By Taylah Eastwell
The village of Upwey may be quaint, but the community there has huge heart.
After the storm, local groups including Upwey Men’s Shed, Upwey Community Group and Soupee joined forces to run an emergency relief hub at the Upwey Township Hall.
Generous members of the community donated funds and staple items to the men’s shed to ensure no one in the village went without, including food and much sought after batteries during the power outages.
The donations and offers of help were forwarded to the Belgrave Community Hub for distribution to residents of the wider mountain community.
Upwey Men’s Shed president Gerran Wright said “the local community has been fantastic and it is heartwarming to see the assistance received” at the relief centre.
Having now closed the centre, the men’s shed donated a cheque to Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief, using leftover funds donated by locals.
The funds were originally to be used by the men’s shed to assist people directly affected by the disastrous storms to cook food and provide a warm and welcoming venue at the relief centre. But in another act of community spirit, the food was generously donated by Upwey IGA and Upwey Village bakery, and cooking done by members of the men’s shed, so the funds weren’t used.
“Upwey Men’s Shed thought the best way to use the funds was to donate them to the Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief Service who guaranteed the money will get to those in need,” Mr Wright said.
Mr Wright presented the cheque to John from Dandenong Ranges Emergency Relief on 9 July.
The men’s shed welcomes all newcomers to attend their regular meetings at the Upwey Township Hall every Monday and Wednesday morning, and the first and third Wednesday evenings of each month.
The group aims to build a community workshop in Upwey where members can work on individual and group projects of benefit to the community and to members.
