Immediately before I became a teacher, I was a co-ordinator at a Neighbourhood house. I loved my time there. I believe in Neighbourhood Houses and the work they do in the community. I find it challenging though when I begin to think about how under resourced they are and how some don’t work very well at tapping into the needs of the community. Tonight I had coffee with the Traralgon Neighbourhood House co-ordinator.
Jenny is one of the most wonderful people you will ever meet. She is down to earth and giving and really takes care of the people in her community. Her house is thriving because she is intelligent and skillful at meeting her communities needs. When I was doing that job, she was my mentor and my hero. I wanted my house to be just like hers. Full of people and laughter and value for the community. She is still hard at it and I take my hat off to her and all the Neighbourhood House people in Australia. It is such a valuable part of our community.
