“Recently, Shelley Nelson and Hayley Soulsby successfully held a very special morning tea in Charlton to raise funds for Breast Cancer research. Starting with an idea that followed on from an earlier fund raiser that involved Hayley doing a month daily squats, the thought of combining food and raising money seemed a lot more sensible. Last year, Shelley, Hayley and seven other locals walked 60km’s in ten days for the Peter McCallum Cancer Foundation, with the team raising over $19,000.
After a postponement due to the recent flood emergency, the date was rescheduled and a great crowd turned out in support of the event. Pink decorations, games, a silent auction, raffles and a wonderful spread of delicious morning tea treats were on offer, and assistance from many helpers ensured the morning was a great success. Thanks go also to Buloke Shire for making the venue available at no charge and the Charlton Neighbourhood House for their support. The strength and generosity of the Charlton community was again shown with $2,824 being raised by those attending, and with online donations, in excess of $4,000 was the events final result. Hayley and Shelley wish to give a huge thankyou to all those who attended and helped make the day the success it was.”
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December was a very busy time here at the House with many activities across a broad range of age groups. Our early morning swim sessions and Gentle Water exercises continued, with the warmer weather being much appreciated by the attendees. As well as Santa’s mailbox being available for children to drop their very important letters in to Father Christmas, parents were able to have photos taken and printed of their children with Santa at the Band Rotunda. A huge thank-you goes to all the volunteers who help make these events special for Charlton’s young people. We were very pleased to host a free Gingerbread House making afternoon for around 20 excited children thanks to Buloke Shires CASI Fund. There was plenty of icing, lollies and fun games enjoyed by those attending, and some delicious gingerbread projects taken home for the families. A fantastic night was had by all who attended the Charlton Neighbourhood Houses Dive In Movie ‘Space Jam 2’at the Charlton Pool. With support from the Rex Theatre, GrainCorp, and again, Buloke Shire’s CASI funding, the feedback we received was terrific, and will hopefully lead to similar events. Our ‘Tech Tuesday’ support sessions will be returning in February for the cost of $15 per half hour. Bookings are essential by phoning 0473 759 456. We are also looking at hosting more formal computer and device upskilling sessions during the year. As part of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign that ran across the Buloke Shire a special free ‘Sip and Paint’ event was held at the Cricket Club Hotel. A large group of ladies enjoyed each others company while creating some wonderful artworks. We were once again pleased to be happy assisting with the towns Australia Day celebration by compiling ‘welcome packs’ for newcomers to Charlton over the past 12 months. If you are new to town and were unable to make it along, drop in to the Neighbourhood House to collect yours when convenient. 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. Greetings from the Charlton Neighbourhood House and welcome to our July update. Despite the small hiccup with our closure due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Neighbourhood House has been very busy with activities and assisting our community.
We have been proud to support the Monday morning FLO initiative at the Rex Theatre with a variety of community representatives coming along to inform or answer enquires about their group. A new initiative this term was the Charlton Youth Space being held Thursday afternoons after school at the Charlton Club. In a supervised environment the kids have been able to catch up with friends, enjoy some snacks and drinks and play games. Thanks to funding from the Victorian Depart. Of Health, this project will continue to operate in the future. Still meeting regularly are Tai Chi classes with Jo Russell and The 2nd Tuesday Book Club. Enquire at the Charlton Neighbourhood House if you would like further information. With the second half of the year ahead, we are very excited about the courses and activities planned. Apart from those mentioned above, our Table for 12 will continue monthly with a great variety of food selections. With funding provided by Buloke Shire we will be arranging several ‘Explore’ daylong bus trips to a number of interesting destinations, and we will also be hosting many classes through our ‘Connecting Creativity’ planned activities. Watch for details closer to dates. Men’s Health Week was celebrated in a big way this year by the Charlton Neighbourhood House with ‘A Pleasant Sunday Morning’ at Rotary Park. With funding provided through Buloke Shire and the Victorian Governments CASI funding, a free BBQ, refreshments, free community transport and entertainment by Big Bad John was provided. Thanks must go to the many groups and individuals who supported the day, including the volunteers who helped set up and pack away, the Rotary Club for assisting with the BBQ, the North Central Car Club for bringing along some of their magnificent vehicles, Dave and Lyn Edyvean for blood pressure checks and very popular neck and shoulder massages, Andrew from the Charlton Community Garden, and Jo Phillips and Deb Finlay assisting with the drinks. The Charlton Forum Community Car continues to be very popular taking people to appointments from Swan Hill to Melbourne, and everywhere in-between. Please give as much notice as possible if you require the service to ensure availability of the vehicle and a volunteer driver. As always, we are extremely grateful to all the drivers who donate their time to provide this valuable service. Would you like to become a Community Car Driver and help others in our town? Call 0473759456 or drop in for more information. All training provided. As part of the celebration of Men’s Health Week, the Charlton Neighbourhood House was pleased to host a popular community event at Rotary Park on Sunday June 20. Under clear blue skies and with support from the Buloke Shires and Victorian Governments CASI Funding (Community Activation and Social Isolation Initiative) a large group of men and their partners shared a few hours of music, a BBQ and refreshments. A bus ran circuits of the town at regular intervals to pick up and drop off residents requiring transport, while great support was received from the Charlton Rotary Club in cooking and serving the selection of both traditional BBQ meats as well as some healthier vegetarian options. Zero , low carb and gluten free healthier options of beer was available to sample along with water and sugar free soft drinks.
Music was provided by the man in black, Big Bad John, as was well received by all those in attendance, as was the fantastic display of vehicles by the North Central Car Club. Neck and shoulder massages were given by local Lyn Edyvean while Dave Edyvean provided blood pressure testing. A supply of relevant men’s health pamphlets was available courtesy of East Wimmera Health Service, and many other volunteers assisted with the setup and pack up at the end of the day. Special thanks also go to Australian Eatwell Pty Ltd in Donald for their generous donation of healthier vegetarian options that proved very popular on the day. Feedback received from those in attendance all thought it was a terrific initiative and hoped that it will continue on in years to come. The Charlton Neighbourhood House last week celebrated Neighbourhood House Week with a host of activities for young and old. The week was used to highlight the achievements over the past difficult 12 months, and to promote the huge number of courses and activities being planned for the coming months. Monday kicked off with some delicious free slices to compliment the hot coffees prepared by the FLO Program students at the Rex Theatre. The Rex featured in Tuesday’s activities as Charlton residents were able to access free tickets for that nights screening of the new release movie, ‘Blackbird’. The fine sunny weather suited Wednesday mornings ‘Walk with a friend’ activity which finished back at the Neighbourhood House for a friendly cuppa and morning tea. The towns youth were not forgotten with a free afternoon of activities, food and drinks at the Charlton Club. This will be continuing over the next few Thursdays to judge if this can become a permanent weekly event. The week finished with a host of board games being available to enjoy during Friday, with tea, coffee and snacks on hand for those taking part. The Neighbourhood House thanked everyone who took part during the week, and look forward to further involvement throughout the year in a number of planned events. The Charlton Neighbourhood has recently celebrated it’s second birthday serving the community. Looking back over the past 24 months and the numerous courses, activities, grant funding, Community Car trips and social connection delivered pays great tribute to the committee, staff and volunteers involved. Recently concluded courses included a Responsible Service of Alcohol, First Aid & CPR Refresher Course and Barista training. The Charlton Neighbourhood House is also excited to be delivering another Certificate Course on March 30 for Hygienic Food Safety and Handling (SITXFSA001).
Amongst other news is the employment of a new Administration Assistant and Finance Officer, plus the return to 5 days a week opening; hours of operation between 10:00am and 4:00pm. This increases access for our community for car bookings, printing, general enquiries, internet access and much more. An exciting initiative currently underway is our Community Transport Survey. Charlton is asking our residents across all ages their opinions on possible future transport options in the town and across the shire and region. Maybe it’s dedicated bike or walking tracks; maybe a daily bus or taxi service; access to sports training and weekend games; better pathways for wheelchairs and walking aids; lots of options to consider. Anyone who hasn’t filled in a survey are invited to drop in and complete one, or a survey can be sent to you by phoning 0473759456. It is hoped that the results may lead to funding of one or more suggestions that are put forward. More Community Transport Options for Charlton? The Charlton Neighbourhood House has received funding from the Victorian Department of Transport to develop a new integrated community transport model for Charlton and district. This project will look at current community transport options in Charlton, as well as opportunities to grow these in the future to meet the needs of local community members of all ages. According to Charlton Neighbourhood House President, Kaylene Cossar, the Charlton Community Car provides an invaluable service to elderly members of the local community supporting them to attend out-of-town specialist medical appointments. “We know we could be doing more to meet not only the needs of our elderly residents, but residents of all ages who, for many reasons, do not have access to transport of their own,” she said. “Working with us on this project are Julie Slater and Ellen White who both have a strong knowledge of the community transport sector, as well as backgrounds in community development,” said Ms Cossar. “They will be undertaking a broad community consultation process over the next few weeks to capture the needs and wants of the Charlton community when it comes to future community transport options,” she said. The theme of the consultations will be “imagine” and Charlton residents are being asked to imagine the following:
There is also a survey that residents are being asked to complete which is available in hard copy through the Neighbourhood House or online at … For more information about the Community Transport project contact the Charlton Neighbourhood House on 0473 759 456. We couldn't have the much anticipated Santa Photos be impacted by COVID-19, so we took them outside this year and found the best possible location and trick photography to give the illusion of closeness whilst actually keeping all families a very safe distance from Santa.
Sunday morning in Charlton was a hive of activity. There were whistles blowing, people in high vis clothing pounding the streets on foot, bikes, and skateboards, all armed with cameras. The Charlton Neighbourhood House had a team of photographers helping the project ‘Out Standing In…’ become an outstanding success. The team of over 30 photographers, responsible for one street each set off to snap a few pictures of not just the residents, but their pets, projects, and activities they have enjoyed during coronavirus. The laughter and story telling that could be heard as neighbours who had not seen each other for weeks reconnected, was delightful. It was not just the town, but the surrounding districts have been captured too and EWHS worked with CNH to take pictures of the patients also. The CNH committees’ concept was to simply capture a moment in the history of Charlton, to share with loved ones that are geographically separated. “While COVID-19 is invisible to the eye, a very visible component has been the wearing of masks and physical distancing in our community, said CNH President Kaylene Cossar. “We wanted to be able to capture residents smiling faces, so we needed to keep them on their own properties to adhere to the restrictions.” Kaylene added “We want to use these images as a way of keeping people connected, there will be multiple end products and many possibilities are being explored, a film, photo cards, calendar and book, but for now we are sharing them on social media for friends and family to enjoy”. These have been well received as past resident Jenny Southwell said “ Being unable to get back to visit, these photos have given me a huge smile every time I see them, particularly when mum and dad popped up! What a wonderful idea. Congratulations on a superb project for Charlton. Charlton will always be home despite living far away.” Congratulating the Neighbourhood House resident Robin McRae said, “What a great community exercise & something that only happens in a great community! Some amongst us have taken a massive financial & life hit and you pray they pull through ok. For us, the passing of a lifelong friend we could not say goodbye to. Through it all I know we say "no we are ok" where in fact we are not because the same as all of us distancing & masks take away two of the most important factors of connection and feeling a part of the fabric of community. Then this idea comes along proving we are all part of a great community. The best!” |
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