By Taylah Eastwell
A new “kids zone” has been established at the Kalorama relief hub to give Hills children the chance to get crafty again after a month of darkness.
Belgrave woman and ex-Kalorama resident, Merinda Backway helped set up the kids zone to bring a bit of fun back into the lives of local children following the storm on 9 June.
“I was trying to think of ways to help the community. I have lived in Kalorama in the past and still have friends and family all across the hill,” Ms Backway said.
As a contractor in the entertainment industry, who typically works in set design, scenic art, staging and event installs, Ms Backway “hasn’t had much work the past few weeks due to the latest lockdown”.
“So I had plenty of time on my hands and was itching for a project!,” she said.
After getting local kids entertainment company True Fairies on board, Ms Backway spent the day emailing and calling around to arrange a meeting with the relevant Yarra Ranges Council worker.
“They were all for it and gave me the green light, so I planned some ideas for what the space needed after speaking with the locals and did some Facebook shout outs for donations and spoke with the many generous people who wanted to donate before spending the day driving around collecting and organising the items,” she said.
The kids zone opened on Thursday 24 June and has been a “huge hit”, Ms Backway said.
It includes bean bags to read on, paints, crafts, playdough, pencils and many other materials to allow kids creativity to shine.
“We received so many donations from the Hills and the suburbs immediately below. It’s been so wonderful and is truly making a difference to these kids and their parents,” she said.
The kids zone is run by a roster of local volunteers who run “crafternoon sessions” every day from 1-3pm inside the relief hub tent at Kalorama oval.
An art facilitator also visits the space in the evenings to play and create with children.
“Evenings are busy in the hub in general, with adults and kids, and can have a real atmosphere,” Ms Backway said.
