As we approach the end of term 2 we’re all looking forward to a break so that we can return refreshed and ready to roll for the second half of the year.

So, firstly this is a reminder that we’ll finish up this Friday 23 June and take a two week break - then see you all on Monday 10 July bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready for term 3.

In this last week we’ll be working on the program for next semester.

We’ve had lots of people come and talk to us about new ideas which is just fabulous! We’ve had discussions about health, wellbeing and fitness classes, maternal/child health support, art classes, community art projects and more. So we’ll spend the week following these ideas up and seeing which ones we can get going.

And we’re also talking with our local artists from Alphington Open Studios about the dates for this year, and talking with the Music from the Wetlands committee about how we can best help out for that fabulous event (how EXCITING - it will be on again in late November, always such a wonderful day!).

We’re also super thrilled that our colleagues over in Richmond got a grant from Sustainability Victoria all about building a ‘repair’ culture. And they have invited us to be part of their workshop series. So we might have a bike repair workshop here, maybe Gordon back for Sewing Machine and Overlocker maintenance/repairs, and a session on how to repair a lamp … Sounds great hey (I’d love to know how to use a kit to rewire my lovely old standard lamp safely … ). Richmond are just in the process of working out what happens at which site!

We also have two students from The Academy of Mary Immaculate here this week, which will be just lovely. I am sure they will be very helpful in getting organised for the end of term. And also a great resource to tap into for programming ideas. Look out for them and make them feel welcome!

And finally I have included a photo from last week of the green tomato relish that our lovely preserves group made. The tomatoes came from Kalimna’s mum and dad who have a big garden - she brought in so many tomatoes that our cooks needed two sessions to get through them all. With donated glass jars and fabric and donated ingredients, our preserves group activities are not just about being productive and helping us fundraise whilst chatting and making community connections, but also about low food miles and recycling! It’s super isn’t it!

Did you know we have a Toy Library at ACC? It has been around since the 1980s … so for lots of adults who grew up in the neighbourhood, it is how they first came to know us.

We have 400+ toys in this amazing community resource and after A LOT of work by Kalimna (she has worked on this tirelessly for hours on end) we now have it fully online.

We’d like to thank the Inner North Community Foundation for supporting this transition as part of their Covid recovery community investment commitment.

We’ve been taking baby steps for a bit trialling the system … and now we’re thinking we might be ready to run (or at least walk right across the room) …

So … Join up! Join up!

It cost $45 per year and you can borrow 4 toys at a time.

Then you can return them in two weeks, or renew your loan. And when you are ready reserve 4 more.

Note, bookings need to be made before 10am on Tuesday. This is when our long-standing friend Sarah comes in to fill the orders.

Families can then collect their toys between 1pm-4pm that afternoon (Tuesday) here at ACC.

And … if you have a sleeping bub in the car let us know (call the office on 9499 7227 if you can’t wave us down through the window) and if we can we’ll bring the toys out to you (our very own neighbourhoodly version of click and collect).

Toys in our library include baby play toys, games, trikes and bikes, puzzles, musical instruments, construction kits and loads of imaginative play items. And there are some super vintage items along the way (that have survived from back when it all began).

Check it out here.

Also … if something is a bit glitchy in our system please let us know … we’re definitely teething at the minute!

Also, also … if you are already a member contact us - Kalimna has already set you up in the system … and we’ll make sure your payments take into account the period we were out of action (note Kalimna is in Tuesday and Thursday).

Here are the photos as promised from our recent Yarra Neighbourhood House Network volunteer lunch.

Thanks to everyone who came along. We hope you had a great day!

Our garden has been spruced up by a delivery of compost. And we’d like to thank the volunteers who moved it into place, spreading it out across our site. And thank Darebin Council for the delivery. This year again we are receiving the FOGO compost - which is the compost made from our green waste bins … so … it’s entirely possible that your carrot peelings and cauliflower leaves (if you put them in your green waste bin) are now right here in the garden at ACC! Isn’t that a nice thought.

We’re about to (well in the next month we hope) plant more indigenous plants 🌱 out in our front corner garden that has been looking a little sad … we will give them the chance to settle in over winter and be ready to burst into life in spring! Fingers crossed.

If you are keen on gardening we have a lovely group of garden enthusiasts here on a Friday morning from 10am who help weed, rake leaves, save seeds, plant out beds, thin seedlings … and all the things. And anyone is very welcome to come along and help us improve our outdoor spaces, help grow community food and meet nice people! We’ll reward you with a delicious morning tea at 11.30am (catered by our CWA friends) to thank you for your contribution!

Last week Kalimna and I headed off to Silverwater Resort at San Remo for the annual Neighbourhood Houses Victoria (NHVic) Conference. NHVic is our peak body.

There are 400+ neighbourhood houses in Victoria, and of those, 25% have had new Executive Officers come on board in the last 3 years - so it was not just a chance to catch up with old friends (the last conference was pre-Covid times) but also an opportunity to talk to people new to the sector. Including Jen - who many of you will remember! She started our Women in the Shed program and has recently been appointed to run Garfield Neighbourhood House in Cardinia Shire - it was lovely to see her.

And we got lots of great ideas. Costa Georgiadis from Gardening Australia kicked things off with a talk all about how he goes about pitching gardening … making the stories engaging and entertaining. It was a great reminder. Jacinta Parsons from ABC radio was the keynote speaker at the dinner and talked about her chronic illness and how important community support is. And in between we heard from the new ACNC commissioner, got an update on the progress of the First Peoples Assembly in Victoria from Reuben Berg (amazing that we already have a fully operational Voice structure here in Victoria, that is well on the way to working toward the practical implementation of Truth and Treaty and we haven’t really heard much about it) and also talked and heard about community gardens, social enterprises, volunteering … and got inspired about all the things that we do day to day in neighbourhood houses.

It was a fabulous learning experience for both of us.