A few years ago now I (Leanne) had the opportunity to go to Timor-Leste to visit lots of women’s organisations and meet politicians, along with diplomats and all the big NGOs … it was amazing all round and particularly wonderful to meet local people working in their communities trying to improve lives and living standards and make a difference.

The trip was organised by Friends of Baucau, which is a long-standing organisation based in Darebin and Yarra Council areas (that works officially with Council ) to support both the community groups and administration of Baucau in Timor-Leste.

Anyway … they do wonderful things and build super partnerships … and I have been actively involved with them ever since.

And after a hiatus due to Covid the are hosting their first fundraising concert for a couple of years - that you might be interested in attending. The concert will happen in Kew (just over the river) on Sunday 4 December from 3.30pm. Tickets cost $50.

Timor-Leste is the poorest country in our region, and people live on less than $1 per day. This fundraiser will support the Friends of Baucau scholarship fund - enabling young women to undertake a Bachelor of Education at the local Teachers College and become a teacher.

Here are the details …

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GABRIEL VARGAS

Guitarist Gabriel Vargas has headed up bands such as Gasoline Inc. and Veludo, which saw him supporting acts such as rock icons INXS, and his song Superstar was picked up by the AFL in 2010. As a solo musician he has supported and toured with Jeff Martin (The Tea Party), Jon Toogood (Shihad), and James Reid (The Feelers). As a songwriter, he aims to use music as a means to inspire, heal and connect.

DATE

Sunday 4 December 2022 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM

LOCATION

Get directions

4 Redmond Street
Kew Victoria 3101

Tickets

Buy them here.

Friends of Baucau Inc (FoB) is an incorporated community organisation based in the municipalities of Darebin and Yarra in Victoria, Australia. Our aim is to promote friendship links between the people in these cities and the communities of the Baucau municipality in Timor-Leste, and in particular, to work closely with 11 villages in the Baucau Villa sub-district. Friends of Baucau is endorsed and supported by the Councils of Darebin and Yarra, the national government of Timor-Leste and the municipality of Baucau.

The Salustiano Freitas Scholarship Fund supports quality education in Timor-Leste by providing scholarships to young Timorese to undertake the Bachelor of Teaching at the Marist Brothers’ Teacher Training College in Baucau (ICFP). Each scholarship, for US$1000 per student per year, pays the tuition and living costs, and we continue this arrangement for the duration of their training.

Our annual Christmas Makers Market is coming up on Saturday 26th of November from 11am-2pm. It’s on the election day … always such a wonderful neighbourhood day with everyone wandering the streets, and we hope that on your way to or from voting at Fairfield PS or Alphington PS you will drop by and take a look at all the wonderful stalls of local makers that will be lining the footpath out the front of ACC and pop in to enjoy the salon exhibition inside our centre - part of the Alphington Open Studios weekend.

We are hoping for great weather (fingers crossed) and for lots of locals to come out and support this lovely community day (and our local makers).

And … we are looking for some lovely volunteers to help us out on the day with either our craft stall or food stall. We always appreciate our long standing volunteers who regularly help us out on these days; but it is also great to have some new and friendly faces to lend a hand.

So if you have an hour or two free on Saturday 26th of November between 11am-2pm and would like to do something neighbourhoodly … then send us an email.

It would be great if you could nominate a time and what you might like to help out with. The more the merrier.

Thank you!

Lovely to see local events like the Fairfield Primary School art show starting again after the Covid hiatus.

I (Leanne) made some stools for them to auction off (even though my kids aren’t there anymore) and added a bit of spruiking of our lovely community centre into the event in the banter that went with the auction!

Hope you went along … aren’t we lucky to live in a such a great creative community.

Coming up! Book a stall here or save the date for your Christmas shopping.

We’re super excited to be partnering with local artists across the neighbourhood once again as part of the annual Alphington Open Studios weekends.

At ACC we are hosting the salon exhibition, that features two works from every artist who is part of the event, and other local artists are invited to be part of it as well!

To join in just register here. It is free, with a small fee charged for processing any works sold.

Alphington Open Studios will run on 26/27 November (with opening night drinks here at ACC on Friday 25 November) and will remain open the following weekend - 3/4 December.