October
October was a significant month for Mums of the Hills (MotHs), capping off a year dedicated to community support in the Dandenong and Yarra Ranges.
This largely volunteer-run group organised over 40 events addressing community needs like disaster preparedness, environmental awareness, mental health, and skills-building. Through online and in-person events, MotHs continued its mission to foster connections, reduce isolation, and advocate for local issues. You can read more about our year in the MotHs Annual Report here. At the Annual General Meeting we celebrated and thanked our outgoing members Sue Clisby, Prof. Lisa Dell and Rebecca Lovett, and welcome our newest committee member, Assoc. Prof Genevieve Grant.
This month we held another of our Check Me Out events, this time in Healesville, featuring Katie Underwood. Known from the band Bardot, Katie now works as a healing practitioner and shared insights on mental health, addiction, ADHD, and chronic pain. She discussed her wellness journey, encouraging attendees to consider self-care and different health options. This event had a different feel and approach to our previous events that we hope those who attended appreciated. Along with this event, the Check Me Out research findings were published which opened our eyes on the barriers preventing people from seeking preventative healthcare for their mental and physical wellbeing. You can read more about the findings here.
October also saw MotHs receiving an outdoor shed from Bunnings Scoresby. Thank you Bunnings! Another highlight was the local council candidate forum held over Zoom, which gave residents an opportunity to engage with candidates from various wards on pressing issues. MotHs has facilitated candidate forums since 2020 with MotHs community survey identifying key issues that formed the basis for the questions we asked candidates. Key concerns included climate change, roads, infrastructure, health services in the Yarra Valley, affordable long-daycare, and reliable telecommunications, which have since been turned into advocacy pieces which you can read about here. We hope that this was of benefit both to candidate and locals alike. Thank you to the Ranges Trader for their article on the event to which you can read here.
Finally, October wouldn’t be complete with Halloween on the Green. This fantastic local event is close to our heart because of the ethos behind it and the strong community connections it creates. MotHs was grateful for our festival tent, enabling local makers to sell their products on the day. You can read more about this event here.
As the year wraps up, October’s activities reflect MotHs’ ongoing work to strengthen community through events, advocacy, and support, helping residents overcome isolation and foster a connected community.
Upcoming Events
We have so many events coming up in November. 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.
