By KATRINA BRANDON
BRINGING people together from across the community, Morwell Neighbourhood House is celebrating 40 years today (June 6).
The celebration is open to everyone, and attendees can enjoy entertainment, a panel discussion on today’s community issues, and a special surprise that will be revealed on the day.
The event organisers, Tracy Lund and Steph Morgan, and outreach worker Ashlee Vella told the Express that they were extremely excited about the upcoming event.
The neighbourhood house emerged from the grassroots movement, the women’s movement in the 70s, where women wanted to respond to local issues from a local lens.
“The Morwell Neighbourhood House very much embodies from where it began,” said Ms Lund.
“We are excited to be able to have the opportunity to bring the community from diverse social sectors together and have our business industry partners join us, and to be able to have those powerful conversations around what are social and equable responses to fix social issues in our community.”
With the aim of celebrating with everybody, the Morwell Neighbourhood House set up a ‘Pay It Forward’ for tickets, and people within the community, businesses, and industry provided tickets for those who wouldn’t usually be able to attend. According to Ms Lund, the system has been quite successful, with many buying in for others.
Ms Lund told the Express that the Latrobe community has a ‘got-your-back’ space – the community is aware of the disadvantages and challenges some face and tries to ensure that there is support for them so that no one gets left behind.
“While it faces significant challenges, it also has this really raw ‘I have your back’ space in the community that people are aware of those challenges and disadvantages that we do have in the community, but they are also where they can be very powerful and committed to their support to ensure that people don’t get left behind,” she said.
“Normally, it would be out of reach for many people, but seeing how many people have supported us with pay-it-forward tickets is really heartening and powerful.”
This is the first time the Morwell Neighbourhood House has held an event like this. Ms Lund and Ms Morgan said that events like these may become more familiar with the house as it encourages people to have profound conversations with broader community members.
Ms Lund said, “I think it is a blueprint for us to upscale the importance of the work, invite the community and industry to have really profound conversations with us and our broader community to learn what we do but also to celebrate the incredible work that we do, do on a day-to-day basis.”
The event will occur at the Morwell Bowling Club from 11.45am to 2.45pm.
For more information and tickets, go to morwellnh.org.au/kindness-matter-luncheon/? or for Pay It Forward tickets, contact coordinator@morwellnh.org.au
