On Tuesday 16 December, an open invitation to any members of the local community stands to meet at the Terminus for a Christmas lunch with an assortment of members of the Healesville township.
Orchestrated by non for profit organisation Healesville Connect, lunch at the terminus will commence at 1pm, and is one of a series of monthly Tuesday lunch get-togethers.
Healesville Connect was founded in 2021 during Covid as a way for new and isolated members of the town to socialise.
Co-founder of Healesville Connect Jo Bracken said, “I had lived here in Healesville for about six months when somebody posted on the Healesville noticeboard how bored and lonely they were.”
“Covid was a really isolating time for a lot of people and we needed to do something about that.”
“Myself and another lady from Healesville said ‘We need to do something about this’ and we met up outside the Healesville pub with masks on to discuss how we would move forward,” Jo said.
Since that pub meeting, Healesville Connect has evolved into a flourishing organisation that runs a variety of social events catering to all members of the Healesville and surrounding community in the name of bringing people together.
“There are a lot of people that have lived in Healesville for a long time but have always worked outside of town so they don’t actually know many people,” Jo said.
“There are also a lot of retirees and widowers who have moved to the town to be near busy family, and have a lot of hours in the day to fill in.”
“The events have helped a lot of people to connect with others and find friends, which is so important,” she said.
The committee now has ten members and operates a busy schedule with events including, Friday night drinks nights at Watts River, Monday morning walks around Healesville, a coffee at Willow and Jackson Cafe every second Monday afternoon, a weekly Friday coffee, morning tea at the Alowyn Gardens, cinema nights, cards nights at the RSL, and a Welcome to Healesville event quarterly.
Jo said, “We try to get people out and about to form friendships.”
“Our events really do cater to everyone.”
“We organise carpooling for the events that are a bit further away. Especially for people who don’t feel comfortable driving,” she said.
Anyone can attend any of Healesville Connect’s events and according to Jo, the environments and collections of people at each event are welcoming and warm.
Jo said, “Attendance numbers vary from week to week and from event to event.”
“Our regulars are really friendly and very good with welcoming new people,” she said.
The organisation’s quarterly Saturday morning Welcome to Healesville events also serve the purpose of helping newcomers and seasoned Healesvillians alike to find their place in the town.
“Our Welcome to Healesville events are for people who are new to Healesville or people who have lived here for a while and really want to know a bit more about the community,” Jo said.
“Currently we hold these events in the Healesville Library and we give out lots of pamphlets about sporting groups, doctors, bus timetables, community garden, permaculture, anything we know that we can find a pamphlet for in the community,” she said.
“We also hand out the rotary directory.”
Along with pamphlets, long-time Healesville residents also attend the Welcome to Healesville Events and to share tips and tricks concerning life in the township.
Local businesses also donate local wares to the event for attendees to sample.
Serving to facilitate community relationships, Healesville Connect’s events can also double as township information sessions.
Jo said, “A lot of people use our events to find out what is going on in the community.”
“We always try to pass on information from other groups,” she said.
Adding more affordable events to Healesville Connects’ list is the next step for Jo.
“Having more affordable activities is something that plays on my mind,” she said.
“We are looking at ways to involve everyone without that cost barrier.”
To Jo, Healesville Connect makes up a large portion of her time.
“Healesville Connect is what my life works around,” she said.
“It is good fun and I have met so many people.”
In addition to Tuesday’s Christmas lunch, Christmas drinks will also be held at 5pm on Friday 19 December at Watts River Brewery.
For more information, visit the Healesville Connect Facebook group and be sure to tap ‘going’ on the event site.
facebook.com/groups/healesvilleconnect/
