WHYLD Newsletter March 2021
WHYLD are pleased to announce that we are open for business in 2021 and look forward to kickstarting activities at the Don Valley Hall this year. We started in January with a working bee, which had our outdoor noticeboard (thanks to Township Network Group Grants) and letterbox installed. While not much else has changed outside, we are delighted to showcase the newly created spaces inside the hall in our feature pages. We are managing the hall for the community and so encourage groups, businesses and individuals to consider this space for hire. All revenue raised goes into the hall budget for maintenance, improvements and activities. Seasonal minimarkets have been scheduled, together with our two annual events (see details above). The Saturday Butcher BBQ in Woori will be back in full swing raising funds for CFA, Red Cross and WHYLD Kids in Need later in the year. All the above pending COVID-19 restrictions!
WHYLD welcomes new members, so if you are interested in any of our events or activities, please feel free to contact us by email: welcome@whyld.org.au, and please do like us on Facebook: WHYLD Community Group, or for more information visit our website: whyld.org.au.
In late 2019, we were excited to inform you that we had secured a lease of the Don Valley Hall. Last year, WHYLD was successful in receiving funds from the Australian Government
Volunteer Grants. This grant is in recognition of the vital contribution of volunteers in strengthening and enriching their communities and these grants are to support volunteers in their work.
We requested funds to assist us with furnishing the Don Valley Hall to create a space for our volunteers to meet, work, and run activities. While we were unable to do anything during most of 2020, this year we have been busy purchasing furniture – second-hand as much as possible, to be sustainable and to extend our budget. We can now showcase:
- our office space, where we can meet and work on developing our activities,
- the meeting room, with large table and comfortable chairs for our own monthly meetings, as well as a place for community and private hire,
- several seating spaces in the main hall for social chats over a coffee.
If funds allow, we also hope to develop an outdoor space with seating for outdoor meetings and social chats, very appropriate during this pandemic period.
Covid - 19 Grant
We were also successful in receiving funds from Yarra Ranges Council as part of their COVID-19 Community Relief and Recovery Grants Program to support our seasonal minimarkets and kickstart activities at the hall.
Markets
We are excited to have scheduled our minimarkets for the year and the attached flyer is for you to keep as a reminder. These grant funds will help us in promoting the markets and we have upcycled our old minimarkets banners for this purpose. Providing free entertainment at our markets aims to make them memorable and more than just a market and we want to support our local artists and performers who have been impacted on heavily by the COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns. Another incentive to visit will be door prizes to be drawn hourly during the market and we’ve put together a COVID kit in a WHYLD minimarket bag. Please contact us to secure your stall space for only $10.
Hall Hire
Finally, we have allocated some funds towards packages for hall hire, which includes two hours of free hall hire for bookings made before the end of June to eligible groups and businesses. As you can see our main hall space (around 90 square metres) is spacious and uncluttered, leaving a blank canvas for a range of indoor activities. The meeting room can comfortably accommodate 12 people around the large table, with separate access if required. The kitchen has a fridge, stove, microwave, electric jug and coffee pod machine. Our hall-hire fees are $20/hour for businesses and $9.50/hour for community groups on weekdays. Weekend rates are available on request. Applicants must abide by current COVID-19 restrictions, have a COVID-19 safety plan and abide by YRC cleaning obligations for hall-hirers.
Humans need more than the basics of food, water, warmth, rest and safety. We are social beings, generally living in family groups, with groups of friends and colleagues, enjoying interactions with members of a range of interest groups – sporting, health, community, age- related, environmental, music, gardening and emergency relief – an ever-growing list of groups. Groups like WHYLD!
All of this togetherness leads to a sense of belonging, love and improved self-esteem. The bonds between members create a social connectedness, with both physical and mental health benefits. Social connectedness can be thought of as a psychological resource that helps us cope with physical and mental stresses in life – a bit like money in the bank is a resource that helps with financial stresses.
Since the onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic in March 2020, with its strategies of lockdown, social distancing and isolation, many groups have moved online, or, unfortunately, on hold. As we enter the ‘new COVID normal’ of 2021, the need to reconnect with our groups is important and some people may even feel a strong desire to join a group for the first time.
Which one of these groups appeals to you?
Several groups within our WHYLD district work in partnership to deliver the WHYLD events and activities. Here is a snapshot of some groups who may just suit your needs for getting connected to our/your community:
CFA – we have three Country Fire Authority groups in our WHYLD district – Hillcrest (servicing Don Valley, Launching Place & Woori Yallock), Hoddles Creek and Yellingbo. Being a CFA member doesn’t just mean fighting fires – there are operational and non-operational members and Hoddles Creek also h a s a J u n i o r C F A g r o u p . S e e
h t t p s : / / w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / h i l l c r e s t C F A / ,
https://www.facebook.com/HoddlesCreekCFA/ , or
https://www.facebook.com/YellingboCFA/
SES – The State Emergency Service is a volunteer based organisation that provides emergency assistance in a whole range of emergencies from storm damage to animal rescue. Our local Upper Yarra SES is based in Wesburn, but serves the whole WHYLD community. For more: www.facebook.com/upperyarrases/
Red Cross – Hoddles Creek Red Cross Branch is a well-established branch of the Australian Red Cross. Members attend local events offering catering or a homemade goods stall, as well as hosting their own activities, such as the monthly Launch Fresh stall (first Saturday of each month) that has been running since 2007 and has raised over $90,000 for the Red Cross. To connect:
hoddlescreekredcross@gmail.com
U3A – U3A stands for University of the Third Age. ‘University’ in the original sense of a ‘community where those eager to learn meet those eager to teach’. Based in Yarra Junction, this voluntary group provide educational, recreational and social activities for their members. Learn a language, discuss current affairs, check out what’s available at www.upperyarrau3a.org.au
WCH – Woori Community House is based in Woori Yallock, but serves our broader WHYLD community. They provide a range of services, including courses, social groups, community events, venue hire and access to low-cost computer, internet and printing services. www.facebook.com/wooricommhouse
PYV – Permaculture Yarra Valley is a not-for-profit association that works towards developing a sustainable, fair and connected society through environmental education, promotion of
permaculture principles and networking with likeminded groups in the Shire of Yarra Ranges. www.facebook.com/permacultureyv
Ann Russell, who joined the Hoddles Creek Red Cross in 2019 says “For myself, it is enjoying the company of like-minded people who are interested in contributing their time as volunteers for their local Red Cross branch. It gives me a sense of purpose to volunteer my time with Red Cross, an organisation that is always at the forefront in times of a national crisis. As a relative newcomer to the Yarra Ranges area, joining the local Red Cross branch has been a great experience for me.”
This sentiment is no doubt replicated within each of the community groups across the WHYLD area. Whatever interests you have, there’s sure to be a group of like-minded people in the area looking forward to connecting with you.