By Tyler Wright
The recently incorporated Kallista Village Township Group has been able to put funds from the Hills Regional Community Recovery Committee to good use after receiving $10,000 in a second round of grants.
The group – which encompasses people who live, work and play the areas of Kallista, The Patch and Sherbrooke – received the boost after its own committee was established in March.
Secretary and local GP Dr Miki Schwartzbord said there have been a “range of expenses” involved in starting the not-for-profit organisation.
“Whether it’s additional insurances, whether it’s marketing, whether it’s computers…[the grant is] already helping cover our initial startup costs,” Dr Schwartzbord said.
“That gives us the grounding that we can go forward and start building the market and launching the market in October.”
Apart from reviving the beloved Kallista Community Market, Dr Schwartzbord said the Kallista Village Township Group has also focused on creating a program providing home cooked meals for locals and partnering with local environmental group Friends of Sherbrooke Forest.
“We’ll be starting having working bees [at Kallista Bushland Reserve]…an island of bushland in the middle of Kallista; It’s relatively neglected.
“We’ve also got some work going on, just early days, about forming the Kallista Emergency Group, which is about developing a community emergency response so in future emergency events like storms or fires, et cetera, that we’ll be able to in Kallista itself, have a plan in place as a community.”
The group will hold a community event called ‘Kallista Revival’ on Saturday 7 October; involving members of the Kallista-The Patch CFA Fire Brigade, Kallista Primary School, live music, food trucks and other activities.
“Every time we speak of future events like the market, there’s a real sense of belonging and excitement and enthusiasm around that, people have really sorely missed that and very much looking forward to that,” Dr Schwartzbord said.
“Anyone you speak to, not just in Kallista, in all the surrounds, have a love for Kallista and previously enjoyed the market.
“We did hold an event for a storm anniversary event that was really meaningful; that was an opportunity for people to share some experiences and mark the significance of the impact of the storms.”
Those interested in participating in future events are encouraged to email Dr Schwartzbord at kallistavillage@gmail.com
After the second and final round of grants was recently finalised, more than $392,000 was handed out to 50 community projects by the regional community recovery committees, which includes the hills, Upper Yarra, urban and valley areas of the Yarra Ranges.
