DEVONPORT COMMUNITY HOUSE
The Devonport Community House (DCH) first opened its doors in 1979 and is a well-loved and -valued part of the Devonport community. Excitingly, a new team running DCH is injecting fresh ideas and energy into the place. Marketing and Activations Manager Justine Kinsella is one of those people. She’s very motivated and passionate about what the House can bring and the role it can play in our community. Channel Mag’s Aidan Bennett caught up with Justine in mid-November to find out what is happening at DCH and their plans for 2022 and beyond.
A chat with Justine (Kinsella)
Marketing and Activations Manager, Devonport Community House AIDAN BENNETT: Justine, welcome to groups, Salsa, Jiu-Jitsu, te reo classes, Sports Channel Mag and congratulations on 4 Tots, playgroup and more! your new role. Can you tell us a bit about your background and who the other new AB: You obviously see loads of potential members of the team are at the House? for ‘new activity’ at the House. What are JUSTINE KINSELLA: Thank you! I was born the sort of new things you would like to and raised in Devonport and absolutely love see happening? everything about being on the peninsula. JK: I am such a big supporter of trying new I went to Hauraki School and then to things, so the opportunities are endless! We Diocesan School for Girls for my high school have two wonderful art rooms at the House, years. so I would love to see more art-based After studying at Victoria University and groups using these. We don’t have any the Music & Audio Institute of New Zealand, photography-based activity at the House at I worked in the music industry as a booking the moment, so that would be cool too. agent managing shows and tours for some I’m also passionate about supporting amazingly talented artists. After that, I moved our local parents and their children, so we into the marketing and events world both have some exciting plans in the pipeline for Justine Kinsella outside the here and then later in London where I had our pre-school playgroup and a parenting Devonport Community House. six wonderful, exciting, full-on years! workshop series in 2022. Watch this space! My partner Mike and I had our daughter Daphne in London and shortly after decided it was time to move back home. Last year, my AB: We are excited that you are going to be providing a regular son Huxley arrived right in the middle of the pandemic, and here we Devonport Community House column for Channel Mag readers in are! 2022. What are your plans for the House in 2022 and beyond? Working alongside me at the House is our new House Manager, JK: We’re working on a number of projects at the moment that Justin Mitchell, and Deb Farmer, managing our accounts. range from updating some of the interiors of the House to make it feel a little more welcoming and vibrant, to reviewing our term AB: Devonport Community House is a community facility timetable and activities and working to bring in anything we think owned by Auckland Council. What are the services and facilities would add value to our programme, whether that be through that are available to the public at Clarence Street? regular classes or one-off workshops and events. JK: We have fantastic facilities available at the House. Alongside I’m particularly excited about giving our mezzanine area a our five versatile rooms which are available to hire, we have a fully revamp and turning this into a lovely community lounge! We see equipped kitchen, carparking on site, a ramp to our upstairs rooms this as an integral part of our vision to evolve the House into a and a fully fenced outdoor area. community hub for everyone to enjoy, escape the hustle and bustle We also have a van, and coordinate an elderly-shoppers' run each of the village and to meet their friends and have a cuppa! week, where we pick up members of our community, take them to New World and support them with their grocery shop. This is a very AB: You’ve got such an accessible place in Devonport, right important service for many of our shoppers who take part, so we’re in the village, it must be fun to be part of that vibe. Do you working on plans to develop this into a more regular service so we have any plans to have more activations or connections with can open up to more members of our elderly community. businesses and other organisations in the village? JK: I love the vibe and have really been missing it through the recent AB: What sort of groups and people use the House at the lockdowns. Yes, yes and yes! We would love to connect with more moment on a regular basis? businesses in the local community and we’re already well on our JK: We have such a variety of things happening at the House! These way with this. We are also working with the IB students at TGS who include the Devonport Toy Library, Devonport Repair Café, yoga, we feel could be instrumental in helping us identify what the House Tai Chi, Pilates, Mums' fitness classes, table tennis, art and knitting could bring for the younger generations.
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Issue 126 - December 2021 - January 2022 www.channelmag.co.nz
