Hi friends, well … an outbreak in our neck of the woods, a pause, two days of zero cases and the move to stage 3 of reopening - what a rollercoaster of a few days it has been.

At ACC we still don’t have confirmation of exactly where we stand. We’re a sector that sits in the middle of things and NHVic (our peak body) is currently clarifying where we are at as a whole. So once we hear from them we’ll let you know!

BUT … in anticipation of the time when activities and groups can once again gather at ACC … please be aware that we are SUPER COOL and MOVING WITH THE TIMES … and we have a QR code posted around the centre.

If you are on site for more than 15 minutes you must register that you’ve been at ACC. Because we want to be as ace as that cafe in Kilmore right?

A QR code sounds pretty high tech … but it is just a fancy way to access a form that you fill in via your phone … that then automatically populates data in a spreadsheet. All you do is point your phone camera at the code. It then reads it and a link to the form pops up on your phone. Then you need to click on the link and follow the prompts … fill in your name, phone number and the time you anticipate being onsite. This data is automatically put into the online spreadsheet in date order (which we’ll be able to refer to if there is an outbreak).

Anyway … if this is all too much, and you don’t have a smart phone … and you want a less tech option, you can skip the QR code and use the computer in the foyer to register, or if we are in the office, we can do it for you. We’re ALWAYS here to help!

Fun times hey? So many new things to learn. We’re so looking forward to Covid-normal and seeing you soon.

And hopefully this is another way to keep our community safe.

Our annual general meeting (AGM) was on last night (Monday). Thanks to those who came along online. It was lovely to see so many neighbourhood friends.

The AGM is a chance for us as an organisation to look back at what we have done in the last year. When we do this it always amazes me that we can achieve so much from our little neighbourhood house. I hope all the staff, along with our committee and volunteers feel proud of the good things and good vibes we collectively put out into the universe in the last year!

If you’d like to read our annual report you can find it here. If you’d like to check out the presentation we put together for the meeting you can do so here.

Once again I’d really like to thank all our committee for their contribution over the last year and welcome them all back on board, with the addition of local Jane Wilkinson. Welcome Jane.

Last week the letter from Oslo was super interesting. This week our dear neighbour letter comes from Singapore. Pick your copy up from the butcher’s shop window!

This coming week is children’s week, and we have a special ‘space’ edition of craftberry jam available for the occasion.

Make a rocket, stuff an alien … and more! Kits will be available out the front under the pergola. Just look out for our special children’s week astronaut …

Pop past to pick yours up.

This activity is presented by ACC in partnership with the Victorian government.

As many of you probably already know, there are groups of people who have found this pandemic very difficult. This includes international students.

These young people who are bravely stepping out into the big world are often here by themselves renting and generally adulting perhaps for the first time. They have found that their part time jobs have dried up and then, for many, their parents can no longer help them at all because they too are being impacted by the pandemic in their home country. It is a terribly tricky situation.

So It is great to see initiatives like Foodbank’s new pop-up International Student Shop at 230 LaTrobe Street. It is open 10am-2pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday and students just need their student card and a shopping bag to access basic healthy food supplies.