Phone 8768 4400
Term 4 is well underway and as we think about decking the halls with holly and tinsel and finishing up the year with cheer, we’re also busy planning next year’s activities.
We’re delighted to welcome Edward Nass to our team. Edward is a professional musician and will share his love of music with our members by facilitating a couple of new music groups.
The Guitar Strumming Group is a session for beginners who want to learn to play the guitar as a rhythm instrument and/or to play along with others in a group. For those who have never played before you will learn some basic chords and strumming patterns. For the more intermediate players, it will be an opportunity to learn and share ways to vary the playing of a song. You will need a guitar, tuner, music stand and a capo. Expressions of interest now being taken for Monday evenings and/or Wednesday afternoons.
Expressions of interest are also open for our newly restructured Singing Group. Basing our songs on covers from the 50s to the 70s chosen by the attendees, Edward will strum along and add some tunes to the words. This is a friendly, social group where fun and singing are priority. We would be looking at running sessions possibly on a Monday morning monthly but please still register your name if this does not work and advise what times and days would be preferable. Please contact the office on 8768 4400 to register your details.
The funds we receive from Community Bank Beaconsfield District have been an amazing help to purchase pantry staples that keep our Free Community Pantry as a dependable source of food for those in need. This recent bulk order will be gone in just a week or two!
We encourage you to like and follow the Bank’s page: https://www.facebook.com/communitybankbeaconsfielddistrict
On Monday 24th March, there will be a Gambling Harm Prevention Talk from 7.00pm- 8.30pm. This free session will be facilitated by Better Health Network with the aim of providing tips for talking to young people about gaming and gambling, the various forms of gambling, the effects of gambling harm, the relationship between gaming and gambling and lastly, where to get help from.
Another free talk next year is Live at Home for Longer. You will be provided with advice, tips and insights on how to continue living in your own home well into your senior years. The seminar is tailored for those aged over 65 years who want to know how to access government-funded subsidies to help them live happily at home for longer. The seminar also provides advice on navigating the ‘My Aged Care’ system. Book your place for Wednesday 26th February 10.30am-12 noon.
The BNC program has all the details of our regular activities and workshops that take place. We do our annual letterbox drop of the Term 1 Program and hope to attract some new neighbours who may not know about what goes on here. If you don’t see a copy delivered to you in January, it’s always available on our website https://www.bncinc.org.au/ or call past the Centre for a hard copy from reception.
We successfully held our Annual General Meeting in October and celebrated another thriving year of the Centre’s operations. It is with pleasure that we announce our 2024-2025 Committee of Management:
- Noel Wyett (President)
- Maree Hynes (Vice President)
- Sharyn Cronin (Treasurer)
- Katharine O’Carroll (Secretary)
- Valerie Boumann
- Miryam Prasetyo
- Monica Spiteri
- Louise Stirling
- Bronwyn Thomas
These special people who have volunteered their time and skills to help govern our organisation are greatly appreciated. It is an increasingly complex job to stay abreast of legislation and compliance to run a not-for-profit organisation like ours, so increasing gratitude and respect is due to our wonderful committee.
You can have a look under the Resources tab on our website if you’d like to view our Annual Report (www.bncinc.org.au/forms), or contact us if you would rather see a hard copy.
BNC Children’s Room
The Children’s Room has been a bustling hive of activity and we’re so pleased to know that our 2025 Occasional Care enrolments are mostly full. You can still contact us at any time to enquire about the program and join the waiting list for your preferred session. You can also be on the list to be notified for casual/emergency placement that is offered on a first come, first served basis.
This dear little chap came visiting the playground and has been affectionately named Occa. Such interesting discussions with the children ensued and we hope Occa becomes a regular visitor.
As another year draws to its end, we thank our wonderful educators in the Children’s Room for all they do for the children in their care. We’re very proud of the program, and we have an amazing team of skilled women doing an awesome job!
We’re very excited to introduce our new Playgroup Facilitator for 2025, Alicia Alan. Alicia comes to us with a strong background in child development and a passion to share her knowledge and ideas to create an engaging playgroup. We welcome Alicia to the Children’s Room team and look forward to her fresh, new program.
Playgroup enrolment for 2025 is open from Monday 25th November. Two sessions are available: Tuesdays 9.00am-11.00am or 11.30am-1.30pm. A non-refundable deposit of $20 will secure your position in your preferred group. The deposit is deducted from your Term 1 fees. We continue to take enrolments throughout the year, although you may be required to join a waiting list if your ideal session is full. So jump in now!
For those of you who know Judith, our previous Playgroup facilitator, she is staying with the team and focussing on Occasional Care sessions. Thanks to Judith for contributing over 10 years to Playgroup and supporting so many young families as they connect and have fun.
We wish everyone a safe and happy festive season. Our office will be closed from Friday December 13th until Wednesday January 29th. Staff will be enjoying the Summer Holidays and only checking messages periodically during the break, but we will get back to you at the earliest opportunity.
Add us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates. We welcome your enquiries and feedback.
Beaconsfield Neighbourhood Centre
8 O’Neil Road, Beaconsfield
Phone: 8768 4400
Web: https://www.bncinc.org.au
