CHARLTON NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE

Children from Charlton College and St Joseph's Primary School were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to get up close to one of Australia's top sporting prizes; The 2026 Melbourne Cup.  The Charlton Neighbourhood House was happy to be involved in arranging funding through the Bendigo Bank for the assembly of wooden pogo sticks and replica cups by the Men's Shed. Some amazing decorated horses were on show that were done by the children from glitter, polka dots, rainbow colours and woollen manes.
It will possibly be a memory for the rest of their lives.

​St Josephs Primary School in Charlton was presented with a wonderful day of puppetry recently by the Little Wings Puppet Group.
‘A Little Bit of Blue’ is an interactive environmental detective story, told with puppetry. As well as unravelling a mystery, it involves learning about the unique habits of an extraordinary Australian animal, the Satin Bowerbird, and its fascination with the colour blue. The children enjoyed some fun slapstick, with some interesting facts thrown in. 
With financial support proudly from the Charlton Neighbourhood House, Mallee Creatives and Charlton Arts, and close cooperation with Regional Art Victoria, this was a wonderful experience enjoyed by all.

The Charlton Neighbourhood House was pleased to be involved with a recent day outing to beautiful Castlemaine by a number of residents. With the destination the historic Old Mill, lunch was enjoyed at several of the venues available, followed by a browse through the vintage bazzar and exploration of the many other shops. To finish the day off, an unscheduled stop at the Harcourt miniature railway was ideal.

The Charlton neighbourhood House was pleased to be involved in the recent memorial mosaic workshop in honour of the late Bronwyn Fisher.
Brondwyn's dedication to the community, her love of art, and her passion for mosaicking made this wonderful afternoon of mosaics a fitting tribute. 
​We think she would have been very pleased with the results.

​The Charlton Neighbourhood Houses' popular Table for 12 sessions returned with a fabulous feast of a chicken-based Asian meal. Under the watchful eye of instructor Chris Wyatt, the enthusiastic participants went through the well-laid-out steps of preparing their meal and then enjoying their hard work in a community meal afterwards.
Thanks must go to Chris for all the preparation he undertook to make this such a successful night. Also, to the Charlton College for the use of the North Central Training Centre's kitchen facilities, and to GrainCorp for their support of the initiative. Keep an eye open for more opportunities in the future for other fun cooking nights. 

Preparation is well under way for the Charlton Neighbourhood House's next childrens activity lead by Poppy. The Little Locals Art Club is getting together again on Friday August 28 to create works themed, 'In the River'.
​These fun classes always fill quick so book your place early.  

Newcomers to our town may not be aware that the Neighbourhood House is the booking point for the Charlton Forum Community Car. This user paid service is available for non-urgent medical appointments to surrounding areas and even as far as Melbourne.  Manned by a terrific group of volunteers, the car had proved invaluable to locals for many years now.  Contact the Neighbourhood House with plenty of notice about your upcoming appointment and we can book you in.
Enjoy driving and have some time free? Why not consider joining the team of wonderful volunteers who drive the community car and help make a difference.  You will be made most welcome and all the neccersary training will be provided.

​Another successful weekend was enjoyed by a large group of visitors to Charlton for the annual miniatures wargaming event, The Mallee Melee. Now in its sixth year, players from across Victoria returned for a tournament where battles representing the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1944 were played out across 7 large tables. The games main focus was the strategically important railway town of Debrecen and its access to the Carpathian Mountains. 
Visitors across the weekend were surprised at the detailed painted scaled miniature figures, which take many hours to prepare, and the magnificently decorated tables of terrain. Forests, rivers, villages, bridges and more were all replicated on the table with some historical accuracy. Previous years have seen battles on the beaches of Normandy, Shiloh in the American Civil War, and Napoleonic weekends amongst others.
The event itself is a terrific drawcard to the town, and the many visitors support local accommodation and hospitality businesses. The warm welcome they receive here in Charlton ensures they all enjoy returning and catching up with friends they have made along the way. As well as local business the other winner is the Royal Flying Doctor Service where part of the players entry cost and donations across the weekend assist their terrific work.
This event was again proudly supported again by the Charlton Neighbourhood House, along with Buloke Shire, Charlton’s Bendigo Bank and Kookas Country Cookies. Best news of all is that many of the players have already booked their accommodation for the next Melee in 2027. 

The Charlton Neighbourhood was pleased to present a very special free school holiday screening at the Rex Cinema on Friday July 10. The extremely popular movie ‘The Faraway Tree ' was preceded by an amazing craft session for over 50 children hosted by Poppy, Xanthe and Carolyn. A range of magic themed items were assembled by some very creative young minds.
With a lovely morning on offer, a large number of additional families arrived for the show, and judging by the excited children leaving the cinema, the event was a huge success. We all realise how fortunate we are to have both some terific young people so invested in the children of our district, and also the wonderful venue that is the Rex Theatre. 

The Charlton Neighbourhood House, with support from Mallee Creatives and FRRR were pleased to recently deliver to Charlton a terrific live show at the Cricket Club Hotel.  Well-known regional performer Alyce Fisher presented ‘Tinderella, and the eight unique uses of Tinder’, which told of her real-life Tinder experiences. A large crowd filled the venue with participation from some audience members part of the fun.
Alyce herself is a freelance performing artist, founding Theatre on Toast in Albury, who connects with audiences through storytelling and performance art. All in attendance agreed it was a fantastic evening of entertainment.