Thornbury Womens Neighbourhood House 30 Year Celebration

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Thornbury Women’s Neighbourhood House Celebrating 30 Years 1986 – 2016 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor

Transcript of Thornbury Womens Neighbourhood House 30 Year Celebration

Thornbury

Women’s

Neighbourhood

House

Celebrating 30 Years

1986 – 2016PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor

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AcknowledgementThis book is a tribute to the women of Thornbury who created a piece of social history at a time when the needs of women of all nationalities and ages were not being considered or met. Thornbury Women’s Neighbourhood House (TWNH) was a place where women felt safe, valued and nutured. They were encouraged to express themselves and explore their creativity and potential.

“Travelling northward along St Georges Rd, a small inconspicuous blue sign points down Shaftsbury Parade telling of a Neighbourhood House, more specifically a Women’s Neighbourhood House.

A stroll in the direction of the sign reveals more than just a house. It shows a home. The wishes tied to the wishing tree flutter in the breeze and tell a story of

hope and growth.

A happy hum from the kindy hints at moments of freedom and self care. Instant coffee, computers and a hearty laugh inside the door talk about the sharing of

knowledge and community.”

These are the words penned by Ari Hunter, after researching the social history of TWNH. Ari spent many hours researching and archiving a plethora of photographs, newspaper articles and artefacts as part of her Masters in Museum Studies at Deakin University. Our thanks go to Ari for her generous contribution in helping us capture 30 years of TWNH history.

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Our Neighbourhood House

Our Neighbourhood House is a friendship inn, with a warm welcome

cheer for whoever drops in.

Whatever your race, whatever your creed, sure help you’ll get for your

own special need.

Rest and recreation for body or mind, is found in the art of just

being kind.

For those who have got the wanderlust, our Ursula is ready

with the Council bus!

So spread the news far and wide, our Neighbourhood House is

Thornbury’s pride!

This is the opinion of Geraldine de K; hope it will find acceptance with

what others have to say.

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In 1983 the idea of a space where women could express themselves, be supported and feel connected was floating around in the consciousness of a few minds in the Northcote – Thornbury community. The need to provide a place for learning, self-expression and recreation away from the pressures of childcare and home life was becoming more prevalent. This space needed to be intrinsically linked to the local community so that it could provide real solutions to the individual issues encountered by women living in the Northcote and Thornbury West area.

The 1981 Census created a diverse snapshot of the Northcote - Thornbury area. It showed that 51.5 percent of the total population of 51,223 were female and that approximately 20 percent were aged 20 – 29 and 10 percent were over the age of 70. Statistically, the population was skewed towards females and there was a need for Council to recognise and address the disparities in its service provision.

The way forward began within the City of Northcote Council through the creation of the Women’s Recreation Advisory Committee. This committee was made up of women who worked or resided in the Northcote area.

The primary role of the committee was to advocate on behalf of local women for increased recreation opportunities. This group was interested in the allocation of funding resources, specifically the disparity of funds that related to activities that local women actively pursued. The recreational funding model tended to favour traditional recreational pursuits such as the upkeep of parks, libraries and sporting grounds. These facilities catered mainly to the male population through organised sports. Studies at the time showed that less than one percent of female Australian residents were involved in this type of organised recreation.

In the beginning

The Leader Newspaper June 6th 1984

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The City of Northcote Council endorsed policy created by the Women’s Recreation Advisory Committee, stating that women’s recreation had traditionally been tied to their roles within the family and wider community.

Due to the lack of adequate resourcing, there had been a failure to provide a diversity of experience and opportunity. The group proposed that there was a need to address the imbalance through positive discrimination in the planning and funding of recreation programs.

The group defined women’s recreational needs as: • neighbourhood based;

• accessible by public transport;

• available to women with limited incomes, for example, older adults, the unemployed and women with no personal income;

• available to women with children, for example, providing appropriate childcare;

• not necessarily geared towards competitive sport; and

• providing an environment conducive to the development of social and small scale activities which appear to be of most value to women.

This policy was integrated into the Council’s wider statement defining recreation and leisure. From these discussion came the idea that a neighbourhood house could be the way forward in fostering engagement with the diverse community of the area. Funding was obtained in late 1984 to create a document that detailed the feasibility of a neighbourhood house for North West Thornbury.

As a result, a research document was produced by Judy Bennett and Jean Forster in 1985, under the guidance of Beth Wilmott who was at the time the Municipal Recreation Officer for the City of Northcote.

The Way forward

The Leader Newspaper September 9th 1984

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The document that Bennett and Forster created contained more than just a brief on financial scope, it highlighted a number of social issues that needed to be addressed within the wider community. The study was built around a number of community consultations conducted both in small groups and individually in private homes. The participants were all voluntary and ranged widely from mothers with young children, to migrant groups and community workers who were all situated in the North West Thornbury area.

Advertisements for feedback on the document were produced in a number of different languages and study groups were canvassed through the use of interpreters so that inflection and feeling was maintained.

Social isolation was highlighted as one of the most prevalent issues that affected women in general across all of the groups interviewed. Contributing to the isolation, were recurring personal accounts of poverty, language difficulties, cultural differences and lack of mobility. The feeling of isolation was widespread among all the varied social groups interviewed and simmered to the fore as one of the most important aspects that the neighbourhood house needed to assist the community with.

These personal stories tell of the loneliness of being a mother to young children, struggling to find a way to negate the overwhelming feeling of isolation and restriction to the four walls of the home. Added to this was a difficulty in communication. Many migrant women felt they did not have sufficient language skills to participate in wider community events. The lack of basic communication skills had the capacity to effectively restrict contact with others which in turn made it particularly difficult for migrant women coping with health issues, domestic violence and substance abuse.

The idea of a Neighbourhood House to support these issues was met positively by the community, the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation and the City of Northcote Council. The house would attempt to provide childcare, language skills, relevant education programs, health and wellbeing referrals and, importantly, to act as an agent to address and attempt to change the social climate of the area. Taken from the 1981

Census of Polulation & Housing Victoria

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In 1985, Bennett and Forster recommended the immediate acquisition of a homely, free standing, roomy three-bedroom house, situated within the area bordered by Hutton St, St Georges Rd, Bradley St and Leinster Grove. The building needed to be freely accessible via public transport, provide on-site parking and have enough land to create a play space and garden.

The end of 1985 saw the purchase of the property at 131 Shaftesbury Parade for approximately $80,000 by the Northcote Council and the State Government, expressly for use as a Neighbourhood House. The Northcote Leader reported that the target groups for the drop-in centre would be elderly, migrants and young families. The Northcote Mayor, David Redfern is quoted as saying that human services in the area have been deprived and this is one small step in the right direction.

On December 7, 1985, the house was officially opened and celebrated with Devonshire teas, cooking demonstrations and a fete that lasted until 10pm. At this point the house became incorporated and was run by a voluntary interim management committee made up of Anne Carson, Jenny Wakim, Alison Elliot, Grace Phelan and Jan Coates.

In January 1986, there was a position advertised for a paid Women’s Co-ordinator for 19 hours a week, funded by Family and Community Services. The job included organisation of programs, liaising with funding bodies, community groups and individual women. The management committee were looking for a candidate that was committed to opening up opportunities for women through group and self help support models.

A House to call home

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Ursula Harrison was employed in this capacity and would enthusiastically continue in the role with the organisation for over 27 years. During this time, Ursula built the public profile of TWNH and put women’s issues into the public spotlight. Ms Harrison had a background in building women’s and alternative theatre, including the Australian Performing Group (Pram Factory), the Women’s Theatre Group and the Wimmin’s Circus. She was also part of the Women’s Refuge Collective which established the first women’s refuge in Melbourne.

Ursula Harrison and her daughter Meehan

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Starter programs

April 1986 saw the delivery of the first set of programs directed at the wider community. These programs were well received and the house in general gained momentum as a space for women’s recreation and self expression. Classes were held in creative writing, crafts, typing and low budget cooking. Other activities introduced in the first year included garment repairs, social scrabble games and regular community lunches which continued for many years.

A space for childcare was provided so that women could attend classes or activities without the worry of children. 1987 saw TWNH accomplish a number of firsts. The first group outing was a great success, the fete was a successful fundraiser and most importantly, funding was approved for the employment of an Arabic speaking community worker.

Breaking down language barriers

Feyrouz Khayat joined the TWNH team in June of 1987 as a Community Development worker. As a recent migrant from Lebanon, she played a major role in attempting to break down some of the most basic language barriers surrounding the level of community engagement with the Arabic speaking community. Drilling down further into the 1986 census statistics reveals that 38% of the population in the Northcote – Thornbury area that spoke a language other than English at home, stated that they could not speak English well, or at all. This fact highlighted the need for an employee who could bridge the language barriers to create community engagement in this specific group. These statistics also provided concrete evidence of the

need for education and support around English as a second language. This trend continued in the area with later census data showing a fall from 38% to a rate of 35% in 1996, 34% in 2001, 27% in 2006 and 28% in 2011.

The House flourishes

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Many interest groups grew out of this time at the TWNH. The Mature Women’s Group was led by Dot Benjamin and it was very well attended. The day to day running of the house was made easier by the many hours of volunteering given by this dedicated group of women. Dot Benjamin was a stalwart of the TWNH and also edited the newsletter for 15 years, encouraging contributions from women, typing up the articles and printing out the copies. The annual Dot Benjamin Volunteer Award was introduced in 2010 as a lasting tribute to Dot’s outstanding contribution.

The Creative Writing group was helping a number of women in the community work though issues in their personal lives in a way that provided a vessel for positive expression. Migration stories were being recorded and value given to immigrant concerns. Short-run self-help publications such as ‘Writing for Change – Hints for the Non Writer’ by Mary Colla, Wendy Madoga, Trudy Oldaker and Gavin Sellars in 1991 were part of the tangible measureable outcomes made possible by TWNH.

Dot Benjamin is acknowledged for running the Mature Women’s Group

Supporting women in the community

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Addressing social issues

Social barriers were also being addressed at this point. TWNH acted as a referral point for issues around domestic violence and substance abuse for women looking for a way to change their current situation. There was, for a time, a family counsellor from the Northcote City Council on site once a week to address domestic issues for free. Most of the work and services that TWNH provided access to was treated as confidential and not statistically recorded, but the social value was evident in the support and continued patronage of the house by the community.

The Northcote Leader profiled a number of these well-being programs through the late 80s and early 90s and demonstrated to their wider readership the important work the TWNH was involved in. TWNH had also achieved many of its objectives around engagement with the non-English speaking members of the community. Workshops were conducted in Arabic and were specifically aimed at issues highlighted in that community. Language groups that taught English as a second language focussed on every-day use and comprehension. The English language group for Hmong women provided a way to foster engagement with people outside the tight knit Laotian community.

Building skills

Building on the idea of TWNH as an agent for social change was the successful application to become a Registered Training Organisation in December of 1992. The organisation was now able to access funding to provide more educational programs that had a tangible certifiable outcome for the participants. The TWNH could now offer courses in subjects that would enable women to enter back into the workforce with real, quantifiable skills.

TWNH builds its reputation

Feyrouz Khayat TWNH’s first Community Development Worker

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A fete to mark the opening and the first outing

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A range of new programs and activities

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Newsletters from the early years

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Women connecting

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Exploring the Arts

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Caring for our children and our community

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A mural generously donated by women from the Hmong tribe in Laos

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The State Government Election in October of 1992 saw a major change in the way that community organisations were funded. Jeff Kennett gained the Victorian Premiership and began to make sweeping budget changes. Privatisation and funding cuts were a priority of the new Government. As a result, community organisations lost funding across the board for many essential support programs. Generally, in the drive for increased economic efficiency, the social costs of these initiatives were not considered. Nor was the simple fact that the services provided by these organisations saved the Government millions of dollars each year.

The Northcote Leader reported these cuts in detail, leading with headlines such as ‘Axe falls on Houses’ and ‘Team defies cuts’. Locally the cuts affected TWNH, the SPAN co-operative and the Jika Jika Community Centre. All centres lost considerable funding hours for co-ordinators, which meant money had to stretch further and there was a greater reliance on volunteers to provide services.

Within months of funding cuts to coordination hours, TWNH lost the community support grant that funded their Arabic speaking community development worker. This put further budgetary pressure on the organisation to find money from elsewhere to fund this position. Jika Jika community centre also lost the community support grant that funded their Cambodian community worker.

Maree Goonan, the Chairwoman of the North-East Neighbourhood House Network vocalised the animosity felt in general with her quote in the Northcote Leader, “It is clear the government intends to exploit workers because they know the job becomes a person’s whole life”.

The childcare arm of TWNH actually received an extra $1685 in funding specifically under the Adult, Community and Further Education childcare program. The purpose of the funding was to provide subsidised childcare so that women could complete courses that would provide a pathway to employment. The Community Services Minister, Mr John stated at the time that this funding was to support ‘parents broadening their opportunities to re-enter the workforce.’

Addressing the funding challenge

These funding decisions created a difficult environment in which community organisations like TWNH could operate. It was as if they were being subtly prodded to a particular course of action which was not completely aligned with the original ideas and values the neighbourhood houses were initiated with. Management committees that had previously functioned with concerns for the wider community were suddenly thrown into a funding model based on commercial lines.

The funding challenge

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In response to the lack of funding, the six Neighbourhood Houses in the Darebin area presented a mock cheque to the Darebin City Council. This check represented the amount of money that the Neighbourhood houses had saved the council through their volunteer workforce. The check was made out for the amount of $131,000 and most organisations involved considered this a conservative estimate. It was noted that three volunteers at TWNH put in more than 100 hours a month regularly between them and that was their regular voluntary contribution.

Being resilient

Despite the reduction in funding, TWNH managed to provide a number of free courses that were still based around the original ideas of social change and inclusion, such as English for beginners and English as a second language. There was a small charge for other support group classes, such as the single mothers support group. In contrast the ‘work related’ classes were more expensive and had training standards and requirements that needed to be met and adhered to. The introduction of a 23-week long office administration course directed at sole parents, immigrants, the disabled and low income earners was one of the first State Training Board accredited qualifications available through the house.

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1996 saw TWNH celebrate ‘Ten Years Strong’ with the publication of a short history and collection of edited works, consisting of poems, creative writing and personal histories associated with the house. The booklet was edited by Karen Komimbin. Community engagement with the house was still strong with much of the good work done being profiled, often and at length, by the Northcote Leader.

Over the next few years, the Victorian Government continued in a similar political direction with no new funding to the sector.

It was proposed in 1997, that the funding that had previously covered 265 Neighbourhood Houses be stretched to cover another 75 for the coming financial year. As a group, neighbourhood houses were poorly resourced at the time and reducing even that small amount of funding could result in the closure of some houses. TWNH survived this turbulent period with more than a few scrapes and bruises, but still in a functioning state with the ability to continue serving the local community.

Ten Years Strong

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The government funding pressures also put many services that were competing for philanthropic funds under additional pressure. The Supporting Women in the Neighbourhood (SWIN) initiative was one such program. SWIN was a volunteer peer support program using trained volunteers to support women in the community who were experiencing mental health issues, family violence, social isolation or other issues which made it difficult for them to engage with their community. SWIN was in grave danger of folding when there was no money to train new volunteers to interact with those that needed it most.

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In 2006, the Thornbury Women’s Neighbourhood House celebrated its 20th birthday. The celebration of this milestone proved that TWNH had adapted to meet the needs of a changing community. The socio-economic make-up of the area was broadening and the ability to change and serve the community would cement TWNH as a valuable organisation in years to come. At this time, the Memorandum of Understanding and the Partnership Strategy were established between the six Neighbourhood Houses within the Darebin area, and the Darebin Council itself. These agreements were designed to foster cooperation and collaboration between these organisations moving forward.

In 2006, the funding and management of Neighbourhood Houses was moved out of the Department of Human Services and into the newly established Department of Victorian Communities. This had a positive impact on TWNH, with funding of extra administration hours and the approval of an extension to the childcare facility, which resulted in an increase in available childcare places.

Community engagement and support was an integral part of the functionality of TWNH. As an organisation, TWNH acted as a link between essential services and the people that needed them. They had close ties with the Darebin Domestic Violence Network, the Darebin Youth

Network, Telelink Victoria and many other small groups that facilitated support networks. Many enquiries were anonymous and referrals were usually given as an aside to another conversation. In this respect, the aim was to act as an information point where community members were able to access information under no obligation.

Feyrouz Khayat was with TWNH for 20 years. Over the years, her role expanded from a Community Development Worker to a Family Support Worker providing support, advocacy, information and referrals to Arabic Speaking families. The work ranged from support for newly arrived migrant families, referrals to Domestic Violence services, housing services, children’s services, and legal services, to the establishment of community programs such as the Community Writing group, the Arabic women’s sewing group and health and well being programs.

20 years and still going strong

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TWNH also offered essential community support programs such as Moving Stars, Noisy Girls and the WebAbility Program. The WebAbility program was a government funded program to teach IT skills to people with a disability. Noisy Girls was an innovative music and song writing program for young women who were early school leavers or at risk of dropping out of school. Many of the young women had experienced family breakdown, substance abuse, and homelessness. It was a partnership program with Preston Reservoir Adult Community Education (PRACE) and was run by well known female musicians. Each program recorded a CD at Decibels and concluded with a performance of the women’s songs accompanied by professional musicians. Moving Stars still continues to be run today and is specifically based around movement, music, art and relaxation classes for adults with an intellectual or physical disability.

In the last 10 years, TWNH also continued to offer a large number of recreational, and health and well-being programs that stayed true to the original feedback in 1984.

By 2011 the programs had been extended to include patchwork, pottery, food skills, yoga, meditation, hula hooping mums, knitting, and social lawn bowls to name just a few. Self-care was still a big part of the reason for offering these programs, and occasional childcare was still available for a nominal fee for these sessions as well.

Social enterprise

TWNH invested further in this education based program, with the opening of the Sliding Door Café in 2008. It was set up by TWNH in partnership with PRACE and was situated at the Reservoir Civic Centre. The Sliding Door Café was established as a separate incorporated body with its own committee of management. Its purpose was to provide a place to train and complete the Certificate II in Hospitality, as well as operate as a social enterprise that would enhance the local area. The café also collaborated with the Sprout Community Garden to provide seasonal organic produce. It ran for a number of years, providing tangible outcomes for many local trainees. The undertaking of these projects was one of the most significant that TWNH had been involved in. Support was provided to the café by way of pro-bono administration and payroll services. The Sliding Door Café continued in operation until mid 2011, when the decision was made to close the café due to financial insecurity.

Embracing bold new initiatives

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Training enterprise

TWNH continued to act as a training organisation, providing accredited courses in Information Technology, Children’s Services, Aged Care, Training and Assessment and English as a Second Language. By offering these courses and supporting the participants in finding employment, TWNH created an environment in which many students achieved results that they previously did not believe they were capable of. The provision of these programs was motivated by the mission statement as recorded in the 2006 Annual Report, to ‘create opportunities for women by providing programs and activities that build self-confidence, a sense of belonging and a strong peaceful community’.

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Creative enterprise

The TWNH has always had a history of supporting people via a creative outlet, from quilts to pottery and everything in between. The logical progression of this aspect came with the beginning of the Made ’n’ Thornbury markets that were to become a stalwart event on the Inner North Craft Market Calendar. This market started in 2008 as a one off event and progressed to a quarterly event due to its popularity. The Made n’ Thornbury market supported local women crafters who were keen to develop their crafts and set up their own micro businesses. Business and marketing skills workshops were also offered to support women in

the development of their businesses. By providing a low cost market alternative for makers to test their products, and by providing basic support and feedback, the product quality and income of the stall holders improved greatly. The market continues today as the Thornbury Art & Craft Market and is as popular as ever.

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Financial enterprise

Alongside the provision of training, came the No Interest Loans Scheme (NILS), which was run in partnership with Good Shepherd Microfinance with the capital provided by the National Australia Bank (NAB). TWNH was a registered NILS provider from 2011. This program provided individuals and families on low incomes access to safe, fair and affordable credit. It was presented as a community based real alternative to the explosion of payday lenders that provide lending services to the vulnerable at extremely high interest rates. Loans from $300 to $1200 were made available for essential household needs. Items such as refrigerators, household furniture and laptops qualified for the loans. Applicants are required to meet a number of criteria and demonstrate a genuine capacity and willingness to repay the loan. Personal stories around the difference this scheme has made to the quality of life for residents on low incomes are proof enough that this is a worthwhile service that continues to be offered across the Darebin Local Government area.

Stories of NILS Clients in 2014

Jennifer took out her second NILS loan with TWNH this year when she moved into her new unit, borrowing money to purchase curtains, bedside tables and a stereo. Her first loan was to purchase a new fridge which was successfully repaid at the end of 2013. Jennifer said of her experience:

I love my new fridge and to be able to buy new furniture and curtains for my new unit has been wonderful. The NILS program is so good for people on low incomes. I plan to furnish my home, bit by bit, using NILS loans. All the staff at TWNH are so friendly and helpful – I’d be lost without you!

Another one of our clients also borrowed for the second time this year. Her first loan was for a specially designed Yuba Cargo bike that enabled her to transport her small children and do her shopping easily, helping to support her to be much more mobile and less reliant on public transport.

With her children reaching school age, she was ready to begin studying the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment to help prepare her for returning to work as a Specialist Screen Acting teacher. This second NILS loan paid for the cost of this course. The client’s feedback was that being able to access NILS loans has given her independence both in being mobile and for preparing to return to work.

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Since the changes to the government funding model in 2011, TWNH had struggled to deliver its broad suite of services and still remain financially viable. The privatisation of the adult education sector led to increased competition from new privately registered training organisations (RTOs). This, combined with onerous compliance obligations, meant that smaller organisations such as TWNH found it increasingly difficult to remain viable. In July 2015, the committee of management decided to cancel its registration as an RTO in order to rationalise costs and focus on its core strengths of health and well-being activities, community development, micro-finance and childcare.

At the same time, the committee recognised the changing demographics in the area, in particular, the emergence of a large LGBTI community, young families where both parents are working and a growing number of seniors. Although there have been changes in the socio-economic make-up of the areas, the need for the services provided by TWNH has not diminished. With declining revenue streams, the committee of management saw the need to review its strategy and be a community service not just for women but also for other members of the community whose needs and wants were not being met.

By mid-2015, TWNH was in financial difficulty and facing the very real prospect of having to close its doors despite the ongoing demand for services in the area. The goal was always to service the community, so the committee of management embraced the opportunity to stay open when Preston Neighbourhood House (PNH) offered to assist by joining forces and managing both houses under the one entity. The new management arrangement has meant that both houses could improve their cost effectiveness and invest in growing the services available to the local community.

The Winds of Change

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Embracing the future

On 1st April 2016, TWNH became Thornbury Neighbourhood House (TNH) under the management of the Preston Neighbourhood House Board of Management. The Board is committed to ensuring that TNH still provides services for women as well as the broader community and the values of inclusion, empowerment and integrity remain unchanged.

In 1986, the women of Thornbury laid the foundations for ensuring that local women did not need to be socially isolated. For the last 30 years, TWNH has provided a place for them to connect, to learn and to express themselves.

Thornbury and Preston Neighbourhood Houses continue to build on those strong foundations and are reaching out to engage more people in a wider range of programs and learning opportunities.

The house at 131 Shaftesbury Parade, Thornbury is still a place where members of the community are welcome to come and learn, create and nurture.

Sources

‘House for Neighbourhood’, Northcote Leader, 1985.

‘Grants for Childcare’, Northcote Leader, 1993.

‘Neighbourhood houses go downhill’, Northcote Leader, 1997.

Bagnall, Allan Richard, ‘Persons and Dwellings in Local Government Areas and Urban Centres, Victoria’, Census of Population and Housing, 30 June 1981 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1981).

Bennett, Judy and Forster, Jean, ‘Women’s Recreation in North West Thornbury: A proposal for a Neighbourhood House’, (Melbourne: Women’s Recreation Advisory Committee, Northcote City Council, 1985).

Cook, Dorothy, ‘Team defies cuts’, Northcote Leader, 1993.

Council, Northcote City, ‘Policy on Women’s Recreation’, Women’s Recreation in North West Thornbury: A Proposal for a Neighbourhood House (Melbourne, 1983).

Crofts, David, ‘Axe falls on houses’, Northcote Leader, 1993.

Thompson, Scott, ‘Helping people cope with life’, Northcote Leader, 3 June 1987 1987.

Training.gov.au, ‘RTO Report’ (2016); <https://training.gov.au/Organisation/Details/4135>.

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Thornbury Women’s Neighbourhood House 1986 - 201634

“So the wishes will continue to flutter in the trees, and the childhood sounds will still float over the fence. There will still be endless cups of instant coffee, anonymous

phone calls looking for help, yoga, laughter and a place to feel safe. And people will still see the house as a home,

but now a home with a history. “

by Ari Hunter

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Preston Neighbourhood House Inc. gratefully acknowledges

the support of the Victorian Government and Public Record

Office Victoria for making this project possible.PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor