Thanks so much to everyone who came along to our Annual General Meeting a week and a bit ago.

It was lovely to look back at what we achieved over the last year.

A special thanks to Kathy Vrettas from Yarra Council for attending. She provides wonderful support to all the Yarra neighbourhood houses on behalf of Council. It was also lovely that Cr Amanda Stone could attend, also from Yarra.

We really did achieve a lot in the last year. And we couldn’t do it without a super team of people.

Kalimna keeps so many things ticking along behind the scenes, Suzanne has amazing grant writing and management skills, Lee is super creative, Jill is such a kindhearted and knowledgeable CD worker, Maylei runs a fabulous Women in the Shed program and both Katrina and now Clare have really improved our community engagement through our garden spaces in the last year (and the gardens themselves).

We also have a very supportive Committee of Governance and I’d like to thank Heather as Chair, Anne as Secretary and Michelle as Treasurer this year. Thanks also to Jane as a general member. This year we welcomed Wendy and Ina mid-term. It is great to have an injection of new skills and ideas at the strategic level. I would also like to thank Kate - who is hanging up her hat after 3-4 years …I hope you have a lovely time with your exciting new endeavours!

Of course, we also have so many volunteers here who help out in so many ways. From Shirley running line dancing to Phil running our computer group, to our preserves and craft group members … to those who put their hand up to coordinate the book clubs - big and small, we really appreciate all the the community connections and contributions that are at the heart of our neighbourhood house.

And then, there’s all the super workshops and projects we’ve run this year. And our partners and financial supporters … it really is amazing … you’ll HAVE to read the Annual Report. Here it is.

Are you a local maker? Would you like to have a stall at our upcoming Christmas Makers Market. It is going to be on Saturday 26 November which is in fact election day … always a fabulous day to be out and about in the community and walking in the neighbourhood. So we expect lots of local to stroll past … and hopefully combine their democracy activity with some retail therapy …

If you are keen for a stall you can book here.

If you are keen to get a jump on Christmas shopping and buy lovely things from local makers then save the date.

As usual we will have a lovey craft activity for any children who come along and a sausage sizzle to keep energy levels up.

A reminder that our AGM is on tonight at 7pm if you’d like to come along … here at ACC, 2 Kelvin Road, Alphington.

We’d love to see you! RSVP here.

And here’s a sneak peek at our annual report. It looks great doesn’t it? Thanks to Kalimna for her beautiful photos and Lee for her graphic design.

With funding from the Federal Government (to support volunteer activities) we recently purchased a little greenhouse for our front garden.

Thanks for putting it together Corrado. And thanks Ged Kearney MP for supporting this grant application. It’s great to be able to collectively support volunteering in our community

Now we’re looking forward to raising seedlings and nurturing cuttings for our seed library and community garden 🪴in it.

Manu will be back this term with another cultural cooking class - teaching you how to make tamarind (sweet and sour) chutney, green chutney (with mint and coriander), and raita variations.

We all love the sauces and dips that elevate our cooking from good to great. So don’t miss this chance to learn how to make your own at home to make your next Indian meal exceptional.

Book your place here.

Cost $50

Saturday 15th October 11am-1pm here at the Alphington Community Centre.