The Great April Race
April raced through at breakneck speed.
April has been a month filled with meaningful events and initiatives that have brought us closer together as a community. Here's a roundup of what we've been up to:
Car Maintenance Workshop: Our car maintenance event was a tremendous success, thanks to Kristian from KJA Automotive who provided invaluable expertise. Participants had the opportunity to enhance their skills and confidence in maintaining their vehicles, learning about essential topics such as battery care, tyre maintenance, and even adjusting car seats for baby seats.
Earth Day Plant Swap: We celebrated Earth Day in style with a Plant Swap event that exemplified the spirit of community and sustainability. It was heartwarming to see everyone come together to swap plants, exchange maternity and newborn clothes, and absorb the wisdom shared by Jill and Amy about plants and propagation. The generous donations of bulbs by Garden Express and indigenous tube stock by the Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery added to the magic of the event.
Lantern-Making Initiative: The MotHs Private group has decided to utilize a generous donation from Bendigo Bank for lantern-making events. These events will not only create community lanterns but also contribute to the stunning moth display for the Belgrave Lantern Parade. We believe this initiative will leave a lasting legacy, bringing our community closer together for years to come.
Women's Pain Inquiry Submission: We took a significant step forward by submitting our proposal for the Victorian Government's Women's Pain Inquiry. The statistics from the Listening to Women's Voices report, indicating that 40% of women surveyed live with chronic pain, underscore the urgent need to address these challenges collectively.
Supporting the Community: In response to recent incidents of gendered violence, both nationally and locally, we have provided support resources and are actively exploring workshops and activities to empower and support our community during these difficult times.
As we move into May, we anticipate another busy month ahead. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our volunteers whose dedication and hard work have made these events possible. Together, we continue to make a positive impact on our community.
News Around the Hills - How to Get Involved
The hills are always buzzing with news and events but these are the ones that have captured our attention. Click on the images below for further information.
1. State member for Monbulk, Daniela De Martino has called upon private telecommunications companies to invest in stronger resilience measures in their mobile telephone infrastructure. Her campaign to power the towers is growing. Contribute here.
2. We are super proud of the ICRobotics team from the South-Eastern suburbs, many of whom are Dandenong Ranges kids who had the opportunity to represent Australia at the world championships in Houston! The kids made it to the final alliance pick which was way more than they had hoped for. The international comps are different in that they select four instead of three teams in the alliance so they have a backup robot should things happen. They were that fourth selection. Their alliance got to play two finals and in the second battle one bot was down and IC would have been in the next game!!!!! As you can imagine all were very excited but unfortunately, that game was lost by a couple of points. They are back and continue to raise funds to recoup the costs of sending the team and their robot, ‘Norm’ over to the US. You can support them here.
3. Federal Member for Casey, Aaron Violi MP is calling for a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic for the Yarra Ranges Currently, in the Yarra Ranges. Urgent healthcare options are limited in the Yarra Ranges. Travelling to a stretched emergency room or struggling to find an appointment at one of just seven bulk-billing GP’s is not good enough. Our community spans over 2,500 square kilometres, and deserves better access to quality healthcare. That’s why we need it. You can sign here.
4. A hills institution for more than 30 years, the Kalorama Chestnut Festival takes place on the first Sunday of May each year at Kalorama Reserve. The Kalorama Chestnut Festival is a community event that raises funds for the Mt Dandenong Preschool and Mt Dandenong Primary School. The festival is run by a group of volunteer parents, carers and educators. Full details here.
5. RACV has launched its My Country Road campaign and will be using the data to advocate to the government for improved local roads. This is a great opportunity to show the government how important it is to upgrade roads in our community. Have your say here.
6. On Tuesday 13 February and Thursday 22 February, extreme weather resulted in power outages across Victoria. A network outage review has been commissioned into the system response to the 13 February 2024 storms, led by a panel of independent experts. The Review will seek input from the Australian Energy Market Operator, Australian Energy Regulator, Energy Safe Victoria, the Essential Services Commission, and other regulators. The next consultation will be in Monbulk and Emerald on Saturday 4 May and in Cockatoo and Gembrook Sunday 5 May. Find out more here.
Upcoming Events
We have so many events coming up in May. Come to some or come to all. There are plenty of opportunities to meet others, find out information or learn new skills. Visit our Events Page for details.
MotHs Inc. goes above and beyond for its community. In addition to running and maintaining our place-based MotHs Hub, we advocate on the issues we see, hear about and directly experience within our community. We facilitate connections to provide mother-to-mother emotional and physical assistance, provide timely information about community events and emergency preparedness and promote local businesses. This can’t be achieved without the support of subscribers. We appreciate each and every subscriber for keeping this community running.
