Hi friends, school holidays are upon us again and ACC will be taking a break from our online news for two weeks … unless anything urgent pops up!

We’ll be back on deck and raring to go on Monday 5 October.

It is also worth noting that our AGM will be coming up on Monday 26 October at 7pm. It will be an online affair. Please register here if you’d like to attend and we’ll send you a link. And if you are interested in being on our committee next year please give me (Leanne) a call on 0411 561 420.

If there’s one thing I think we’ve all learnt in 2020, it is the peril of having a plan. So, to save unnecessary heartache and grief my plan for the last 6 months has been pretty much not to have one … to take things one day at a time, perhaps two if I’m feeling ambitious (yes let’s go for a walk tomorrow my friend) or putting something off (shopping … I’ll go tomorrow).

However … this week spring has sprung, the sun has been shining and I am feeling a little more like a plan might be something to aspire to once again. And I guess the main plan we need is one for re-opening ACC.

We’ve got some ideas. For example we’re thinking of holding weekly morning teas out on the corner. Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a cuppa and some cake on a Friday morning … and chat in person again?

And… we are after your ideas too!

Kalimna has made a quick online survey - just 4 questions about how you generally use the centre, how you have been engaged with us over the last 6 months and your thoughts on programs and priorities for the bright, shiny new future that surely awaits us all in 2021.

Click here to give us your two-bobs!

Thanks. We’re actually super interested in your input and would be very thankful if you could take a couple of minutes to give us your thoughts!

All things being equal, we will be able to resume our Women in the Shed program (because it falls under the umbrella of adult education) when metropolitan Melbourne moves to stage 3 of reopening - currently scheduled for 26 October.

From this date (fingers and toes crossed) we will run two session of this program on Mondays and Tuesdays over 6 weeks. There are currently seven people booked in and we have up to five additional spots if you’d like to join in too.

Jen Dentoom, who teaches this course, is a welder and mosaic artist and is responsible for the fantastic metal and mosaic signs and sculptures around our centre. She knows her tools and has an infectious can-do attitude. This is a great opportunity to get familiar and comfortable with drills and dremmels, jigsaws and more in a safe and friendly supervised space. This program runs as a low-cost subsidised Learn Local course, so it is also very affordable.

To find out more and book in just click here.

1. The blossom appearing on some of the fruit trees in the front garden at ACC.

2. This message from Prince Charles ‘and his wife’ (who knew Buckingham Palace was thinking of us).

3. That some people who collected and read a ‘Blind Date with a Book’ book from our first week on the street dropped them back at ACC - it wasn’t obligatory but we’re very pleased to be facilitating reusing and recycling!

And also … we got a grant from Yarra Valley Water for a water tank in the front garden … and a whole lot of water-saving plumbing upgrades around the Centre - how unreal! We’ll get cracking on facilitating this when we can be back on site regularly.

Hi everyone, just confirming that ACC will be physically closed for the next 6 weeks. We’re super keen to play our part in driving Covid-19 numbers down - and accordingly will be limiting our own movement and contact with others.

We will be answering calls and emails, writing posts and working behind the scenes, but our staff will not be engaged in any face-to-face activities and we will all be working from home.

Please note we will continue to sell face masks on our website. $10 each. The link is here if you need to buy some. Kalimna will package them up and deliver them to your door with contactless delivery (you can expect them to arrive on a Wednesday or Friday) if you live within 5km-ish of us.

We’ll continue our ‘Honestly’ project so look out for this weekly letter from a neighbour - find out what they’ve been up to and what they’ve been thinking about lately. 30 copies of the same letter are posted on the Alphington milk bar window each week - usually on a Friday. Take one home to read. They are super interesting!

Unfortunately our ‘Blind date with a book’ project will be on temporary hold … but will be back on the other side!

And we’ll be working on some new ideas as well, including our new ‘Craftberry Jam’ project … great name hey? We’ll keep you updated as it progresses.

Finally … I know I’ve said it before, but it’s really true. If you need help at this time please don’t hesitate to let us know. We’re here. We have access to food relief and can connect you in to a vast array of services … and in addition we have a number of volunteers who are very happy to call anyone who needs a regular chat, to drop off some food on their daily walk or to pick up a prescription etc.

Oh, and finally, finally … remember the wise words of Burt Bacharach (on a completely unrelated topic … but none-the-less), ‘Make it easy on yourself’. Sung best (in my humble opinion) by The Blackeyed Susans. You can listen here.

12 things to get you through Iso 2.1. You pick up this poster from the bin outside ACC if you pass by whilst doing your 1 hour of exercise!