Our Sensational September
It was another packed month of events, workshops and advocacy.
Advocacy
Locals that have lived their entire life in hills are growing concerned about the frequency and severity of weather events in the hills. Bushfires have always been a risk but now storms with high winds are the new normal. Understanding how our community can adapt to climate change is incredibly important for our future ability to live happily and safely in our hills location. MotHs President, Belinda Young attended the Yarra Ranges Climate Partnership hosted by ECLC. The workshop aimed to:
Strengthen climate literacy in a way that centres equity and justice
Build a shared understanding of organisational roles, responsibilities, and opportunities to act on climate change and disaster impacts
Explore potential impacts of disasters on our community and local organisation's service delivery and infrastructure
Identify opportunities to strengthen local climate resilience through bringing organisations together .
The Yarra Ranges Climate Partnership, is a partnership with Jesuit Social Service’s Centre for Just Places, ARC Justice and the Federation of Community Legal Centres. This project is made possible by the Australian Government’s Disaster Ready Fund (DRF) - a new disaster risk reduction initiative which funds a diverse set of large scale and long-term resilience projects.
New Resources
As part of our effort to get women’s health back on track, we’re working on plotting services in our area. By placing a ‘pin’ in the centre of an area, we’ve tried to find services within a 5km radius of that location. Why? We know how short on time we all are and travelling distances to seek medical help reduces the chance of you actually making the appointment. We wanted to firstly make things easier for you and secondly, highlight the vast gaps in services in our area. It is an ever expanding project so if you are aware of services we are missing, please let us know.
Check out your area here: Upper Yarra I Yarra Valley I Lilydale and urban surrounds I Hills
Check Me Out Events
We had two fantastic events on this month building on our push to get women’s health back on track. Dr McPherson from Thryve Family Practice explained that about 80% of chronic diseases are caused by lifestyle factors and that almost 50% of Australians are estimated to have at least one chronic condition (eg: diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis). The message we took away was that by addressing our diet, optimising our sleep, adding regular exercise to our life and practicing good stress management, we can significantly modify our risk. We can reduce the risk of one or more of those chronic diseases and we can improve the quality and enjoyment of our life.
Emma Gilmour from Hope Rising Coaching shared her personal journey of transforming her relationship with wine. Moving from a routine of weekend and some weekday drinking to a life where wine has become a small and irrelevant part. This talk wasn't about becoming alcohol-free but about discovering alternative ways to unwind and manage stress that feel good for you wherever you want your relationship with alcohol to be. A huge thanks to Oscars on the Yarra for hosting this event too.
Level 1 Chainsaw Training
Another group of mums became skilled chainsaw operators this month thanks to our collaboration with Yarra Ranges Council. This is such an important skill to learn for life in the hills. Having a network of mums with this skill is so crucial given that statistically we’re more likely the ones to be at home when some goes wrong.
The R.U.T.H RUN
What do you get when you cross Kate Bush, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG), Stranger Things, and Birdsland Reserve? A super fun, retro themed event that raises awareness and funds for mental health.
The event wasn’t just about fitness; it was about community and making a difference. Proceeds from the run supported the Black Dog Institute, and each participant proudly received a R.U.T.H. Run finisher’s medal to mark their achievement.
Thanks to everyone who joined, dressed up, and shared in this special day. Your participation helped make it a day filled with smiles, laughter, and a sense of accomplishment
Thank you to those that made this event a possibility, our fantastic participants, our amazing volunteers, Glen Cooks Food, Cognoscenti, Yarra ranges Council,
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.
Kilsyth Pool The removal of Kilsyth pool was done without community consultation and is a huge loss to the local community that relied on it for health, community and wellbeing. There is a petition to get the next council to rebuild the pool. Show your support by following this link here.
Have your say on Maternal and Child Health Services: You’re invited to share your anonymous feedback so we can better understand what’s working well and what can be improved. This may include your experience with MCH nurses, appointments at your local MCH Centre, or when calling our telephone support service, the Maternal and Child Health Line. Have your say via this link.
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.
Wills and Powers of Attorney sessions will be conducted by ECLC in 2025. Stay tuned for more details or register your interest here.
There is a new suite of resources aimed at helping young people identify and reduce coercive control. The resources include videos and fact sheets for young people entering relationships. The resources are also helpful for adults who have young people in their lives, to help people understand what coercive control looks like. The new resources build upon an existing suite of materials including fact sheets and videos, tailored resources for First Nations people, language translations and guides for healthcare practitioners to recognise and respond to coercive control. Read the full media release here.
Home engulfed by fire. Helping a local family: The unimaginable happened to a beautiful family of 7 recently in Selby. The Galvin family lost their home in a tragic house fire. Something no one should ever have to witness or go through. Any support would be greatly appreciated. You can read more about the GoFundme here.
Upcoming Events
We have so many events coming up in October. 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.
