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TIME TO SAY GOODBYE OUTGOING Wangaratta High School acting principal Michelle Bootes is handing over the reins to new executive principal Dave Armstrong this week. Ms Bootes, pictured with students Parker Lappin, Callum Box Corsini and Zoe Taurega-Green, spoke The Chronicle about the challenges of 2021 and what life after teaching holds.  Story page 5 PHOTO: Kurits Hickling
Hub on the move Pangerang g g Communityy House to establish mobile service for district communities
A MOBILE community hub set to boost connections and learning opportunities in the district‘s smaller communities will hit the road later this year, thanks to a $542,850 Federal Government grant. Wangaratta’s Pangerang Community House, partnering with the Upper Murray Regional Neighbourhood House Network, has received the funding through the Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program to
BY SIMONE KERWIN skerwin@ nemedia.com.au
develop the ‘neighbourhood house on wheels’. Pangerang Community House executive officer Tennille Hall said the hub would take the form of a truck which would travel to local communities to provide opportunities to
“learn, create and connect”, by removing barriers to participation such as transport, costs and accessibility. “We have definitely identified a need for more programs and activities in our smaller communities,” Ms Hall said. Through discussions with those communities, a program of activities and workshops will be developed for delivery in townships within the Rural City of Wangaratta and neighbouring districts,
with regular visits planned. “The idea is to have drawers in the truck which can be interchangeable depending on the programs we’re conducting – for instance, depending on whether communities are interested in something like arts and mosaics, or family history,” Ms Hall said. The aim will be to offer opportunities for connection to alleviate social isolation and improve mental health and wellbeing.
It will also assist newcomers to the region to connect with their community – known to be important in the event of emergency and for general wellbeing. “We hope to be out in the community two to three days a week, and then have the truck available for community use on the other days,” Ms Hall said. With space and parking at a premium around its Ovens Street base, Ms Hall said the mobile hub would allow
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Pangerang to conduct programs attached to facilities such as halls, and broaden opportunities for locals to access its activities. It will also enable the community house to continue to extend the reach of its federally–funded Be Connected program, which has been working since 2019 to train volunteer mentors to improve the digital skills knowledge of people aged over 50. ■ Continued page 4
