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!

We’re looking forward to Thursday - our next Op Shop Adventure will be departing ACC at 10am … and then Alphington Arts is on at 7.30pm. Book in on our website.

Also, on Tuesday it’s Kalimna’s birthday 🎂 (pop past and say happy birthday!) AND we have all of grade 5 from Fairfield PS coming along to talk about what makes a great community space and the sorts of activities that can run here. And then they are going to go back to school and design their own community buildings and programs. We hope we can offer them some inspiration!

We look forward to seeing you soon and hope you can join us this week.

Our community morning on Friday includes crafty chats inside and gardening outside from 10am followed by Community Lunch at 12pm.

Cheers Leanne

Hi everyone, I hope you had a great school holidays and enjoyed the AFL Grand Final and are as excited as I am about daylight savings (I have been waking with the birds at 5.30am for the last couple of weeks aagh). I was down in Geelong heartland (Anglesea) for the footy - but there were enough ex-Fitzroy people at the pub to make it a fun day for lots of people … and they served up free party pies at half time which was a boon for winners and losers alike!

We’re back on deck this week. I called in on Friday and it was all looking great - the garden is going gang-busters. We had Project Stationery here for the first week of the holidays and Corrin was also around running her 6 week Introduction to Weaving course, along with a one day workshop for teenagers that looked super. Julie was also around co-working and some of our regular groups continued to meet. It is great to know that things have a life of their own and can continue on even when the office is closed.

This term is a busy one, kicking off with our next Thrift Seekers Op Shop Adventure on Thursday 16 October leaving ACC at 10am - we’ll be catching the bus over to Sydney Road this time to check out the op shops over there. Book in on our website. $5 includes morning tea (cake and coffee). On that night we also have Alphington Arts - for anyone who loves making art, this is a practical collective that shares skills and has a great chat. This time Elise will be teaching us some landscape painting techniques. Starts at 7.30pm. Costs $15. All materials are provided.

Then we have a Diwali celebration at Community Lunch on Friday 24 October. We’ll do some dancing led by Meet, feature some singing by Papu and have some yummy Indian food for lunch.

Then we have our AGM on Monday 27 October at 6pm. Join us for dinner and we’ll take a little photo trip down memory lane with Kalimna’s wonderful snaps, to look at all the great things we did in the financial year. It always amazes me what we can achieve in a year with such a small staff. Please contact us if you are keen to attend so we can guess at catering numbers.

Then we blink and it’s Christmas right? We have the Alphington Christmas Market on Saturday 22 November from 11am-2pm, along with the opening of Alphington Open Studios - which once again runs for two weekends across the neighbourhood.

Our annual Christmas Lunch will once again be hosted here in the garden on Friday 12 December at 12pm and Christmas Carols will run on Sunday 12 December at 7pm at the Alphington Bowls Club.

In amongst all this our programs continue. Community Lunch starts up this week on Friday from 12pm as does Alphington Playgroup on Wednesday from 10am in the front garden. Please note that Crunch and Garden to Plate start back up in two weeks.

So much on. I am exhausted thinking about it already! No … it is going to be super. Also, check out the posts below - some interesting things on in our neighbourhood that you might like to attend.

We look forward to seeing you at ACC this week.

Cheers Leanne