Hi friends, we really need some help at the Alphington Show this year!

It is coming up next weekend on Saturday 26 March from 11am-2pm and we have 3 jobs we’re seeking volunteers to fill:

• sausage sellers - we have the cooks in place (thanks Geoff et al.) but we need a couple of people to help sell the sausages (take the money, hand over the sausages etc.). If you can help please let us know!

• kids activities - could you take the money so they can enjoy the pony rides and crafty fun … and person the ‘guess the lollies’ jar at the same time?

• dog show registrations - it’s simple! We need someone to help people sign up and select the categories they’d like to enter, then give the entrants a number to wear and direct them to the ‘show arena’ at 12pm. If you love dogs 🐕 this is a super role to fill.

If you could help please let us know! You can call 9499 7227 or email us here and Kalimna will book you in.

Keen to know more about the Alphington Show? Click here.

The final artist to feature in our outdoor gallery is local photographer Kalimna Mohamed.

Many of you will know Kalimna from ACC - but did you know she is a professional photographer in the rest of her life? This is why we have such gorgeous photographs that capture all the things we do at ACC - we consider ourselves very lucky!

The gallery on our fence features a selection of photographs she has taken from previous dog shows - capturing the personalities of a raft of our neighbourhood furry friends and their owners.

Next time you are out for a walk come past and check them out - and scan the QR code or follow this link to find out more about Kalimna’s work.

And a final thanks to Yarra City Arts for supporting this street gallery project! It has been a wonderful addition to our neighbourhood for the last year.

Our new tables arrived and they are very lovely. They came just in time for our first Sunday birthday party booking for the year.

We’re very pleased to be recommencing children’s birthday party bookings at ACC. If you would like to have a party 🎉 🎈 in our garden - and inside - you can check out the available times (and book in) here.

ACC is a great space for a party … and we have all the catering equipment you would likely need as well.

As an extra special addition to the Alphington Show, our local Alphington CWA has kindly offered to run a Scone 101 Workshop … your chance to learn how to make the best scones from the experts!!!

When: Sunday 27 March from 9am

Where: Alphington Farmgate kitchen (you’ll be able to enjoy the market after your baking!)

Cost: $15

Keen? Book here! Note if the 9am session looks like it will fill up we have the option to add a 10am session as well.

It should be great. Thanks CWA ladies - you’re amazing!

International Women’s Day is a great day to acknowledge the history of neighbourhood houses - which came about in the 70s and early 80s as a result of women getting together to help each other out - particularly when it became acceptable to return work after having children, but there was limited practical infrastructure in place to support and enable this to happen. Occasional care/crèche and babysitting clubs featured heavily in the first iteration of many houses … ACC for example had a babysitting club - with special tokens that acknowledged how many hours you had done. We still have them stored away in our archives!

It’s also a great day to acknowledge some of the wonderful women who work and volunteer and join in here, and support us - making our centre what it is today.

These photos are from the last year … women like Anne volunteering in the garden, Louisa sharing her amazing art skills in our community, Elaine, Manu and Monica making preserves to help us fundraise, Lee undertaking fabulous community art projects that we all enjoy, Annie and Silvana supporting Kinfolk and joining in our community market, Maylei teaching women new skills in the shed, the women in our shed, our politicians, our sponsors like Lee from the Community Bank on Queens Parade, lovely Maria across the road (and Betty - I don’t have a photo of Betty), Anne yarnbombing, Sharyn and Virginia hanging art for our recent exhibition, our morning tea participants, our playgroup facilitators Maimi, Sue and Gianna and the playgroup families - mostly mums. Shirley and the line dancers (sorry I didn’t include a photo) and the families that joined in our grow local, cook local workshops. And our staff including Kalimna, Jill and Suzanne. Also our committee including Heather, Anne, Michelle, Kate and Jane. And then there’s also the broader neighbourhood house network …

It is a truly fabulous experience working in partnership with so many wonderful, dynamic women every single day.

So hooray for women I say!! And happy International Women’s Day. Our house certainly wouldn’t be the same without you.