Find out what is happening at ACC and in the neighbourhood.
“connecting our community”
We are hoping that some local people might have an abundance of fruit or vegetables from their garden they would like to send our way.
Last year we had a once-a-month preserving session at ACC on Friday morning. And we’re keen to start it back up again.
So if you have extra zucchini or cucumbers, stone fruit … or anything else we could turn into pickles or chutneys or jams please let us know as we have some keen local volunteers waiting to get to work :-)
This term our garden is open for young families to come and have a play on Wednesday mornings from 10am-12pm.
We’ve got the sandpit open, the toys out, ride-ons at the ready and some crafty activities set up.
If you’re looking for a change from the local park you can pop past with a coffee from the cafe, or an icy pole from the milkbar, and make yourself at home.
The very best thing about being part of a neighbourhood house is the ability to make the most of the skills in our community and the opportunities on our doorstep.
During lockdown we met lovely local Maylei when she contacted us proposing a wooden spoon carving workshop - and followed up with a visit to buy a mask and introduce herself in person, back in the day when masks were the new thing (it seems like a lifetime ago now).
Wooden spoon carving sounds pretty cool right? And we were keen to continue the discussion (note the expression of interest process we have running - you can register here if it sounds like your cup of tea too).
Anyway, we’ve been having ongoing discussions with Maylei about how she could contribute at ACC, and last term she took part in our Women in the Shed program, with the thought that if demand continued, she could run an additional session this year.
And it has. And so she is.
So we thought it might be nice to introduce her. Maylei is a visual artist and social documentary photographer. She is originally from Sydney but moved to Melbourne four years ago.
She has a diploma in Community Development and has taught a range of creative classes to children and adults alike, including photography, visual arts and wooden spoon carving (obviously).
Maylei has a long-standing interest in wood working and particularly loves creating practical items. Here’s a photo of her with the rustic planter she made last term in our program … she made it to match one she has at home already.
If you are keen to book yourself a place in Women in the Shed it is full this term but there are spots available next term. So you can still join in this safe, kind, fun, creative and supportive class on Thursdays. And we also have a couple of Learn Local discounted spots as well for next term (these take the cost down from $150 to $50 for those that need it - just contact our office). Find out more and book in here.
Keen to get to know others in the neighbourhood? Join us for community gardening or community craft each Friday morning from 10am … and then share morning tea out on the corner from 11.30am. You’re welcome to come along for any part of this low key community-building morning.
We’ll be starting a new yarn bombing project with community craft participants inside - all skills (and no skills) gratefully received - at the very least everyone’s always keen for a chat! And the garden needs some love after our month of holidays if you’d like to be active outside for an hour or so.
We hope to see you here in 2021!
Hi, Leanne here.
In the midst of wicked global problems I think sometimes it is a bit hard to see the bite-sized chunks that we can digest and act on as individuals. And … even if they are presented to us on a plate, as it were … it is sometimes also hard to see how our individual actions and choices do anything meaningful, or have any real value in a global sense.
On the other hand, I feel that my/our pandemic experience disproves this thought.
When I look around at the Melbourne community and the very different life we are living to people in the UK or USA, just for example, I feel like my actions (to stay home and wear a mask and not whinge too much) have contributed to protecting my loved ones and to broader community safety. And this makes me feel good.
And I feel that our individual actions collectively enabled us as a community to actually see the benefits of putting public health first. Which enabled our State Government to more easily maintain the determination to keep public health front and centre, creating (unquestionably I think) a better reality for us than many other people internationally at this moment in time.
In addition, I can see that Victoria’s approach has influenced how other states across Australia are now tackling the virus when it gets into the community.
My/our action has created both a better place right here in the immediate for us, and also provided an alternative model that has influenced and can continue to inform others, nationally and hopefully even globally.
And this, friends, is my intro spiel to thinking about (or perhaps rethinking) the value of taking personal action on the other wicked problem in our lives, climate change.
Because little everyday actions at the individual level can make a significant difference, driving and bolstering political will, leading to real change at the big picture level. And they can also just make you feel good that you are doing your best and playing your part to look after those you most love.
In this context you might be interested in this latest offering from Yarra Council, a panel discussion they have put together called, ‘choosing a plant-based diet: taking climate action through the food we eat’.
Yarra Council invites you to join Shannon Martinez, Head Chef and Owner of Melbourne's best vegan restaurant, Smith and Daughters and Jess Panegyres, former Campaign Manager, Forests at The Wilderness Society in a discussion about why we need to change the way we eat if we are to tackle the climate emergency.
It sounds interesting right?
Choosing a plant-based diet: tacking climate action through the food we eat
Thursday 11 March, 7pm - 8.15pm
Online event
Shannon Martinez, Smith and Daughters
