Mums of the Hills members have been showing their strength at recent local events. First the Hills Small Business Expo organised with thanks by the Yarra Ranges Council, then the Eastern Dandenong Ranges Association Business Networking Breakfast.

We need to get women’s health in Australia back on track. In the wake of disruptions from multiple natural disasters and lockdowns, the health service system is overburdened, basic health checks have lapsed, and mothers in particular are struggling to find the time and funds to manage their basic care.

On March 8th I was honoured to give the keynote speech at the International Womens Day celebration at Parliament House. I highlighted the extraordinary women in our community and the importance of ‘cracking the code’ by making telecommunications legislated as an essential service. This is why.

The Main Corner in Upwey have created this beautiful ‘breakfast in bed’ just for us Mums of the Hills! This hamper is to be served as is , so the little ones can just pop it on a tray and serve us like the Queens we are!

Koru Tea have become yet another awesome local business supporting our hub.

Here’s another local business owner helping us spruce up the MotHs Hub. A big shout out to Gareth the Window Cleaner!

MotHs is doing what we can to support this local Mums of the Hills member. This year Rebecca Mitchell at Little Footprint Studios challenged herself to enter into Melbourne’s International Flower and Garden Show. With “nothing to lose” she put all her passion into this project and to her credit has been accepted for not one but TWO gardens (1 balcony and 1 border garden).

Mums of the Hills is getting its very own permanent hub! Finally after years of hiring spaces, using my kids cubby as the MotHs HQ and storing all the MotHs borrowing gear, MotHs will have busy buzzing new home.

MotHs advocates on telecommunications, particularly the nbn and the need for them to be legislated as an essential service. Read more about our efforts on this topic, along with other issues including domestic violence, mental health and siloed information.

Our annual report is now available. We may be a fledgling not-for-profit group, but with 5.4k online members residing in our local community, we are strong and very determined to make a difference.

We’re getting everything ready to celebrate Christmas and no matter of what the weather has installed, we are determined for it not to dampen our spirit.

Stress, a feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressures, is the top mental health issue facing women today, with almost 70% of women in Australia experiencing stress. Unsurprising given research showing that women often perform far more cognitive and emotional labour than men.

We’ve learned a lot in the process of getting my daughter onto the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I share a few brief points to highlight inherent challenges, recognising everyone’s experience is different.

We are edging towards the Victorian State election on November 26 and with 5200+ voting members, Mums of the Hills is keen to understand how candidates will address our local issues.

Last Tuesday night I was announced as the VIC State recipient of the 2023 Australian of the Year Local Hero award. It meant so much to just be nominated, to be further recognised as the 2023 recipient had me spinning.

Women’s post partum health and care has been neglected and is due for a much needed overhaul. We are facing a nation of women that are overworked, burnt out, physically and mentally traumatised from our current birth practices and the lack of post partum support and healthcare.

In the private MotHs group, we chat about pretty much every topic you can think of. Thankfully, the group wisdom and experience is phenomenal and support is always on hand. Most recently, the topic of mental health has come up a lot in our conversations. I’ve done a search and found some more useful services for locals on this very subject.

Some information on things to prepare for a storm and useful local storm contact numbers.

Friday night’s opening of the MotHs Makers Exhibition brought our online and place-base communities together to celebrate the abilities our talented locals. It was a fabulous night!

A few questions with one of our MotHs members