Neighbourhood Connection grants awarded

Arthurs Creek Community Centre Christmas Party | $500

Funding used to support the Arthur's Creek Community Centre (ACCC) Christmas Party in December 2023. The event aimed to bring the community together to celebrate the year that was 2023 - parents, kids, grandparents. All connected to our community, to celebrate and sign off for the year.

Bambara Road Get Together | $500

A street party for local residents to connect with each other and share a meal. The residents created a WhatsApp group to stay in touch, and plan to run regular potlucks. They organised a fun local quiz with questions like "Who has lived here the longest" and "Who is our youngest resident"? One resident is a musician and provided some acoustic music for everyone to enjoy as well.

Carols in the Park Diamond Creek | $500

An annual Christmas event with an orchestra and singers leading community members in traditional Christmas carols. The funds were used to buy microphones for the singers. Sadly, this event had to be cancelled last minute due to the storms, but the microphones will be used by the community organisers at future events. 

Cooinda Plant and Pizza Evening | $500

The Friends of Grove Street Reserve hosted a planting afternoon at Cooinda Reserve, a very popular reserve especially for parents at school pick up time. With about 80 participants, around 200 flowers and shrubs were planted in record time. The community were then able to admire their work over a slice of pizza and was a great way for neighbours and parents of Cooinda to connect.

An Evening with Neighbours in St Andrews | $500

A gathering of local neighbours for a meal. As well as being an opportunity to connect on a social level, this event offered the opportunity have an informal discussion around the upcoming fire season. Some residents were directly affected on Black Saturday and are in a unique position to share their stories and experiences with those who are new to the area.

Hohnes Road Playhouse Christmas Party | $500

The Hohnes Road Playhouse Christmas Party is a heartwarming and community-focused event that aims to foster a sense of togetherness and holiday spirit among our local families. Santa Claus came as a guest of honour, spreading joy by delivering presents to the children in attendance. Designed to engage and excite the children there was also a range of special Christmas arts and crafts activities, along with a Christmas play and toy theme. What truly sets this event apart is the inclusion of a petting zoo, which added a unique and memorable element for all attendees. This festive gathering is designed to bring our community together to create lasting memories for families in our community. 

LinC 30-year celebration | $500

A high tea to celebrate 30 years of LinC in Nillumbik and Banyule. Past and current volunteers and the wider community were invited to come and celebrate LinC's ongoing work in the community.

Strathewen Hall Working Bee | $500

To bring residents in the community together to strengthen relationships and help maintain our community owned hall. Jobs included tidying up the garden area (trimming shrubs, weeding, etc.), cleaning the hall windows, replenishing soft fall mulch in the playground area and any other small maintenance jobs that require undertaking. Following the morning's work, a BBQ lunch was provided, which gave time for neighbours to come together socially, renew acquaintances and meet new residents in the community.

Barreenong Residents Get-together | $250

Residents of Barreenong Road and surrounding areas were invited to attend a 2-3 hour "get-together". The event was used to welcome new residents, discuss the formation of a Street Level Emergency Plan, improve connectivity by adding newer residents to the existing neighbourhood WhatsApp group, reinforce bushfire awareness and understand how they can help each other better for one-off emergency incidents - such as trees blocking elderly residents' driveways etc.

Come and learn about CopperLine | $250

An evening event based in Nillumbik for people interested in learning about CopperLine newspaper. A small informal gathering with brief speech by CopperLine editor/manager to explain the newspaper. Copies of the paper were available and committee members were in attendance to have informal chats. This event aimed to increase interest in the community newspaper and build new connections to help sustain this important platform for communication and community connection.

Community Coffee: Brewing Connections at Eltham South Preschool | $250

Eltham South Preschool planned social gathering on-site. The funding was used for a coffee cart to provide a catalyst for fostering community connections and nurturing a strong sense of togetherness. The presence of a coffee cart offered a common gathering point for parents, caregivers, teachers and neighbours of the school where individuals could engage in casual conversations, share stories and form meaningful connections over a hot coffee on a cold winter day.

The Hohnes Road Hive Winter Budy Bee | $250

A winter busy bee at Hohnes Road Playhouse brought neighbours together to foster community connections. This volunteer event brought together community members for a shared purpose installing a vegetable garden and improving the playspace for the children and families of Nillumbik.

Panton Hill Community Coffee Catch-up | $250

Free coffee at the Panton Hill General Store where all the Panton Hill residents could catch up, get to know each other and build community connection. 

Neighbourhood Morning Tea at Gordon Ford Pocket Park | $250

The John Street/Gordon Ford pocket park was created in June 2022 and neighbours gathered in celebration of their efforts in working together to create a reinvigorated, biodiverse space. This also serves as a thank you to all the neighbours who participated in the original planting day and continue to maintain this public open space using their own personal resources. This event invited the residents of upper John Street and surrounding homes near the pocket park to get together over a morning tea, to do a couple of hours of weeding and an inventory of plants that need replacing due to natural attrition.