After months of preparation and community effort, the Healesville Toy Library officially reopened its doors, bringing joy to local families and children once again.
Toy libraries are places where people can borrow from a vast array of well-made toys that have been designed to support children’s skill development and imagination.
Toy libraries aim to support families and encourage togetherness with quality time spent playing with children.
Healesville Toy Library committee member Anne Ulcoq said toy libraries not only provide different types of toys to families with children but also help reduce hard rubbish by sharing toys.
“It is just really good for the circular economy that toys continue to be shared and not disposed of,” she said.
“It also means that families can have access to toys that might be expensive for them to purchase. It’s really helpful, especially for families who have a lower income.”
The Healesville Toy Library had been in operation and was closed down in 2019.
The toy library was able to reopen thanks to the support from the local community and is now run by volunteers.
“Healesville Connect organised to raise money so that we could reopen the toy library. We purchased some software and hardware to catalogue all the toys, and then we organised to do some advertising,” Ms Ulcoq said.
“We reached out to Yarra Ranges Council. They gave us a grant to reopen the toy library. We reached out to Bendigo Bank. They also gave us a grant that helped us buy the equipment we needed to reopen the toy library and then the (Healesville) Community Market reached out to us and offended some money they made.
“The other collaboration we had was with the Healesville Library, especially Rose, Yarra Ranges Council early years community support officer Michelle Lehmann and community development officer Kellie McPherson. They were very supportive and helpful in reopening the toy library.”
The celebratory reopening was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Yarra Ranges councillor Fiona McAllister and Bendigo Bank Healesville’s Shelli Johanson doing the honours on Saturday 24 May.
The opening was celebrated by many community members with free face painting, cake, bubble blowing and plenty of toys to play with.
Heather and Rod Hysted, who had been active members of the toy library when their children were small, were the first members to join up on the reopening day, this time as grandparents borrowing toys to entertain the next generation.
The committee gave heartfelt thanks to the many volunteers who have dedicated countless hours to sorting, cleaning, cataloguing and organising the toys.
Healesville Toy Library president Kirsten Pickering said borrowing toys is a sustainable way to play.
“Families will have access to hundreds of quality and educational toys to keep their kids engaged as they grow, whilst saving money and reducing clutter in their homes,” the president said.
The Healesville Toy Library is now open for memberships and toy borrowing, offering a wide selection of educational and imaginative play options for children of all ages.
The toy library is open every Saturday during school terms from 10.15am until 11.30am in Healesville Community Link, located at 110 River Street.
The committee members are encouraging families to get involved by joining, donating or volunteering.
“We are receiving some future grants, we’ll purchase lots more toys, and we’re interested in what the community would like us to buy,” Ms Ulcoq said.
“We’re always happy to have if anyone wants to come and volunteer and help, they’d be warmly welcomed. We’ve had a lot of fun doing it, and quite a few women have made friendships out of it.”
For more information or to sign up for the membership, please visit the following website, healesville.mibase.com.au/home/index.php
