The Alphington Show just wouldn’t be complete without …. the world famous (and terribly funny) Alphington Dog Show!

Bring your fur baby along and join us at 1pm on Saturday 26 March for this family friendly neighbourhood activity. You’ll find the full list of entry categories on the entry form, which you can download here.

To check out photos from previous years take a peek at our Alphington Show page here.

Yay! The official posters are complete and we’re getting excited about the upcoming Alphington Show!

Kalimna has been looking into booking the pony rides again (how cute were they last time) and we are firing up the BBQ and the CWA is cooking up a scone storm for devonshire teas …

If you are a local maker who would like to be part of the Makers Market you can book a stall here. Only $20 and we’ll have our fingers crossed for the weather (note it is an outside market).

And if you are skilled in the domestic arts (calling all jammers and preservers, bread bakers, flower growers and arrangers, sewers, knitters, crocheters, vegetable growers, olive harvesters etc.) PLEASE enter our show! The full list of categories is below. It only costs $1 to enter … and perhaps become a proud neighbourhood winner!

Download your entry form (with all the categories clearly listed) and see photos from previous years here.

You just never know what will happen next at a neighbourhood house …

This week we were thrilled when Eugene (who lives locally) popped in and offered us an outside all-weather table tennis table. And then promptly dropped it off AND included some bats and balls. It was quite exciting to see it arriving on the back of a ute on Friday afternoon!

Thanks Eugene and family (who had outgrown the table). We have set it up in the back garden and now we invite you, our neighbourhood friends, to pop in for a play.

Also … if you have some spare table tennis bats and balls at your house that you no longer use (but are still in good nick) think of us! I am sure we could use some spares …

This year we’re running Playtime in the Garden on Wednesdays from 10am-12pm out in the front yard - making the most of the new cubby house, pergola and sandpit.

This week at least 8 families came past for a play whilst it was on. Some met up with existing friends, others came by themselves. There were mums bringing their kids and grandparents bringing grandchildren for a play. And a few families also borrowed toys from the Toy Library whilst they were here.

It is just so lovely to see our community making themselves at home at ACC and utilising our play-spaces and resources.

If you’re home with children on a Wednesday morning you might like to pop in too!

Summer festivals, also known as matsuri, are held all over Japan from July through August.

At ACC just before Christmas our Japanese playgroup families held their own summer festival. It was pretty gorgeous to see the kids all singing to their parents and parading along the street chanting and carrying their float. And it is lovely to think that we are helping Japanese families in Australia continue their cultural traditions and witness them passing them on from one generation to the next.

This festival was delayed by our last lockdown, but we were thrilled that they were able to squeeze it in before the holidays. Maimi and the other playgroup leaders put a lot of work into decorating our centre and setting up a whole lot of fun activities for the children in the garden. And we’ll be looking forward to them celebrating it again next year!

In 2022 we will have Japanese playgroups running on Monday and Thursday mornings from 10am-1pm here at ACC.

A lovely photo of local Federal MP Ged Kearney with Maimi who runs our Japanese playgroups, enjoying the festival.