By Liz Millman
Last June, active community members from the Hills Creative Alliance invited other organisations to join up with them to stage a creative arts exhibition at Karwarra Australian Native Plant Nursery. The focus of these organisations has been to provide ongoing support the communities that still face challenges after the storm of June 2022 and the ongoing trauma facing those residents waiting to get work started on rebuilds, as well as to make creative use of some of the 25,000 tall gum trees that fell in the storm.
A range of creative artists responded to share their work in this beautiful setting and we were really delighted that they felt able to tell their difficult stories, with Hills Creative Alliance secretary Liz Millman working to set up the exhibition with other colleagues from the Hills Creative Alliance, the Yarra Ranges Storm Recovery team, as well as the Kalorama Collective, Rescue Logs and Treasuring our Trees.
The ‘Refections of the Storm’ exhibition wrapped up last weekend, and now the Hills Creative Alliance team are exploring other ways to encourage people to engage in community activities and volunteering with a range of ideas.
District 9810, and other from Rotary International across Australia, raised over $100,000 to support a variety of storm recovery projects in the Hills area. Now the Hills Creative Alliance wants to share these stories and support the set up of an active Rotary team of local people who want to volunteer to help the communities still affected by the storm from Tremont to Kalorama, during this protracted recovery time.
Liz Millman, an active Rotarian from North Wales, is currently staying with her family in a rental in Ferny Creek while their home is rebuilt. Liz has linked with the Rotary Club of Lilydale to ask for support with the idea of a Rotary eClub recovery focused project. This will start with evening Zoom sessions to engage prospective volunteers. These weekly Zoom sessions will start on Monday 26th September at 7.30pm, with opportunities to hear stories from those who supported during the recovery, and also those who benefited from the funds that Rotarians raised.
Many employers support community engagement and volunteering and now could be the time to explore local options, when many people are working from home. The Hills Creative Alliance members are also linking with Volunteering Victoria to explore a range of ways like this, to encourage different folks to engage in community activities that can provide the volunteer support that will revive community activities after Covid closed down so many activities and reduced community volunteering.
Rotary brings together local volunteers into a network that stretches around the world, linking people with business and professional skills to tackle local and international challenges. New Rotary groups often have a specific focus – in this case disaster response, with opportunities to explore and learn from others. Contact Liz on 0412 970 050 to chat about possibilities.
In the past months Country Women’s Association, CWA, members have travelled to support activities put on in the small villages along the Tourist Road. Another initiative being explored is the creation of a Hills CWA, meeting monthly on a Thursday afternoon at Karwarra Garden. This would provide opportunities to invite guests to be invited to hear specialist speakers to talk about Australian native plants, birds, insects and animals, with opportunities for some of our local photographers and artists to share their work. Afternoon tea, served with freshly baked scones, is also part of the plan, along with opportunities to walk and explore this amazing garden. Again, contact Liz Millman if you are interested in getting involved – 0412 970 050 or email lizmillman@yahoo.co.uk
Both these activities will provide opportunities for people who may have moved from the area, to stay in touch, and may also help to maintain links with those people currently living in rentals in the surrounding areas while they wait for properties to be repaired or rebuilt.
Contact details for more information: Liz Millman: Secretary Hills Creative Alliance: 0412 970 050 or email: lizmillman@yahoo.co.uk
