I imagine) and cutting tiles, and gluing and grouting … the project is looking just beautiful and it is always nice to think you were part of something creative that jazzes up the neighbourhood right?

If you are inspired by our program you can book into all our things here. Hope to see you at ACC soon!

Cheers Leanne