We are currently starting to get organised for next year, and we are open to adding some new programs to our schedule. If anyone has an idea for a great program or workshop that you would like to set up, or know of something great that we could possibly offer, please email us at info@alphington.org.au.

We love having volunteers come along and run activities like John’s Heart-Centred Breathwork and Men’s Breakfasts, and Rosie’s Community Yoga….. Or teachers who want to hire out the space for classes like Clare’s Artful Painting and Drawing, and Yoyo’s Violin Lessons …

In particular we have rooms available on weekday afternoons between 4pm-7pm and would be very interested in having some after-school programs or more music and/or tutoring type activities on offer. We could also fit in more counsellors or self-help type groups that might be interested in using our smaller spaces in the evenings. We are open to any ideas!

We look forward to hearing from you. Please note that we’ll be finalising our program for Semester 1, 2027 at the end of November, so all ideas need to be with us in the next couple of weeks.

Hi everyone,

Lots of getting organised behind the scenes this week. We’ve been diving into emails, setting up the processes for this coming term and confirming numbers … all the boring admin-y things that make us feel somewhat under control (at least temporarily!). But, more excitingly, we’ve also been mosaicking! We are currently working on a project with Clare that is coming along very nicely. If you are around Thursday or Friday morning this week and would like to help us (hopefully) finish things off, we’d love some help!

Also, on Friday, we collected the fired ceramic pieces for our totem poles - they look beautiful! See the poste below for some pictures.

As you may recall, I am on the community reference group for the 2 Wingrove Street site, and we had another meeting on Wednesday. If you read the minutes from the last Council meeting you will know that they voted to continue to have reference group in place as the site is developed. There are lots of great community thinkers in the group, all with different stakes in the site and the wider community outcomes … so I think it is a really valuable … and it is super to be a part of this process. I’ll keep you up to date as things progress. Council is currently about to launch into seeking geotechnical assessments for the site - which will be very helpful and really are essentaial - because the site used to be the tip, and so there are inevitable issues around stability and leeching etc. etc.

This week we are back into the swing of things with our Money Matters - Scams and AI conversation on Wednesday 14 October from 12-2.20pm. We have 16 people booked in, so a few places left if you still want to reserve a spot available at our website here.

Then on Thursday night we have Alphington Arts at 7.30pm. Come along for a fun night of getting creative.

It was lovely to see everyone on Friday - we had some new people along which is always great. Also, we had a good turnout this week for playgroups on Wednesday and Thursday (let’s hope the weather keeps being nice on these days).

Okay, that’s about it I think. See you soon!

Cheers Leanne

John from the men’s shed and Diarmaid have another shadow work workshop coming up soon here at ACC on Saturday the 24th of October.

See the details below for anyone interested in trying shadow work!

An Introduction to Shadow Work

Saturday 24th October
The Alphington Community Centre

Free Event

10.00am -1.00pm

Facilitators:

Diarmaid Fitzpatrick: Certified Shadow Work Group Facilitator 

John Byrne:  Certified Core Clearing Breath Work Practitioner

Dear Friends

You Can’t Step into the Same River Twice

The river has changed.
And so have you.

Our first Introduction to Shadow Work  in September was an opportunity to explore the different parts of ourselves that influence how we think, feel and respond to life.

But Shadow Work has many layers.

The Sovereign, Lover, Warrior and Magician are more than four boxes. Each has different expressions and strengths — and each can become inflated or deflated when we lose connection with ourselves.

This free workshop offers a chance to revisit some familiar territory and perhaps see it differently.

If you came to the first workshop, come back with fresh eyes.
If you didn’t, you’re very welcome.

You might discover something about your Inner Critic, Risk Manager, Inflated or Deflated Self — or something entirely unexpected.

No previous experience needed. Just bring your curiosity.

Because when we return to the river, we never quite enter as the same person.

To Book your place email:  Diarmaid Fitzpatrick  d.fitzpatrick@awarenessbd.com or  John Byrne  coachinglifeworks@gmail.com

We look forward to welcoming you

best wishes

Diarmaid and John

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…..

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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