Part of drive helping rural towns flourish

AS THE staff at the Wedderburn Community House prepare for the giant Town Garage Sale and Plant Clearance on the March long weekend, it is easy to understand why it is referred to as the hub of the community. Wedderburn Community House has certainly come a long way since its inception back in 1991.

The neighbourhood house was initially established in a small shop front on the High Street by Josie Williams and a group of local ladies.

Now located in the original primary school built in 1868, with a large extension added in 2014, the house has retained the school’s delightful character with arched timber ceilings, box sash windows and blackboards.

“This is always a talking point for people when they come in to renew licenses through our VicRoads agency,” commented present co-ordinator Marg van Veen.

“The community is very fortunate to have not only a VicRoads office here, but we are also a Centrelink agency, Goldfields Library agency, we have a gymnasium, community garden and nursery, internet café, and throughout the year we run a wide range of courses, activities and events.”

Classes range from weekly patchwork sessions through to food hygiene and RSA certificates.

Last year some of the most popular courses were horticulture and woodwork, giving people the confidence and knowledge to pursue new interests and businesses opportunities. This year learning options are being extended with creek restoration, furniture restoration and virtual reality to name just a few.

“Community is what we are all about,” volunteer Barb said. “It is so wonderful to have the community house back running lunches, bingo, dances, markets and all the other activities bringing the community together to enjoy each other’s company. COVID made us realise just how important community is.”

One of the strengths of the town is groups and businesses partnering for the benefit of the whole community.

Over the past three years the Wedderburn Community House has spearheaded three such projects.

In 2019 Rejoov Salon was an extraordinary project developed from financial donations and renovation works by members in the community.

Since then it has fostered numerous new businesses, trained youth and ensured Wedderburnians are the best coiffed people in the region. The following year the community house was the lead agency in making the

Birds Eye View mural project a reality, bringing visitors to the town and igniting a passion in the community for our local flora and fauna.

Last year the community house took over an empty shop on the High Street and turned it into the much-loved Peppercorn Op Shop.

“It is through ventures like these that small rural towns can flourish, becoming not just destinations for visitors, but places people choose to call home,” said Marg van Veen.

“Wedderburn is a thriving community and I like to think that the community house has had something to do with that,” said Marg van Veen.

Upcoming events

z Giant Town Garage Sale –Sat 11th March z Massive Plant Clearance, Sat 11th-Sun 12th March z Community lunch & Malaysian Inn Pop Up Café, Tuesdays z Spring Dance, Friday 20th October z Garden Expo, Sunday 22nd October z Xmas On High, Thursday 7th December

Courses in 2023 z Creek Restoration starting soon z Annual Shearing School September z First Aid/CPR z Patchwork every Monday z Researching family history z RSA & Food Hygiene Certificates z Online banking z Office Skills & Working in Retail z Woodworking z Furniture Restoration z Horticulture/Gardening z Basic Bookkeeping z Digital Essential I & II z Social Media z Virtual Reality, experience out of this world