Our new brochure is out. We’ve created a trimmed down version for semester 1 2021. You can read it here. It is jam packed with old favourites like playgroups and choir and new ideas including a range of short courses, workshops and events you can book in to.

• Women in the Shed is back on Monday (for beginners), Tuesday and Thursday for 6 weeks in Term 1 and 2.

• Our free Access All Abilities Bowls program run with Alphington Bowls Club is back for 6 weeks in term 1 and 2.

• Our new Drawing in the Shed short course will also run for 6 weeks in Term 1 and 2. Run by local artist Louisa, this is a low-cost opportunity for all members of the community to develop the observation and co-ordination skills necessary to make creative drawings in any style. It will cover contour drawing, creating creative compositions, drawing with perspective and more.

• In 2019 we had Gordon come along and run a sewing machine maintenance workshop. It was a fantastic morning and so we’ve rebooked him this year. On Saturday 1 May he will run a sewing machine maintenance workshop and then on Saturday 17 June he will run an overlocker maintenance workshop.

• Local Manu is keen to share her Indian cooking skills with us … starting with a chai tea making workshop (Sunday 9 May). $20. Book here.

• Our History Walk is back! Join local Anne and other history buffs for a stroll around South Alphington on Sunday 16 May from 2pm.

• And finally … Home maintenance 101. It’s a maintenance kind of year it seems … and on the weekend of 19 & 20 June we’re offering a two day workshop (only $50 with Learn Local funding) all about building home maintenance skills. How to unblock a drain, how to stop a cistern running, how to fix a hose leak, how to hang pictures and fix cracks in plaster. How to fix windows that stick … (depending how old your house is the list goes on and on right?).

Book in online today.

At ACC we try to offer a wide range of opportunities for people to meet their neighbours, to make friends in the community, and to build, explore and share their skills and knowledge.

We run a number of activities that are self-led or run by a generous volunteer. These include Czech and Slovak Playgroup, Ukulele, Line Dancing and the like. For these programs we ask all attendees to contribute $5 per week (no matter how long the session lasts) to keep the lights on and the heater heating etc.

We also support a number of micro-businesses that provide services that fit in with our programming goals. Small business owners/sole traders running these programs set their own fees and we support them with low room hire rates (again $5 per attendee) and publicity. These programs include Jane’s Group Harp, Cat’s Lego Club and Matthew’s Guitar Lessons (about to start up).

Then we run a number of tutored programs, where we spread a small bucket of money that comes from Darebin Council and Yarra Council as widely as possible, prioritising community building and community need.

In the first half of 2021 we will fully subsidise Jill to run our very successful and long-standing AAA Bowls program (a partnership with Alphington Bowls Club) and Jenny to oversee our Friday community morning program that includes Community Craft, Gardening Group and Morning Tea on the Corner.

Then with the remaining program funding we will partially subsidising our tutored/supervised Community Shed sessions.

These programs will cost $5 per hour per participant (still a bargain) and we’ll need a minimum of 6 people booked in by the term for them to run.

Of course, we also tap into other funding where ever possible. We always have our eyes open and our ears to the ground … last year we partnered with MyTime to support our Peer Support Playgroup for example. And we get one-off grants from wonderful community support organisations such as Clifton Hill/North Fitzroy Community Bank who have previously provided funding for our Community Lunches and our Gardening Group … and this coming year will be supporting our History Group (more to come on this).

Our full program for 2021 will be out next week, and we’ll be featuring some of the new things on offer at ACC (and some old favourites as well) in our newsletter in coming weeks (with the links to book in).

We hope you can find something that you will enjoy being part of, and we look forward to seeing you onsite in the new year. Our programming will resume in the first week of February.

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.

In pre-corona times we had loads of young families attending ACC regularly. We usually host a variety of playgroups, including Czech Playgroup, two Japanese Kilin Playgroups, Community Playgroup and Peer Support Playgroup each week. And we are missing all the familiar faces! So it is wonderful to have a list relating to resources for young families to put out into the universe this week.

We’d like to thank Jacinta and the Family Programs and Inclusion Team at Yarra Council for this list. We’re very lucky to have such a supportive relationship (and such lovely colleagues) across both Yarra and Darebin Councils.

So, here’s the list of local activities and services for young families that are free and can be accessed online in corona times:

• Join in playgroup at home with Playgroup Victoria

• Join a free music zoom session running weekly with Playgroup Victoria

• Join a free movement group - dance and sing with your toddlers to keep fit and healthy

• Enjoy storytime for toddlers. This is a series of podcasts by Yarra Libraries

• Register for family Lego sessions

• Learn about baby massage and yoga in practical online sessions for babies up to 12 months

• Join a family music group for babies up to 12 months featuring soothing music

• Dads - learn how to manage your preschooler in lockdown with a bloke called Ben

• Mums - get some techniques for stress management (we all need this sometimes right).

We hope you find these links useful! Thanks again Jacinta!

This week we were very pleased to make a new connection with Reclink at ACC. You might have heard of them from the community footy day that they run every year at Victoria Park (I hadn’t but my husband knew them!).

Anyway, such lovely people! Super committed to improving lives through sport.

Our Federal MP Ged Kearney facilitated the new relationship and the outcome was a whole lot of new sporting equipment going to the families and children in our MyTime Peer Support Playgroup. This playgroup is facilitated by Sue who is a social worker and Gianna who spends time keeping the children busy each week so their parents can have some downtime to chat with Sue. This playgroup is an opportunity for families that have more on their plate than average to come along and get some help. In the last year the playgroup, which has been going for many years, formed a new partnership with Downs Syndrome Victoria.

If you, or anyone you know could benefit from this playgroup please get in contact with us! Don’t hesitate.

And … here’s some photos of when they came to visit. Thanks Ged. Thanks Brendan. Thanks Sue. Thanks everyone involved.