WHYLD Newsletter March 2023
We are delighted to bring you this latest addition of our WHYLD newsletter, generously funded by Yarra Ranges Council. Over the past 12 months, the Sydney Halbish Hall has been reborn, with structural maintenance and painting inside and outside. Our newly installed multimedia system has brought the hall into the 21st century and we look forward to monthly movie nights from July. The next challenge is the grounds! We would love your suggestions and support for a planned Community Garden and are also seeking ideas on how to maximise use of the small outdoor spaces at either end of the hall. Naturally, we will also need some enthusiastic volunteers! When the WHYLD Community Plan was launched 10 years ago, who would have thought that we would be managing the Sydney Halbish Hall, but here we are, with plans to renew the lease for a further 5 years and more to come.
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.
Last year we told you about our application for funds to paint the inside of the hall. We were delighted to receive the funding we applied for through the Stronger Communities Grant.
Prior to the painting in June, Yarra Ranges Council kindly assisted with the removal of particle board, and replacement with plywood dado. We gave our community an opportunity to select the colour for the trims and doors – something we found hard to agree on as a group.
James at Hassle Free Painting and Property Services was true to his word and completed the painting during the winter term break, so there were minimal disruptions to our hirers. What a transformation it has made!
In late 2022 we received notification from Yarra Ranges hall. The works were completed in just a few weeks Council that they would be undertaking some long during November and this has now completed the overdue maintenance and painting the exterior of the transformation of the hall, both inside and outside.
Who is old enough to remember those old-fashioned movie nights at their local community hall? Some of us in WHYLD Community Group are! We like to reminisce about those good old days when we enjoyed watching a movie on a big screen with family, friends, and neighbours.
The Don Valley Hall/Sydney Halbish Hall was a venue for regular events like these – with second-hand theatre seats and a reel-to-reel projector, the locals got together to socialise and watch a movie.
WHYLD are delighted to bring back a taste of these old-fashioned movie nights to the Sydney Halbish Hall in Don Valley starting in July this year. Through the Community Led Recovery Grants, we have received generous funding from Yarra Ranges Council, to develop a space fit for purpose, including an upgrade to comfortable seating, with special seating for the kids, dual purpose roller blinds and some appliances for the kitchen. We are fortunate to already have our modern multimedia system installed, thanks to funds from the Township Group Network Grants.
We thought long and hard about what you might like, and have decided on a double feature movie special, starting with a family/kid’s movie followed by a more mature movie for adults. There will be an interval in between of course, like we used to have in the old days, with supper, socialising, slide show, games and some more serious discussions.
We aim to establish monthly movie nights, on the last Friday of each month during “standard time” (April to September), but we just need some time this year to get the space ready and we will be set to go.
With our generous funding, the first six movie nights are brought to you free of charge, yes, FREE! However, as a token offering, we ask our movie patrons to please bring a plate or packet of something to share for supper. We will offer popcorn and hot/cold drinks for a gold coin donation.
There will also be a door prize draw half-way through the interval (around 8pm) where we anticipate an overlap of viewers for either movie. We will even offer you a choice of options for our next monthly screening!
WHYLD recognise that many in our community are doing it tough right now, with an ongoing pandemic, recent storm and flood events and looming financial crisis. So, save yourself the drive and fuel to your nearest cinema and bring your whole family along to one of our movie nights and we hope you will be pleasantly surprised.
As your local community group, we have been working towards developing the space at the hall where our community can come together in a place where you can get to know the neighbours, make new friends, and enjoy a sense of belonging. Our movie nights aim to be bigger that Ben Hur!
The concept of WHYLD originates back to 2004 when the original committee developed and published a WHYLD Community Business Directory. In May 2011, a new committee was formed for the purpose of developing a community plan. Then, in March 2013, the WHYLD Community Plan was launched – following a wide consultation, with meetings held in the five towns, interviews, research, and discussion. The plan established a foundation for many WHYLD activities and events. Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve done since then.
Camelot Castle Medieval Village Fair
The concept of the Medieval Village Fair at Camelot Castle was born out of the WHYLD Project’s Town Meeting held on August 2nd, 2012, at Launching Place Primary School, where the WHYLD events subcommittee was formed. Their motto was “low-cost and family-friendly” and with just a gold coin entry donation, the event is completely free-of charge.
The Woori Yallock & District Community Bank Branch of the Bendigo Bank has enthusiastically embraced these same values granting funds each year to cover the cost of the activities. Following several years of cancelled events due to weather and the pandemic, an extremely successful event was held in February.
Winter Warming
In 2013, the idea for an annual Winter Warming event was raised and, in 2014, we applied for a Community Grant with Yarra Ranges Council and, later, to the Woori Yallock & District Community Bank for joint sponsorship to develop and host the inaugural WHYLD Winter Warming on the weekend of the winter solstice in June 2015. Winter Warming encourages our residents to venture out in the heart of winter, meet with neighbours, enjoy community spirit and celebrate the winter solstice. It was cancelled during the pandemic and is currently in hibernation.
Minimarkets
These events were established in 2014 as an initiative of the Healthy Living Project. Held weekly on a rotational basis through the five Primary Schools, their aim was:
- to create a sense of community by bringing residents and groups together
- provide a venue for locals to sell their homemade and home-grown products
- provide a space for community groups to promote activities and raise funds
- encourage healthy lifestyle and develop social relationships
The original WHYLD logo
They were revived in 2020, with a seasonal theme and based at the Sydney Halbish Hall in Don Valley. Their aim remains unchanged.
Newsletter
Our inaugural newsletter was produced in 2017 and has been delivered annually to our approximately 2500 households. The aim of this project is to connect with residents and groups of our local WHYLD community and promote our activities and events. We always welcome input and feedback.
Woori Butcher BBQ
Our involvement in this event began in 2018 and continued through to July 2022 when Rod Brookes closed his shop. A total of $3,850 was raised and distributed to the four local Primary Schools in the WHYLD area for Kids in Need. Additionally, $2,646 was raised in aid of our three local Fire Brigades. Closing his shop was the end of an era for Rod and our community.
However, they say that when one door closes another one opens and, before the end of the year, the butcher shop had reopened with a new owner. Mark is keen to get the BBQ’s going again and we are working hard to achieve this.
Incorporation
Incorporation of WHYLD Community Group Inc. as a not-for-profit organisation came about in March 2018, five years after the launch of our Community Plan. We haven’t looked back and enjoy our independence and ability to apply for and manage grants and the Sydney Halbish Hall.
WHYLD Hall Hub
Yarra Ranges Council sought Expressions of Interest from groups interested to lease the Sydney Halbish Hall in Don Valley in 2019. WHYLD had been without a fixed base for meetings, storage and activities, and we were looking for a place to call home. We submitted an application and were successful, signing a lease in September 2019. We plan to renew the lease later this year for a further five-year term.
The WHYLD committee continues to evolve over time, with members coming and going and we believe we have achieved a lot in these past ten years. We would love to know your views and what you would like to see improved or have done in your community in the future. We are always open to suggestions and everyone is welcome to attend our meetings, or just pop a note in our letterbox at the hall.
The Original WHYLD LOGO