All that was July
July marked the one-year anniversary of the MotHs Hub’s official opening, a milestone celebrated with reflection and immense gratitude for the support we received to make this dream a reality.
We’ve had a remarkable year since the opening of the Hub and we couldn’t have done it without the help of generous donations from the community and the support of local businesses. From Fletchers Real Estate, who covered the lease costs to secure our first home for MotHs, to the Better Living Group, who gifted a new kitchen, the numerous trades and supporters all played a role in transforming this dilapidated building into a calm and welcoming space. A special thanks go to Belgrave Kinder and Yarra Ranges Council for their unwavering support. The goal of the MotHs Hub was to bring the online community into our place-based community, and it’s growing from strength to strength. The success events we’ve hosted, including social gatherings, educational and support-based activities along with respite following natural disasters, stand as a testimony to what this space has done for our community.
That’s not all that happened this month. MotHs Vice President, Katerina Volny and committee member Rebecca Lovett supported Daniela De Martino MP's Dandenong Ranges Women’s Pain Forums. Marina Garbuio and President Belinda Young spoke on 98.1 Eastern FM about Mums of the Hills. Marina, one of the team of administrators managing the Single Mums of the Hills group, discussed the unique challenges faced by single mothers. Belinda, the founder of MotHs, spoke about how the group originated and the plans for MotHs in the future. It was a quieter month on the event front for MotHs, but we can forgive chief organiser President Belinda Young for taking the foot of the pedal as she achieved the significant milestone of submitting her PhD after seven years of research.
There is so much happening in the coming months with some really big develops bubbling away in the background. Stay tuned for big announcements in the coming months.
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.
Fundraising for Cuddle Cot. On October 13th Hayden Lyons-Smee will be running the Melbourne Marathon to raise funds towards a Cuddle Cot in honour of his son Oli’s birthday. A cuddle cot is a cooling system that lays beneath the baby within a bassinet. It enables bereaved families to keep their baby close and create beautiful memories. Hayden and Pip’s son Oli passed away during his birth in 2023. The cuddle cot was so greatly appreciated during the early grieving days at home. They want to support other families to have the choice to spend this precious and fleeting time with their babies by fundraising for a Cuddle Cot to be donated to an Australian hospital or funeral home to support a bereaved family like we were. To support this very much needed fundraising effort, please follow this link here.
Raising Awareness for much needed bike path: Twenty odd years ago MADCOW was working with council to discuss the installation of a bike path between Monbulk and Mt Evelyn. At the time the location of the Silvan Dam Fence meant that this was not possible and the project was put on the backburner. It is still part of councils priority trails. See link below. Draft Paths and Trails Plan 2024-2034 | Shaping Yarra Ranges. MADCOW ave been working with the council and local state MP Daniela DeMartino to lobby Melbourne Water to consider relocating the fence to enable future construction of this path however we need your support. If you can please undertake the survey and an example of our recommended responses are listed in green below
https://letstalk.melbournewater.com.au/silvan-fence-upgrade/silvan-reservoir-survey
Celebrating Funding Success in Olinda: Olinda has received $45,500 from the Allan Labor Government's Tiny Towns Fund! This funding will be used to improve safety around the Olinda Recreation Reserve Pavilion, which currently has uneven and difficult paths to negotiate in the dry and the all-too-common wet weather.
Advocating for improved telecommunication support in the Dandenong Ranges: *Over 500 signatures and counting!* Losing power is one thing, but losing telecommunications is another matter entirely. The telcos have the ability to build in backup power supplies to their mobile towers, but they haven't bothered to do it in one of the most fire prone places in the world - the Dandenong Ranges. Sign this petition by Daniela De Martino MP to improve telecommunications in the Dandenong Ranges.
Advocating for a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic for the Yarra Ranges: Currently, in the Yarra Ranges, for urgent healthcare your options are limited. 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, spanning over 2,500 square kilometres, deserves better access to quality healthcare. We need a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic for the Yarra Ranges. Sign this petition by Aaron Violi MP to say we need one here in Yarra Ranges.
Upcoming Events
We have so many events coming up in August and September. 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.
