New and ongoing Community Development projects

If you are interested in being involved in any of our projects, please contact Robyn on 02 4739 1164 or email to cd@lmnc.org.au 

Wrap with Love.   Since August 2008 we have sent 432 squares and 29 rugs to the Wrap with Love (WWL) project.   We have since collected more squares and completed rugs which will be counted and despatched before WWL closes in early December for 2008.   We have been able to buy a small amount of yarn with community donations and to those donors a BIG THANK YOU.  For 2009 we have received sponsorship for wool (8-ply acrylic yarn) from Just Rooibos Australia, a Blaxland-based company who imports an African tea.  We are most grateful to the directors of Just Rooibos Australia for their generosity.  *(See below for some information about Just Rooibos Australia).

Also a BIG THANK YOU to all the knitters - your time and efforts are greatly appreciated.

If you are interested in being involved in this project – through donations of wool, as a knitter, or as someone who can sew up the squares into a completed rug – please let us know!  Making a small contribution can mean a huge difference to people who are cold, dispossessed and traumatised.

* Just Rooibos Australia - major sponsor of 'Wrap With Love' for LMNC 

Just Rooibos Australia is a small family company based in Blaxland, which was formed in 1998 to import and sell the brand of rooibos tea called Just Rooibos African Tea. This tea is mainly distributed through Coles and Woolworths, and you can also find it in Blaxland IGA, Franklins in Springwood and the Blue Mountains Coop in Katoomba along with a few other IGA stores in NSW and Victoria.

Rooibos (pronounced “roy boss”) is an Afrikaans word meaning red bush. The tea is the oxidised leaves of the red bush plant. It grows in a small area of South Africa in the foothills of the Cedarburg Mountains about 200 km north of Cape Town.  The organically-grown tea has many therapeutic properties apart from the absence of caffeine. It is believed to be good for the skin (dermatitis), the digestive system (colic, even in babies) and hypertension. The latest clinical research has shown that it will prevent or decrease the onset of heart disease. It is high in antioxidants and low in tannin.

Lower Mountains Over 50s Social Club.  This group meets every Thursday meetings from 10 am to 12 noon in the seniors’ Lounge at the Blaxland Community Complex.   The group also undertakes an annual ‘ trip’ - Hunter 2007, South Coast 2008, so where to in 2009?   If you would like to know, then come along and join the group and you can be part of the planning for 2009.   

Introduction to Computers. We have negotiated with TAFE to continue providing these valuable courses.  We have a waiting list for Semester 1, commencing in February 2009, so hurry to put your name on the list as there are only 15 places.  This course is FREE.

Computer Classes for Seniors. Low-cost basic Beginners and Internet/Email classes for seniors are conducted in small groups of six in a friendly and non-threatening environment.  Phone us on 02 4739 1164 for information on courses in 2009.

Seniors Week 2009.   Our event in 2009 will be on Tuesday 17 March. We will partner again with Blue Mountains Food Services to provide morning tea, lunch and entertainment (Greg North, our local bush poet).   Last year was a great success and we are sure the 2009 event will be equally successful.   We are a member of the steering committee convened by Blue Mountains City Council in planning a month of activities across our region.  We also have a volunteer from our Over 50s social group on that committee, representing senior residents in the lower mountains. 

Now and Then Club.  This project involves volunteers visiting Euroka Children's Centre (just opposite the Lower Mountains Neighbourhood Centre to ineract with the children.  If you would like to do this every 'now and then' (up to you), please call Robyn on 4739 1164, who will arrange a meeting with the Centre Director. There are many children who do not see or interact with older people and many children spend long hours in care, so if you can or care to spend a little time 'now and then, it would be greatly appreciated.  

Are you, or do you know someone, from a Cultural and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) background?

At a recent meeting attended by Blue Mountains service providers it was agreed that residents from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds (CALD) were difficult to identify within service areas.   Despite a long history of settlement in the Blue Mountains and successful contributions to its artistic, cultural and economic life, local CALD communities remain poorly visible and under-represented as service users.    CALD residents in the mountains come from a diverse range of countries and linguistic backgrounds.    Many face isolation as a result of being dispersed across a large LGA with limited public transport and services.     Understanding and responding to cultural diversity in the mountains is a complex process, influenced by many things.    We would like to know what CALD residents would like to see happen and to start this process there will be a social gathering on Tuesday 24 February 2009 starting at 10.30am at Mid-Mountains Neighbourhood Centre, New Street Lawson.    Morning tea and lunch will be provided and transport can be arranged by calling 4732 6301.

Past community development projects have included:

‘Silver Tops and Teens’ project. From an intergenerational oral history project called the 'Bridge for the Ages' where young people interviewed senior residents, this Centre created an inspiring short DVD film ‘Silvertops & Teens’ depicting how it was possible to break down barriers, change perceptions and bridge the age gap between seniors and teens. This film will be used to promote the value of making positive connections between younger and older residents to create stronger communities.

’Extend a Hand’ Project . This project is about extending goodwill and a positive outlook while spending a few hours a week with a family, taking an interest in the children, perhaps reading to them or just being there to chat and share experiences with the family as a whole. This Volunteer team worked in conjunction with professionally trained Family Support workers.  We hope to re-introduced this project in 2009.