Hi Leanne here.

Did you know that Alphington Community Centre began life as a babysitting club? Women helping each other out, connecting, filling the gaps, addressing social isolation.

And then it evolved to include a toy library and an op-shop so that women could fundraise, share resources and/or pass on the things they didn’t need anymore to someone else who did. When money was tight.

And then came playgroups, and lunches … nourishing neighbourhood stomachs and lonely souls. And fitness classes for healthy bodies and minds. And so on and so forth.

After a year of COVID I am pretty sure that even those of you who had previously not lived a daily life in your home neighbourhood, now understand that grassroots local connections, support and resources are super important.

Every day when I come to work I think not just about how lucky I am to have such a fabulous job, but also about how very fortunate we are to have a neighbourhood house in our community.

I first came to ACC when my kids were little. Elspeth was running it then, and I remember how easy, kind, calm and welcoming everything was. I went to yoga at the Alphington Scout Hall and it didn’t matter that my kids cried or got in the way. I came to playgroup here at the centre and it was all very chilled. I took my kids to Susie’s dancing classes at the Fairfield Community Rooms (so much loud crazy fun!) and then to Vikki’s ballet classes at the Fairfield Girl Guides Hall (remember that building). And when I wasn’t doing things associated with ACC I went off to kids music classes, and mums and bubs yoga at Jika Jika, the neighbourhood house in Northcote.

But to tell you the truth, I didn’t really connect up all the dots. That the things I wanted and needed when I was at home by myself for the first time (and juggling children and this whole new lonely non-working world) including the chance to make new friends, keep fit and healthy, keep my kids busy and learning … but not spend lots of money - were all available because someone (just like the future me - the now me) was thinking about women, thinking about young families, quietly behind the scenes assessing and addressing social isolation, loneliness, quantifying community need and identifying what was missing, and then exploring what was possible at the neighbourhood level that could make a difference. And implementing these things.

When I got my first job at ACC Becca was running the centre. And she was equally as inspiring and lovely as Elspeth. She was generous enough to take me under her wing. She was a fabulous organiser and small business operator, and so when I finally took over from her I inherited a wealth of knowledge, great connections and a neighbourhood institution that was financially robust.

Anyway. Today on International Women’s Day I want to thank all the women who came before me (and us).

So many (mostly) women in our neighbourhood pushed determinedly for ACC to exist, for it to have solid funding, and then contributed their time and energy (so many volunteer hours) to make it even more, and ensure Alphington Community Centre is what it is today.

And speaking of today. Today loneliness and social isolation haven’t gone anywhere. In fact our understanding of who is impacted and the social, physical and financial cost is growing, as more and more research in this area is published.

Young mums and dads need neighbourhood connections. And older people (because we all know that retirement is another poky time for loneliness). And then we know that more and more people live alone. Which can be lonely. And families don’t necessarily live close by. Which can be isolating … and it goes on and on.

In Alphington we really are very fortunate that we already have a neighbourhood house in our community - physical and social infrastructure that is flexible and dynamic with a wealth of networks and experience that can expand and grow to address our evolving understanding of social isolation, loneliness and community need.

And today is a great day to acknowledge that this resource would not exist for everyone without strong visionary women. Women who championed it in the first place, and women who subsequently built on the foundations to evolve ACC into the amazing community resource that it is today.

Go women of Alphington past and present! And Happy International Women’s Day.

Last Friday Anne (our chair) and I were delighted to show Cr Gabrielle de Vietri, Yarra’s new Mayor, around the house and talk to her about all the exciting and neighbourhoodly things we do here. Gabrielle came along with Kathy who is our main contact and lovely colleague at Yarra Council and Elly who supports volunteering across Yarra.

It was a great morning to visit as it was Brett’s birthday and we decorated him a pretty fancy cake. We’ve attached some photos so that you can admire our efforts and wish you too were here to partake of the sugary delight!

So, if you would like to eat cake and coffee with nice people in the neighbourhood any Friday during school term, just pop past at 11.30am. Alternatively join us from 10am for art, craft and gardening (and possibly some cooking/cake decorating). We hope to see you soon!

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.

At ACC we offer a number of great things for young families.

On Mondays we have a Czech and Slovak Playgroup. So … if you have a Czech or Slovak background (or know a young family who does) you might like to think about joining/recommending this playgroup - a fun and friendly group of families that come along each week to share language, lunch and life. Find our more and join up here.

Lego Club is an after school activity for primary school aged children running on Mondays again this year. Cat runs this fabulous structured program that has a clear focus each week, such as building a bridge or a house. She brings along the right Lego for the project and documents the wonderful creations for each child - so that even though the hard work is sadly dismantled, it can be remembered for ever! If you have a child who loves Lego this could be just the program you are looking for. Email Cat at learnitprograms@gmail.com to find out more.

On Tuesday mornings we offer a MyTime Peer Support Playgroup. This playgroup is led by the very kind-hearted, generous and caring Sue Lenzi, who is a social worker and counsellor. It is linked in with Downs Syndrome Victoria, and any and all families are welcome to attend, but it is particularly great for families needing extra support, as Sue is there for a regular chat and can help you along the way with whatever you need. It is ideal for parents with post natal depression, families with English as a second language, families that are managing young children with disabilities etc. To facilitate conversational opportunities with Sue this playgroup has the extra assistance of Gianna, who is the playgroup assistant. She sets out activities and keeps the kids occupied. Sounds like something you (or someone you know) could be interested in? Find out more and/or book in here.

On Wednesdays this year we are opening up our yard for casual drop in community Playtime in the Garden from 10am-12pm. Families are invited to come along by themselves or with friends and use our sandpit and mud kitchen etc. As we progress and get more organised we’ll have some weekly activities out for families to help themselves to. Grab a coffee next door and make the most of our secure play spaces (note we are in the middle or renovating our front garden, but we’re expecting it to be open and fully operational early March) or sit out on the corner and keep your kids entertained with our chalk drawing box.

And then we have our Toy Library open at the same time as Playtime in the Garden. So you can pop in and borrow toys. Note we’re just in the process of rejigging this service, and thinking of putting together some packs that can be reserved online. We’ll keep you updated on how this pans out.

On Thursdays the very lovely Maimi hosts 2 wonderful Japanese Kilin Playgroups. These playgroups are (as the name suggests) run in Japanese and are quite structured with songs, books, written exercises, cooking and activities for children. From the office it looks and sounds like the kids have a great time! If you are keen to find out more email maimiclass@gmail.com.

And … we’re open to more ideas. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you are part of a playgroup needing a new home, or if you are looking for a place to run after-school kids activities. We’re always keen on building the services we offer the young families in our community!

At the end of 2020 we had lots of interesting conversations with people about how to revamp existing short courses, workshops and programs, and we also started exploring some new interesting ideas.

And this year we have put together a formal ‘Expression of Interest’ page on our website.

On this page we invite you to register if you are interested in :

• Being part of a Men in the Shed program this year - we need more people to commit to this program for it to be viable - and we’re interested in exploring what is should look like … are men in the area interested in making things with tools, or would doing some social things together suit more people, or is gardening a good draw card, or perhaps sharing cooking and meals might be the thing that men are interested in doing together? Once we have a number of people registered we’ll start exploring what this program should look like on the ground.

• Lego Club. Cat ran Lego Club last year in the school holidays and as an after school activity. This year she could run it on either a Monday or a Wednesday. We invite you to contact her to register your interest.

• An Introduction to Collage course, either on a weeknight or on the weekend. Local artist Maria has approached us and is offering to run an affordable collage class. If this is something that tickles your fancy we have a registration process for this as well.

• Spoon carving with local artist Maylei Hunt. This is probably one for semester 2, as we will need to find some funding to buy the equipment, but we’re wondering how many people would be keen …

To find out more and register just click here.