CHARLTON NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE

‘The Charlton Neighbourhood House was proud to represent all the community involved with the Nyernila Art Trail project at the recent Victorian Community History Awards held in Melbourne at the Arts Centre. Presented by Public Record Office Victoria in partnership with the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, the Victorian Community History Awards are held annually to celebrate the people involved in community history projects who are dedicated to telling local stories which help all Victorians to better understand their past. 
Public Record Office Victoria Director and Keeper of Public Records Justine Heazlewood said,
“This year’s winners demonstrate the many varied and contemporary ways the history of Victoria can be told and shared to reach a wider audience. Well done everyone.”
In a collaborative working partnership with the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation the aim of Nyernila was to retell the history of the area prior to colonisation. Numerous Djaara artists were commissioned to create artworks sharing their personal journeys and stories of their elders. The project was driven passionately by Charlton Neighbourhood House President Kaylene Cossar and involved many other residents from the area.
Commencing at the Travellers Rest Stop and following the trail along the Avoca river, the permanent open air walking trail exhibition features selected reproductions of Djaara artworks, along with a permanent indoor display currently located at the Charlton Shire Hall.
Thanks must go to the following groups for their financial support of the project. Buloke Shire Council, through the Federal  Government’s Our Region Our Rivers funding, Bendigo Community Bank Charlton & District, FRRR through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
In addition to this award, two other projects from the district were shortlisted and recognised for their contribution to our community. The Sir John Monash Tribute Gardens and the Yeungroon History Project. It was an amazing accomplishment as there were the second largest number of entries into these awards ever, only surpassed by the year 2018 when a huge number of projects were completed focused on the centenary anniversary of the ending of the First World War.

The Charlton Neighbourhood House, in conjunction with Buloke Shire was pleased to be able to have ‘Kites for Kids’ return with their wonderful display of kites. Charlton was indeed fortunate to have Jo and Ricky Baker take time to visit and share their passion for kites with the community.  Travelling the world to such exotic places as India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand and locations across Australia to fly kites at festivals is a long way from our small rural town. Indeed the following day they were booked to appear in Geelong after previously being in Bondi, NSW putting on a display.
A large number of families attended St Joseph’s Primary School oval and had the opportunity to colour and assemble a free kite kit provided as part of the day. With volunteer helpers on hand for those who needed it, the kites when completed were then able to be enjoyed. While the gusty winds made controlling the giant kites difficult, it wasn’t long before a few great displays were up in the sky.

The Charlton Neighbourhood House was pleased to host a very special ‘living’ story time as part of it’s school holiday activities. Rebecca Cossar introduced some special friends to an enthusiastic group of young people who were able to get to enjoy learning about chickens. In conjunction with the Charlton Library, children were able to collect some fun holiday reading, then come outside and have some snacks and enjoy time catching up with friends. The children were very careful when becoming familiar with handling the young birds and lots of questions were asked about keeping and caring for them.
The activity wasn’t only interesting for children. A number of locals made up the 40 plus people attending keen to get advice and tips on keeping chickens in an urban environment. Council regulations, reference material, coop ideas, food and more were all discussed with several attendees keen to get involved.
Storytime is held on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Charlton Library in Armstrong Street from 10:30 to 11:30 where special local guests lead the children in some fun readings. Parents enjoy the social side of getting together and sharing time together as well.

The Charlton Neighbourhood House is again be proud to be partnering with the Good Things Foundation Australia to celebrate Get On-line Week. An activity being held in Charlton on Wednesday October 18 will have information and tips on what to be conscious of with scams. Several guest presenters will be in attendance including Tim Burnham, local NBN ambassador.  As online and phone scams become sadly more prevalent, this is an excellent opportunity to pick up some knowledge on what to look out for when contacted by suspect messages or calls.
The morning will include lots of prizes and giveaways as well as morning tea. With support from The Good Things Foundation this is a totally free event, but note bookings are essential. Visit www.charltonnh.org.au or call the Charlton Neighbourhood House on 0473 759 456. Limited places available so book early.

The Charlton community has rallied to get behind an important initiative lead by the Charlton Forum and Charlton Neighbourhood House. A range of work has been undertaking to beautify areas of the town, with many hours being undertaken mostly by volunteers from the North Central Garden Club, Lions, Flexible Learning Options program students, Beautify Charlton, CWA, OASIS, and civic minded individuals. The High Street concrete garden pots were given a lick of paint and some new plantings to enhance the new coloured tourism surrounds, while existing garden beds were weeded and trimmed back in preparation for spring growth. The Buloke Shire has assisted by donating some materials, waiving tip fees and clearing rubbish away.
The main effort has concentrated around the access lane between the Globe Hotel and commercial building next door. Trimming of non-native plantings, removing rocks and rubble, erecting a new fence, painting and laying of suitable all access walkway toppings. A huge thanks go to local trades people including Darren Mills, who has been co-ordinating the program, Wes Jenkyn, Chris Mathews and Brad Getley for all freely giving their time and expertise for the program. The end result will be a clearly defined access lane between the High Street and Avoca River precinct.
A thankyou BBQ concluded the mornings work, and everyone was extremely pleased on what had been accomplished by the group. This will be appreciated by the many visitors expected to our town over the coming months. Contact the Charlton Neighbourhood House if you would like details on how you can get involved with further planned activities, including a public art work proposed in the newly refurbished laneway.

The Charlton Neighbourhood House recently presented a well-attended Mosaics Course over 3 weekends that saw participants create both a kit form set of Mediterranean placemats, and a free style project of their own choosing.
Under the friendly and helpful direction of instructor Bronwyn Fisher, the group were eager to learn the tips and tricks of creating a beautiful mosaic item of their choosing which ranged from flower pots to butterfly stencils. With everything needed supplied, those attending just had to provide their creative energy into the project, and all attending were happy with the final products.
There is a lot of interest in continuing the activity on a regular basis, and perhaps even working to create a public space mosaic where young people and other members of the community can get involved and contribute. All agreed that future courses of mosaics would certainly be welcomed by the Charlton Community.

Charlton’s Second Tuesday Book Club has a couple of very exciting get-togethers planned for their upcoming meetings in August and September.
The August 10th meeting will have a special guest from Castlemaine, Libby Angel, author of ‘ The Trapeze Act’ coming along to talk to the Book Club attendees from 1:30 pm until 3 pm. Join us for lunch at 12 pm at the East in Charlton, or you can come at 1:30 to hear from Libby.
We’ll be celebrating our birthday on September 14th with a fantastic Birthday Celebration, and a special guest speaker, to be announced soon! Join us for lunch at 12pm at the East in Charlton, followed by book chats and our guest speaker at 1:30pm.
Both these exciting events have been made possible by the Victorian Government's Community Activation and Social Isolation initiative and Buloke Shire Council. To RSVP please contact Cheryl Kemp on 0417 601 856, and keep an eye on the Charlton Neighbourhood House for more updates.