University of the Third Age U3A Darebin is an organisation for people over 50 who are not in full-time paid employment and who wish to keep their minds and bodies active.

U3A is about sharing skills and interests, enabling people to enjoy low cost educational, creative, social and leisure activities in a relaxed environment.

U3A runs a host of activities across the neighbourhood catering for a wide variety of interests - from history walks to play reading (like Armchair Theatre that runs here at ACC each Wednesday afternoon).

If you are keen to find out more, you might like to attend the upcoming U3A Darebin afternoon tea. It is on at 2pm on Monday 12 April at 16a Bent Street in Thornbury.

This is a catered event so please register to ensure there is enough food for everyone to eat.

Email here to confirm you attendance or ring the office and talk to someone or leave a message.

The U3A Darebin office is at Fairfield Station and is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 10:15am-12pm.

Keen? Please BYO cup.

A few weeks ago I knitted a little purple square and am feeling quite proud when I see it incorporated in our lovely yarn bombed handrails out the front of ACC.

Of course I do realise that it is only one of many … but it’s nice to have contributed!

Thanks Anne and Glenda for taking the time to add a bit of home crafted love to our centre.

If you are keen to join in low key yarn bombing or to learn how to sew and stitch - Anne’s is a willing teacher if you need some advice … we’d love to see you at ACC on a Friday morning. Come along and join in from 10-11.30am, and then stay for morning tea on the corner at 11.30am.

At ACC we offer a range of regular musical experiences. If you are keen to share music making and make neighbourhood friends along the way, you can join up for lessons or group experiences …

Choir - because our venue is too small in COVID times the Alphingtones Choir is now meeting at St Andrew’s Church in Duncan Street just behind Station Street. If you are keen to join up just click here to email them.

Harp - Jane’s harp group is for people wanting to have a go. No experience is necessary. Jane will lead you through a group music making experience with this beautiful instrument. Please contact Jane here if you are interested.

Ukulele - our uke group is an experienced group that plays together for practice and fun each Monday evening. And they sometimes do performances! New members are welcome. You can join up here.

Guitar - Matthew teaches in schools by day and then shares his love of music with locals at ACC in the early evening. If you are keen to learn guitar give him a call. He is very nice!

Okay. Hooray! We think the mural for our new podcasting studio, The Cupboard is finito. Finally (surely by now we’d know that these things always take longer than expected).

So … when we get back from holidays we’ll buy the podcasting equipment … build a webpage for bookings etc. and then officially launch what we know will be a fabulous community resource.

If you think you might be interested in using The Cupboard for a one off recording or a more regular gig you can register your interest here.

Thanks Clifton Hill and North Fitzroy Community Bank for supporting this. It’s going to be great and we are super excited!

Well, we’ve done quite a lot in what feels like a very short first term. In particular we:

• Opened (then closed for a bit then reopened)

• Ran 3 Women in the Shed programs

• Restarted playgroups

• Consolidated our Friday community mornings

• Yarn bombed the ramp

• Made good progress with setting up up The Cupboard - our new podcasting studio

• Featured our first artist in the Alphington Neighbourhood Gallery - Ross O’Meara

• Officially met the new mayor of Yarra

• Moved choir and CWA offsite (due to our small space and their numbers and corona and all that … we’re sad not to see you guys regularly but happy you could find great venues nearby)

• Reorganised the front yard and paved the Community Shed seating area

• Started some new programs such as Drawing in the Shed and Matthew’s Guitar Lessons

• Restarted old favourites like Line Dancing, Ukulele and Lego Club

We’re all feeling so pleased that things are getting back on track again, and that so many new ideas are starting to come to fruition.

And we’re a bit exhausted. That’s quite a lot for our little community organisation to manage in only two months … So, we’re looking forward to the Easter break and a little down time. And then we’ll be raring to go once again!