Hope everybody has had a great weekend!

Reminder that we are closed today (Monday the 9th) for the Labour Day public holiday, however our 2nd Monday book club will still be on tonight at 7:30.

We also have sound healing with Keiko running this week on Thursday the 12th from 7-8pm, if you’re interested in joining, book in directly with Keiko through sounddroplet.com.

Next week we have preserves group on Tuesday the 17th and also the very exciting Alphington Show on Saturday the 21st! The show has plenty of activities for all ages so bring your kids, your grandkids and anyone else who might enjoy a sausage, a Devonshire tea, the chance to win a huge jar of lollies or any of the many other activities that will be on for the day.

For our kiddies in particular, you can look forward to seeing some very cute goats, lambs, chicks, geese, bunnies, guinea pigs and more at our petting zoo, or helping us to create a brand-new sculpture for our centre with an exciting clay-making activity. We also encourage kids to enter the show for a chance to win a prize and to gain the title of best florist or biscuit-maker in Alphington! Kids are invited to enter any category, however we have three categories exclusively for our youngsters with flowers in a teacup for children 8+, decorate a saucer for those under 8 and best home-made biscuits for kids of any age. For more details on all of the other categories in the show, you can see a full list on our website.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Cheers,

Leanne

Hi everyone,

It was nice to have some rain last week. Clare has been working on our front garden and it’s looking great! How lucky we are to have so many awesome community volunteers.

Footy starts on Thursday…. if you haven’t already, join our community tipping competition! You can sign up at this link.

And of course we are very excited to be preparing for the Alphington Show. Please contact us at info@alphington.org.au if you would like to be a participant in the arts and crafts competition. And read on for some tips on what our judges are looking for in each category.

Crunch is back this week from 12.30-2pm on Thursday. Don’t forget to book in online if you would like to attend. Wednesday and Thursday evening book clubs will also be running along with our normal weekly programs, including playgroups, line dancing, choir and more! Check out our bookings site here for more info about getting involved.

ALSO this weekend will be the labour day long weekend so please note we won’t be open next Monday the 9th of March.

Cheers,

Leanne

Village power is organising the installation of a neighbourhood battery for Alphington - it will be located just outside the Alphington Farmers Market on Wingrove Street. They are currently looking for an artist to decorate it (it will a vinyl wrap).

If you are an artist interested in this project then visit their website to check out the EOI detail. You’ll need to apply by this coming Friday 6 March.

www.villagepower.com.au

…… all about how to make your Alphington Show contributions shine! Our official criteria for the most highly-regarded and prestigious competition in all of Alphington.

For Scones:

Cut with plain cutter, no frilled edges

Free from excess flour; especially at the bottom

Brush lightly with melted butter when hot

Even baking top and bottom

For Bread:

Crust golden brown in color with crisp and even thickness.

Well shaped even surface and crumb is spongy to feel.

For Relish:

Bottle clean and the relish is bright with good flavour and consistency.

It should not be dark, bubble or have blemishes.

For Olives:

Olives are fresh and unbruised

No trace of bitterness

Attractive presentation

For Scarves:

Sides even (slip first stitch)

Even tension - no tram lines, no joins

Fringe to be even

For Patchwork:

Construction precise

Corners and points matching

Stitches do not show unless a feature

Seems are secured

Patches should be cut with the grain and sides be of even length

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

The Boroondara Literary Awards aim to encourage creative writing in schools and the general community.

The Open Short Story Competition is open to all Victorian residents. Entries are open from 9am, Monday 16 February to 12 midday, Friday 8 May 2026.

 A maximum of one entry may be submitted per person. Winners will share a prize pool of more than $8,000, with winning work published in the 2026 Anthology.

The Awards are made possible by the joint efforts of the Rotary Club of Balwyn and the City of Boroondara. For further details, please visit Literary Awards | Your Say Boroondara, contact Boroondara Library Service on (03) 9278 4666, or email bla@boroondara.vic.gov.au