Cch annual report 2014 by coonara

ANNUAL REPORT 2014

CONTENTS CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT

LEARNING TOGETHER

Overview of 2014 Learning Activities

Accredited Training

8 9

Training in the top end Book Group

16 Days of Activism – The Clothesline Project

Coonara’s Chooks

Job seekers - work for the dole program

Kidzfun - three-year-old activity group

Occasional care program

Bee club

Learning to Eat Again

A Green House Around the Corner

Knox Network of Neighbourhood Houses

Community Houses Association of the Outer-eastern Suburbs (CHAOS)

Digital Seniors

Eastern VET Network

North East Victoria Community of Practice (NEVCOP)

WHAT DIFFERENCE DID WE MAKE?

...For the learners

...For the trainers

...For the job seekers

...For participants in the Learning to Eat Again project

CELEBRATING COMMUNITY & SHARING CULTURE The Foothills Community Magazine

Grassroots Market

Volunteer for Knox

The Community Space at Westfield Knox

Other activities

Leanne’s 20th anniversary of employment at Coonara

Share the Joy

Volunteer awards

Cultural competency workshops

Short courses

Halloween

Halloween at Coonara

Winter culture at Coonara

Trev’s Shed

Desert Mob

WHAT DIFFERENCE DID WE MAKE?

...For a contributor to The Foothills magazine

...For volunteers and volunteer coordinators

...For Freya Magee

...For Holly Hale

TREASURER’S REPORT

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT What did we do this year? We did a lot! It’s all the doing at Coonara that makes such a difference in so many people’s lives. The doing provides opportunities for learning, training and socialising. 2014 has become the year for volunteers. Coonara has branched out yet again and in partnership with the other Knox Houses is coordinating the Volunteer Resource Centre (VRC) for Knox. At last count more than 100 people had registered with the VRC to become volunteers for various community organisations. An open space has been provided at Westfield Knox City to promote different volunteer organisations. The displays in this space change regularly and it has become an important venue for these organisations to interact with the public. Several of our volunteers won Latrobe volunteer awards. Tracy Verburgt has continued her wonderful work with volunteers both providing maintenance and gardening around the house and by encouraging them to engage in courses offered at the house. The grounds at Coonara are further enhanced by the art and craft work made by the volunteers and organised by Nicole Kirkwood. And of course the house couldn’t run without the involvement of the volunteers at reception, the Grassroots market, the Foothills Magazine, the community garden, displays at the Knox and Stringybark festivals, social events and of course, cooking pizzas and other delicious delights.

Coonara has continued to work and engage with a range of organisations located all around Australia. These include Council of Adult Education (CAE), Info Link, Complete Personnel, Knox Council and Knox Community Houses. Mentoring work and a partnership with NEVCOP (North Eastern Victorian community of Practice) has continued this year to the mutual benefit of the wider sector. The Green house around the corner TV show was produced in conjunction with the ALA and Tricia Zeimer for Channel 31 (Community TV). The partnership and collaboration with the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress, MacDonnell Council and the Alice Springs Family Day Care still continues. Lynne Gibb provides training and guidance to the childcare workers in this area. Several staff and community house members travelled to Alice Spring to attend the Desert Mob conference and Art Fair in September. These annual events deepen our understanding of the achievements made in these communities despite the challenges. Coonara plays an important role in these achievements and links between Coonara and these communities become stronger every year. Courses, clubs, childcare and Kidzfun are all progressing well and are serving the various needs of the community. The Kidzfun program is attracting a lot of notice and is considered best practice. This year we celebrated Leanne Fitzgerald’s 20th year at Coonara! After 20 years she is still finding new ways to engage and support the community. We have to thank not only Leanne’s capable leadership but also Carol Czaplowski for keeping everything running smoothly at the house, Pam Forrest for managing all the finances and all the team at Coonara that make everything happen. Finally, thank you to the Committee of Management for all the important work they do, to make sure of the governance and financial stability of the organisation. ~ Frankie den Hartog, Chairperson

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

Learning together At Coonara Community House we subscribe to The European Commission (2001: 9) finding that lifelong learning has “Four broad and mutually supporting objectives: personal fulfilment, active citizenship, social inclusion and employability/adaptability”. In this regard, lifelong learning has lifewide dimensions that transcend narrow economic and vocational aspects. Delors’ (1996) speaks of the four ‘pillars’ of education for the future which also guides our learning activities.

LEARNING TO KNOW – mastering learning tools rather than acquisition of structured knowledge.

LEARNING TO DO – equipping people for the types of

work needed now and in the future including innovation and adaptation of learning to future work environments.

LEARNING TO LIVE TOGETHER, AND WITH OTHERS

– peacefully resolving conflict, discovering other people and their cultures, fostering community capability, individual competence and capacity, economic resilience, and social inclusion.

LEARNING TO BE – education contributing to a person’s complete development: mind and body, intelligence, sensitivity, aesthetic appreciation and spirituality. In our Early Learning Centre the learning is guided by the Early Years Learning Framework – Belonging, being and becoming, which sits beautifully beside our adult learning approaches.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

OVERVIEW OF 2014 LEARNING ACTIVITIES ACTIVITY

CONTACT HOURS

EARLY CHILDHOOD LEARNING ACTIVITIES Kidzun

5292

Occasional childcare

1890

Masterchef for kids

226

Total hours

7,408

INFORMAL LEARNING ACTIVITIES Mutual obligation activities (work for the dole, corrections) - including Halloween & community garden

6500

Self help (young mums, parent support)

660

Bee keeping club

770

Learning to eat again project

100

16 days of activism domestic violence project

Friday night socials

Gully gardeners club

105

Book discussion group

General volunteering

2400

The Foothills community newspaper

800

Governance committee volunteering

350

Total hours

11,911

NON FORMAL LEARNING ACTIVITIES Computers and digital literacy Beginners

1080

iPads

1380

Social media

900

Art and craft Felt making

Henna art

Weaving

Printing

Mosaics

Playdough making

Candle making

Soap making

Cooking Preserving

Gnocchi

Cheese making

120

Cider and wine making

120

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

OVERVIEW OF 2014 LEARNING ACTIVITIES ACTIVITY

CONTACT HOURS

Budget cooking

Greek cooking

Christmas cooking

Gardening Pruning

Biodynamics

Edible food forest

Pre accredited Counselling and communication

200

Vocational tasters

3072

Professional writing

339

Return to work/study skills

3200

Cultural competency

3050

Other skills Car maintenance

Bee keeping

Career guidance sessions

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health

Gluten intolerance

FODMAP diets

Home fire safety

Meditation

276

Hearing checks

Health

Total hours

14,614

FORMAL LEARNING ACTIVITIES First aid

364

CPR

Certificate III in Community Services Work

5,640

Certificate III in Early childhood education and Care

26,772

Certificate IV in Leisure and Health

15,042

Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

75,480

Diploma of Leisure and Health

14,015

Total hours

137,373

Grand total hours

171,306 3,568 hours per week (over 48 weeks)

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

ACCREDITED TRAINING 2014 was a busy and successful year for the Coonara Training team. With a new training package for Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care to introduce to students this meant a busy start to the year. Half way through the year we transitioned our Diploma students across to the new training package which meant a few extra units and more placement hours. Through some extra study, tears and laughter we were able to transition these students smoothly. The students responded with, “Thank you for being so supportive and understanding,” “We are so pleased we did our Diploma here at Coonara as you are all so “TELL ME AND I WILL FORGET, supportive and understanding,” SHOW ME AND I MAY “I feel I have made some lifelong REMEMBER, INVOLVE ME friends at Coonara and love the AND I WILL UNDERSTAND.” ongoing support.”

~ Confucius.

The Diploma class was made up of over 80% of students returning to study at Coonara after already completing studies with us at a Certificate III level. When asked why they chose to return to further their studies at Coonara the consensus was, “We love the flexible learning environment and the trainers are all so nice and supportive on a personal and professional level,” “Trainers are very approachable and are always caring,” and “All the trainers are so knowledgeable and passionate about the Early Childhood profession.

We also started 2014 with an amazing PD with Jayne Perry on engaging students in the classroom. Jayne gave us some great ideas and techniques to encourage the trainers in different teaching styles. The feedback we received from students after applying some of these new teaching styles was very positive. “Great trainers,” “Very engaging classes,” “Love the hands on practical classes.” Throughout the year I conducted some industry consultation with Sherbrooke Children’s Centre and Park Crescent Children’s Centre and this showed that we are definitely on the right track. Both centres commented that they are always happy to take Coonara students for work placement and will continue to work in partnership with us to support our Early Childhood students. As I look back I see another busy but positive and successful year in Early Childhood training and I believe that this is very evident when a number of our students have gained employment after completing their work placements. So a very big thank you to our Early Childhood training team as the year has been a great success due to everyone’s hard work and commitment, I look forward to what the new year brings us. ~ Rachel Bremner, Accredited training coordinator

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

TRAINING IN THE TOP END Throughout 2014 our training continued with a variety of Northern Territory students. These comprised: •

Indigenous educators working in eleven remote communities of Central Australia: Apatula, Docker River, Hermannsburg, Mt Liebig, Papunya, Titjikala, Areyonga, Haasts Bluff (Ikuntji), Kintore, Santa Teresa and Mutitjulu

•

The Alice Springs Family Day Care Scheme

•

Congress Aboriginal Child Care Centre Alice Springs

•

Alice Springs Child Care Centre

At times during the year, we were servicing approximately 80 students in the Territory which kept us very busy! Most of them were studying the Certificate III in Children’s Services with a much smaller number studying the Diploma of Children’s Services. Any new students beginning in late 2014 were enrolled into either the new Certificate III in Early Childhood Education or the Diploma of Early Childhood Education. The remote centres were assisted by trainers from MacDonnell Regional Council but who were resourced by us. They often drove for 6 hours to stay in such remote places as Docker River and Kintore and the students may or may not turn up for the training. There were other difficulties such as when it rained heavily the trainers were not able to travel to some areas, accommodation in the community was often difficult to find and one trainer informed me that at times she had to sleep in a swag on the floor at the child care centre! Two diploma students at Congress Child Care Centre studied online, supported by weekly sessions in the Blackboard Online Classroom and face to face workshops whenever I was in Alice Springs. Two other diploma students at Congress who do not have home access to broadband were supported by face to face workshops and individual support sessions whenever possible.

We were pleased to add to our training team Angie Zerella from Nillumbik Living and Learning. She visited Papunya, Titjikala and Mutitjulu communities but her main focus was on Mutitjulu where four students are about to complete their Certificate III. A wonderful achievement for the students and also a testament to Angie’s excellent training methods which were adapted to suit the differing learning styles and needs of a variety of Indigenous students. Angie also trained 5 Indigenous students at Congress Child Care Centre, one of whom was able to travel down to Melbourne to stay with her and visit us at Coonara. At the end of 2014 we had ten students complete the Certificate III which is a great achievement considering English is the fourth language for some of them and there are literacy issues to work around, however, by being flexible and finding other ways for students to show their competence, success has been achieved. It has been an amazing, enriching and educational experience for all of us lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to work in the Territory. Such big projects and such diversity of personnel mean that many people have helped to bring about our success. Thank you Leanne Fitzgerald for making it possible and for giving such wonderful support to the project. Thanks also to our amazing trainers Angie Zerella, Marlene Wookey and Rachel Bremner. Marlene concentrated on the family Day Care Scheme and Rachel backed us up by doing marking for us when the load became overwhelming. A special thank you to Ellen Hardy our records officer who kept me sane by giving me lists of which people had to fill out which paperwork and when! Ellen also travelled to Alice Springs at times to hunt up paperwork herself, which relieved me so I could concentrate on the training. Thanks also to the MacDonnell Council team Margaret Harrison, and trainers Helen Meredith and Cherrylynn Ruth and Complete Personnel staff Libby and Eve. ~ Lynne Gibb, Children’s Services Training Team Leader

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

BOOKGROUP Since the group’s inception in 2008 – we have gone through some changes; we have gained new members, members have moved on, been prolific and had some quieter moments. The strength of Bookgroup is in its open arms policy, open mind policy and open heart policy. We took ourselves online and now have a Facebook page – The Coonara Bookgroup and currently sit at 38 likes. Considering the group itself averages 8 people – this is quite impressive. The online presence is not necessarily about engaging new people as Bookgroups are in their nature designed for 10 people at maximum to work best but about connecting with others who may not necessarily be able to get about but still want to engage with likeminded people and discuss topics of

WE ARE ALL PASSIONATE ABOUT READING... AS IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT WORDS ON A PAGE; BUT A JOURNEY, AN EXPERIENCE...

mutual interest.

Our online presence is another avenue for us to engage others in discussion about books, events, reading, authors etc. and expands our information reach. In the past our main form of organising, communicating, exchanging information, sharing news etc. has been via email. Social media is a great medium to help reach out to people who may feel disconnected, isolated and do not always have the means to get out and about and into the physical presence of the Community House but can still connect with us virtually. We are all passionate about reading… as it’s not just about words on a page; but a journey, an experience… 2014 was one of our quieter years but we still managed to meet, discuss and read novels and authors like Donna Tartt, Tim Winton, Angela Savage, (longtime Upper Gully News and The Foothills contributor) Sandi Wallace as well as have Sandi pop in for an author visit at Coonara. ~ Vanessa Thomson, book group pioneer

16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM – THE CLOTHESLINE PROJECT In November Coonara supported The Knox Accord partnership of Knox Social and Community Health (EACH), Eastern Community Legal Centre, Women’s Health East, Knox City Council and the network of Knox Neighbourhood Houses project to challenge stereotypical gender roles. The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence is a global campaign to raise awareness about violence against women and its impact on a woman’s physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being. The 16 Days begins on the 25th November and ends on the 10th December, being International Human Rights Day.

THE CLOTHESLINE PROJECT WAS A VISUAL INSTALLATION OF MESSAGES OF HOPE.

Participants at Coonara considered questions such as ‘What gender stereotypes would you like to challenge/break down to end violence against women?’ or ‘What sort of relationships do you want our girls and boys to experience as they grow up?’ Their statements were put on T-shirts that were displayed on a clothesline along the front fence during the 16 Days of Activism.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

COONARA’S CHOOKS One of the most popular additions to the Coonara family this year have been our chooks. We have four, two Isa Browns and two White Sussex, and they live in their very comfortable ‘chook house’ just on the other side of the children’s playground. Week days they get to free roam in our back yard and socialise with everyone entering our House via the back door. They are, in fact, very clever chooks, they can tell the time (they are always there at children’s pickup time waiting for their daily food scraps) They are also very keen to improve their literary skills, they sit watching our classes in action through the windows from their favourite spot.

WEEK DAYS THEY GET TO FREE ROAM IN OUR BACK YARD AND SOCIALISE WITH EVERYONE ENTERING OUR HOUSE VIA THE BACK DOOR.

We love our chooks and so do our community, they give us eggs and loads of pleasure. A special thankyou to Indi who helped us care for the ‘girls’ throughout the year and made the task a lot of fun. ~ Pam Forrest, Chook whisperer

JOB SEEKER – WORK FOR THE DOLE PROGRAM The Jobseeker program which has been running at Coonara Community House for a few years now, has gone from strength to strength.

We often get visits from past clients, dropping in to say hi, and to let us know how they are going. To me this is a sure sign of success-

For me as the Arts Project worker, 2014 was the best year ever.

The dynamics of personalities in the group is always very important, and 2014 proved to be a great mix of hard working and passionate people, who embraced the opportunity to broaden their horizons.

Introducing people to the idea of “You can create!” has given me much joy. Watching them blossom and expand what they thought they could/couldn’t do has been a wonderful experience for all involved. We try to provide a nurturing and supportive environment, which seems to work well with our clients. Often they are surprised at how “nice” we are, how encouraging we are, and how we often go above and beyond to direct them onto the right track for their futures.

That we are providing a service of education and compassion that is sorely needed, And 2 they miss us!

2014 was the year of the mosaic. Everything around Coonara has been mosaicked, you sit still too long, chances are we began sizing you up for a mosaic. We had kind support from some local tile businesses such as Johnston Tiles and Romano Tiles, who would put aside tiles for us as a free gift. Great appreciation goes out to them. We made a number of smaller mosaics to sell at the 2014 September Grassroots Market, and sold quite a few of them, the remaining ones are still for sale in the Coonara main office. Money raised supports the materials for the program. ~ Nicole Kirkwood, creative director

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

KIDZFUN – THREE YEAR OLD ACTIVITY GROUP Throughout the year the 3 year old sessions in the Early Learning Centre are based on the children’s interests and developmental areas. Box construction was explored by the children many times during 2014 with trucks, cars and boats being made in many different shapes and sizes. We also enjoyed exploring making animals out of paper plates having lots of discussions about what materials we needed to use to make the animals. When we had a student come in to do their placement in the room it was noticed by the student that the children were talking about how mixing colours together would make a new colour. So the student set up an activity using a salad spinner, paper plates and paint. The children got to choose the colour to put on the plate then give it a spin and see what new colours were made. We also had the local CFA from Upper Ferntree gully come and visit. The children got to sit in the fire truck and even have a go of one of the hoses that the Fire fighters use. We learned about all the equipment that is carried on a fire truck. Later in the year a dentist also came to visit us in the centre to talk about how to keep our teeth nice and clean he also gave us a show bag full of goodies to take home. Both the CFA and Dentist visits were from family members who had their child attending the centre to share information with children about what job they do in the community. During the year the children got to take home a teddy and take photos, draw pictures and write about what activities they did with the teddy during the week and add it to the teddy’s book. When they brought the teddy back the following week the child that has taken the teddy home got to share with the rest of the group what they had done.

We also had a crazy hair week where even the educators came with their hair in different styles and colours. Book week the children could come dressed as their favourite characters and bring in their favourite book to share at group time. During footy week we shared party pies and sausage rolls. Children and educators came dressed in their team colours and made footy jumpers for their portfolios. Throughout the year the children would make different pieces of art work to go into their portfolios along with the educators adding photos and learning stories. The portfolios are kept in the room during the session for the children to sit down and look at. They would quite often take out their portfolio and sit with other children and reflect back on what activities had occurred during the sessions. We would like to thank all the parents, helpers, volunteers and students who help during the sessions as the children get to share their experiences of what happens at Kinder. It is also a great help when cleaning up and resetting for the next day. I would also personally like to thank Lisa for the hard work and effort that is put into every session throughout the year. At the end of the year we had a party on a Saturday to celebrate the year we had together with the children receiving a certificate and Santa come to visit. The children were also presented with certificates on the day. ~ Haylea Abbott, lead educator

We also celebrated Easter by making a basket then having an Easter egg hunt to fill up our baskets. In May we had a teddy bears picnic where the children could bring in their own teddy to join in the activities of icing teddy bear biscuits and making sandwiches shaped like teddy bears. We also went on a bear hunt during group time. During the year we also enjoyed visits from the local Librarian Sue. During each term Sue would come and read books and sing songs with the children and talk about what happens at the library.

BOX CONSTRUCTION WAS EXPLORED BY THE CHILDREN MANY TIMES DURING 2014 WITH TRUCKS, CARS AND BOATS BEING MADE IN MANY DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

OCCASIONAL CARE PROGRAM Our vision is to provide a safe secure environment where the children are able to enhance their-

BEING - Childhood is a time to be, to seek and make meaning of the world.

BELONGING - Experiencing belonging – knowing where and with whom you belong

BECOMING - Children’s identities, knowledge, understandings, capacities, skills and relationship change during childhood: (as taken from pg.7, B.B.B. EYLF) Keeping with our philosophy we aim to provide a high quality learning program working with and alongside the children and parents to provide a safe nurturing environment for the children to reach their own individual potential. The fun filled days are carefully programmed around the childrens interests, by the occasional care educators Mandy and Emma and others who may step into our positions. Without them we would not have 15 children attending daily, nor a waiting list for any absentees or positions vacant. The setting up of experiences, play spaces and spontaneity of play, care and input from Mandy & Emma is second to none. I thank them for their commitment and dedication to the program. Whether I am on the floor working alongside them or in Alice Springs teaching. I also wish to bring to your attention Emma who has successfully obtained her Diploma in early Childhood studies and is continuing her studies by enrolling at University this coming year (2015) Within the program we encourage children to explore their curiosity and independence in choosing the areas they wish to engage in.

We support their individual abilities when we work with children as young as 12 months to the age of 4 years. This requires, gently guiding, knowing what is expected of various ages and supporting their abilities at the time, through self help, persistence at a task and knowing when to step back or support them when the children need aid. We are committed to a high level of interactions and dialogue with the primary carers to provide natural play spaces, warm and comfortable areas for them to bring their children and continue to build strong relationships within the community. We have Sue from the library come and read to us on a regular basis, surprising herself and the children in just how many she knew in this community. At the beginning of the year blowing bubbles, music and a comfortable knee to sit on all had a calming effect on children who needed that extra help in settling into their new environment. Over the past 12 months we have celebrated book week and National Tree Day. When we start gardening there are always many helpers ready to aid us using the enthusiasm of the children to help in beautifying their world. We have investigated volcanoes, which was one of the children’s interests. After some research by educators into how we would accomplish this experiment, the children demonstrated great enthusiasm in building the sand up around a soft drink bottle creating the “mountain”. We added the vinegar and the baking soda into the bottle to replicate an eruption. This learning experience covered many weeks with requests to do it again. At times we added food colouring to enhance the visual affect. Cooking is also of great interest to the children. Generally the recipes are a melt and mix experience as the children can be involved with the whole process of making a product. It is very hands on when rolling the ingredients into balls and popping them into a container. At the end of the 2014 we were privileged to witness a learning experience, led by a little person discovering the enjoyment of being able to mix the colour purple with her paint. She kept repeating proudly that she could mix the colour purple to all who came near to her. These sample learning experiences are some of the highlights of the program we try to capture in photos for the slide show or document in the form of learning stories for all to view. This we believe helps to share the many moments of the children’s learning while they attend their sessions at the Occasional Care at Coonara Early Learning Centre. The team of Educators are committed to working with the children, Primary Carers and the wider community to benefit all those who enter the Early Learning Centre here at Coonara Community House. ~ Marlene Wookey, lead educator

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

BEECLUB Hi my name is Glenn and I have joined the CCH Beekeepers Club in the last 12 months to see what I could learn and pass onto the group. I have enjoyed the monthly meetings, listening to guest speakers and members of the club performing presentations. Talking to members and getting hints and tips to put into practice with my bees has been invaluable. The members I have met have all been warm and welcoming and very approachable. I have also enjoyed solving problems that other members have had using beekeeping experience. I look forward to the coming year with the club. ~ Glenn Vance

LEARNING TO EAT AGAIN The Learning to eat again project, funded through a Knox City Council Community Development Grant, provided a valuable opportunity for members of the community to share information about food intolerances and allergies in a non threatening and supportive environment. It enabled people to test and try recipes for everyday life and special occasions with their peers thus saving them money and time. Many of the ingredients for special diets are very expensive and participants welcomed the chance to try before buying and receive peer reviews of products locally available. The information gained from face to face workshops and meetings

was shared on a website and a small recipe book for children's birthday parties was also published. 12 monthly workshops were held 12 MONTHLY WORKSHOPS to address particular areas of food WERE HELD TO ADDRESS intolerance and allergy. These PARTICULAR AREAS OF included; Gluten intolerance, FOOD INTOLERANCE AND diabetes, fructose intolerance, ALLERGY FODMAP allergies and lactose intolerances. Special workshops also focused on events such as Easter, Christmas, Children's Parties and a High Tea to demonstrate how to cater for special events for those with intolerances andÂ allergies.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

For Coonara the experience of “learning together” is not just something limited to our local community. As a neighbourhood house we are part of a “movement” and we aim to be active and collaborative members of that movement. Neighbourhood houses our proud to point out that there are more of us in Victoria than there are McDonald’s outlets. One of the strengths of Neighbourhood Houses is their “localness” and the fact that they use a community development model to response to community need. At Coonara we believe that only by supporting each other will we remain strong and sustainable as a sector.

Similarly as Community based Registered Training Organisations we are small fish in a very big and increasingly treacherous pond. By working closely and collaboratively with our own sector we aim to do our part in ensuring the sustainability of what we believe is a vital component of the training system. In 2014 we worked in various forms of partnership and networking across our region and the state.

A GREEN HOUSE AROUND THE CORNER

KNOX NETWORK OF NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSES

Following the success of two series of A House around the corner, broadcast in Victoria on Channel 31 and in several other states on community television stations, Coonara was approached by Adult Learning Australia to develop a six episode series on good energy saving practice in the Adult Community Education sector across Australia. The project was nationally funded and once again Coonara partnered with Tricia Zeimer of TMZ to THE SERIES SHOWCASED produce the series as part of a INFORMATION FROM larger energy efficiency campaign managed by ALA. The series ORGANISATIONS NOT ONLY showcased information from IN VICTORIA BUT WESTERN organisations not only in Victoria AUSTRALIA, SOUTH but Western Australia, South AUSTRALIA, QUEENSLAND Australia, Queensland and New AND NEW SOUTH WALES. South Wales. A series of short You Tube videos were also produced to support fact sheets available from the project website.

We have worked closely with the four other Neighbourhood Houses and Learning Centres in Knox for over ten years. In this time the level of trust and collaboration has grown and with it our ability to jointly meet the needs of our shared community. In 2014 we produced our second annual joint brochure introducing ourselves to the Knox Community and listing all the programs and services that we provide. This brochure was distributed through special events, libraries, council outlets and other not for profit organisations. We also worked on a successful funding submission for a grant from the Adult Community and Further Education Board to move to a “federation” model of partnership in 2015. Our joint tender submission for the Volunteer Resource Centre was also successful. The Houses meet regularly with Council’s Community Strengthening and Economic Development staff to share information on community needs.

COMMUNITY HOUSES ASSOCIATION OF THE OUTER-EASTERN SUBURBS (CHAOS) Coonara’s manager, Leanne FitzGerald, completed her fourth year on the CHAOS governance committee in 2014 and was Chair for the third year. Coonara also hosted the final network meeting of the year for CHAOS with volunteers catering a lunch from our pizza oven.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

DIGITAL SENIORS PROJECT

EASTERN VET NETWORK

In mid 2014 Coonara as the lead agency for NEVCOP developed a successful funding submission for a project to roll out digital literacy training for people aged 65+ across our region. In partnership with other Learn Locals in Knox, North Ringwood, Doncaster, Manningham, Euroa, Mansfield, Cobram and Yarrawonga we have delivered customized, small group training sessions for seniors to bring their own device and learn what they want to know about technology and the Internet.

For the fourteenth year Coonara facilitated this network for Community based Registered Training Organisations in the east of Melbourne. We met four times with eleven member organisations to share compliance information and practices and to improve our management skills and knowledge. This Network provides our organisations with knowledge that contributes to our sustainability as RTOs in a very difficult and demanding training environment.

NORTH EAST VICTORIA COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE (NEVCOP) Coonara, in partnership with three other Learn Local organisations and four Community House Networks, was the lead agency in two successful grant submissions to develop and operate a community of practice for all community adult learning organisations across the North East Victorian region of the Education Department. Over sixty organisations have participated in the activities

of NEVCOP including face to face networking and professional development, online PD and training and a website and facebook page. The members of NEVCOP have benefited from the sharing of good practice and new ideas as well as the sharing of curriculum documents and policy and procedure resources.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

What difference did we make? ...FOR THE LEARNERS I really enjoyed the Cert IV Leisure & Health which I took in 2014. I had been made redundant and wanted to undertake a new career path. A friend mentioned the course to me and I decided to enrol. I hadn't studied in such a long time and was a bit hesitant about whether I could go back to school again. My classmates were from various age groups and it was lovely meeting new friends who had some similarities to myself. I learned so much from the course and in a very pleasant and safe environment. I can't give enough praise to the tutors, as without them it may not have been a lot different. They were so informative, caring, supportive and were always there for the students. I really miss the classes now the course has finished. But I feel I am now ready to go back to the workforce with my new set of skills. ~ Maureen Young

YES, WE DID DO IT!! AND A HUGE THANK YOU TO YOU JANET!! I couldn't have completed the previous 2 years of study without your support and understanding. You have expertly and comprehensively taught us the theory of leisure and health education using a holistic approach to your students. What you have managed to do is convey a massive amount of information to a group of disparate women whilst treating us with respect and understanding. This is a major achievement! You have considered our well being as people with lives outside the class room. In other words you have put into practice what you have been teaching which requires great skill, when you consider how complicated people can be.

Coonara was a relaxed teaching environment, I learned key principles of Lifestyle planning and management that I can implement immediately.

On a personal level, I have definitely grown holistically (that word again) with increased confidence in my abilities.

The depth of information supplied, and the access to Janet Myers-Creed and Gabrielle Morrow for feedback on assessments in progress was excellent. I cannot highly praise these educators enough, it has been a unique and joyful experience to know these two tutors for the last 3 years. Their support, enthusiasm, wealth of knowledge and professionalism has enhanced the time spent in both courses.

~ Ann Hanson

~ Saskia Hannink

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

My first interaction at Coonara was working in the garden. As with any places you attend for the first time, you hope to find someone you can relate to, to make your time enjoyable. Kate is the lady that runs gardening at CCH and we got on from the get go. Kate was happy to hear any suggestions I had and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with her. I then chose to enroll in a course, Certificate III in Community Service Work for two days a week Tue & Thurs, which CCH was running. The course unfortunately took me away from my love of gardening. However, I joined the art program that was run on Mondays by Nicole. So I was then attending 3 days a week.

KYLIE WAS A GREAT TEACHER AND MY FELLOW COLLEAGUES WERE A GREAT GROUP FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. WE FORMED A GOOD BOND AND I’M HAPPY TO SAY SOME OF US STILL KEEP IN TOUCH. My Certificate III course teacher was Kylie. Returning to study at the age of 51, I was unsure of what to expect. My high school days were a distant memory but I looked forward to returning to school, so to speak. Kylie was a great teacher and my fellow colleagues were a great group from all walks of life. We formed a good bond and I’m happy to say some of us still keep in touch. The course was so enjoyable and extremely informative and led me to thinking of perhaps working with youths with drug and mental health issues. So I’m currently in the process of enrolling in a Certificate IV in Alcohol and Other Drugs and Mental Health. Although, this will not be through Coonara, I’m happy say that I will be entering this course with a fellow colleague and friend which I met in my Certificate III class at Coonara.

Never having had any real experience in art, I took on my first mosaic piece “a fish”. I loved the class, the other women and men in the class were great people and some shared their personal story, which brought us closer together. I’ve participated in the art classes voluntarily, for almost 1 year now and during this time I have learnt all there is to know about mosaics. At times during my classes I found myself doubting my abilities, not being sure if what I was creating was looking as it should. Nicole has educated me in the art of “art” and that is, that there is no “right” or “wrong”. Art is what you want it to be. This philosophy, while I embraced it with open arms, led to quite a few discussions (difference of opinion) regarding certain works of (so called) art, like the Yellow piece of steel at the end of the Tulla freeway, or the green M n M’s with one white egg (that’s my interpretation) on the eastern freeway. I guess these two examples are proof of what Nicole has tried to teach me – there is no “right” or “wrong”. During my mosaic classes I have created some pieces that I am extremely proud of. I am currently working on my mosaic master piece “Lady Coonara”, a dressmaker’s mannequin which was donated to Coonara. I hope to have “Lady Coonara” finished in the next 4 weeks and it will then be on display at Coonara. All in all, my experience at Coonara Community House has been extremely positive, satisfying and life changing. I can honestly say, that I am extremely grateful that I have come to know a great group of women. I have formed a good friendship with Nicole and all the ladies at Coonara. Thank you to you all, for making me feel so welcome. I will remember my time and all the ladies here, long after I leave. ~ Stefanie Battisti

I’d never have thought that I’d be considering a career change so late in life but I’ve never been so excited to start my new chosen path.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

...FOR THE TRAINERS Part of being an effective educator involves understanding how adults learn best (Lieb,1991). Andragogy (adult learning) is a theory that holds a set of assumptions about how adults learn. Andragogy emphasises the value of the process of learning. It uses approaches to learning that are problem-based and collaborative rather than didactic, and also emphasises more equality between the teacher and learner. It comes as no surprise then that our trainers’ reflections on 2014 show how much they have grown and learned themselves.

Life changing is the only way I can describe the last twelve months I have spent travelling in the Northern Territory to remote Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal Congress in Alice Springs, supporting Aboriginal people to gain their Certificate III in Children’s Services. Where do I start and how can I truly articulate my lived experience and how the training I have been doing through Coonara Community House within these communities has impacted so positively on the lives of the Aboriginal People I have been working with? The question that I began with was how does a Certificate III in Children’s Services make a difference to Aboriginal people in remote areas? This was a question I set out to explore as well as to ensure that this qualification was meaningful, relevant and useful to the people who welcomed me into their communities and embraced their studies. I wondered whether they would be interested and more importantly if I would be able to make the training culturally appropriate, safe and relevant in a world that was different to the world that I knew. I wondered how I would get the content across when English was the third or fourth language of the women I was working with. I wondered whether I had a right to be there and whether they even really wanted me to be there doing this training with them. The journey started slowly with some students not wanting to engage with me, some because they were shy and others because they are so used to nonAboriginal people coming into their communities and leaving they were not sure how committed I was and so did not want to waste their time. I soon learnt that the most important thing was none of my concerns. It was not about language, it was not about the training content, but rather about being real, being honest and being prepared to listen and learn. Through this approach you build respectful

relationships and centering all of this is trust. Once you have trust you can achieve anything! What I learnt was just how intelligent these women are and how much we, as non-Aboriginal people do not know about country, land, lore, bush tucker, hunting and living off the land. I realised very quickly that the barrier was not them not speaking English but rather me not being able to speak the Aboriginal languages relevant to the different groups I was working with. I knew that if I could speak their language I could reach a deeper level in the content I was teaching. I knew they were the equal of any student I had ever taught and so their capacity to learn the depth of content I was delivering was not an inability for them to learn, but rather an inability for me to teach without the dominant language of the community I was engaging with. I set this as a challenge…to find a way to enable them to show their knowledge and for me to extend their knowledge through other means that did not rely on the written word. This was incredible as these amazing women drew on their knowledge and understanding in pictorial form. Making links to land and nature connected them deeply to the content. Very soon once trust had been established these women embraced everything I threw at them and I embraced everything they threw at me. My VERY SOON ONCE TRUST challenges throughout this whole HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED project was not the Aboriginal THESE WOMEN EMBRACED people but the challenges put to EVERYTHING I THREW AT them by the non-Aboriginal world THEM AND I EMBRACED they have to navigate.

EVERYTHING THEY THREW

I will always hold deeply in my AT ME. heart, the moment that I told the students they had completed their studies and achieved their Certificate III. The shock on their faces, their disbelief and the tears they cried as they realised they had achieved their dream. I did not make it easy,

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

it was not watered down. It was hard and deep but delivered in a way I had never delivered before to ensure it was relevant, culturally appropriate and safe. I recall the response from Una Ratara from the communities of Hermannsburg and Papunya. Una completed her training at Aboriginal Congress in Alice Springs as she had moved into town as her husband’s health required them to do this. When Una completed her qualification she was shocked and then she cried. I had told her many times she was nearly finished but I did not realise she did not believe WHEN UNA COMPLETED HER me. After her emotional reaction I QUALIFICATION SHE WAS said to her ‘Una I am surprised you SHOCKED AND THEN SHE are so shocked I have been telling CRIED. you you would finish it’. She looked at me and said ‘But Angie, I am black woman see my skin… Black women don’t get certificate… I am bush woman from the bush I hunt kangaroo and goanna and witchetty grub… women from bush don’t get certificate… but Angie I got it… I got my certificate… Now I will be able to keep working and I could go back to my country and help them if I need to… but I can stay here and keep working at Congress… these little fellas need me here to speak language to them…to teach them about painting and dance… to teach them about their culture… these little fellas they been taken from their families… taken from the bush… but now I can teach them because I got my certificate’! One of my students from Mutitjulu at the foot of Uluru pulled me aside about four months into the training. She said to me “this trainin Angie… oooh it bloody good one... we love this trainin… you teachin us and we learnin stuff… we can look after our kids but you teach us new things and we can see our kids learnin different ways… you teach us both ways learnin… this best thing… we was scared about this trainin… but now we love it!’ This was an amazing moment for me as Mutitjulu is a very complex community and the students there were quite resistant at the start. Due to their very location and the amount of tourism attracted to the area they get a lot of attention from both the media and from the government. They always have people calling in to their community and doing short and often irrelevant programs with them and so training initially was not that special and not that meaningful. Due to this I learnt very quickly that training could not be rushed as the building of trust and forming relationships had to come first. I could see that time was needed before I started to deliver and assess any content. Firstly I needed time to learn myself, to listen and observe and to take training from that point when the time was right. I took it slowly and waited patiently for them to welcome me into their community… onto their land… and into their hearts. I recall after my first day at Mutitjulu after just sitting and chatting for a few hours that the same woman I quoted above asked me if she could have her certificate now! I realised then that it had not been explained to them the extensiveness of the training

and the time it was going to take. Every visit for the first three months I would be asked… ‘do we get our certificate now?’ But now nine months on I am ready to do my last visit with these amazing women and our relationship is strong and meaningful… their certificate means so much to them. They have a wall with all their work displayed so they can celebrate their achievements along the way. They are so committed and embrace everything I do with them. Their skills and knowledge are second to none and they are at the stage where they could run their own service. As we come to the end of their studies they now use written English to express and showcase their knowledge. What is amazing to me is how much they drive this. Their desire to learn is overwhelming. By supporting them to learn written English it opens up their world to be more in control of their own communities. It provides them with the basic human right to navigate the dominant world so they can stay strong in culture but meet the requirements and get what they need through a legal and cultural system that is foreign to their own ways of being and knowing. It is amazing to see how far they have come and how driven they are to succeed and to learn. They are strong…they know what they want… they know what their children need… they are simply amazing and must be celebrated! This journey has changed all of THIS JOURNEY HAS our lives. It has connected us, CHANGED ALL OF OUR LIVES. Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal IT HAS CONNECTED US, together. It has enabled us to ABORIGINAL AND NONshare two knowledge systems ABORIGINAL TOGETHER. IT and listen, learn and respect each HAS ENABLED US TO SHARE other. We are equally fascinated in TWO KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS each other lives. Most importantly this journey has built strength in AND LISTEN, LEARN AND these communities. It has enabled RESPECT EACH OTHER. Aboriginal women to showcase their abilities and to articulate their knowledge. It is tough for them with the Non-Aboriginal perspective constantly there threatening them to assimilate. But now they have the qualification that is needed to live and work within the dominant world, but to teach their kids through their own cultural ways of being and knowing, while being given their human right to access the non-Aboriginal knowledge system so they can walk safely in both worlds. It is known as both ways learning and is central to closing the gap between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal worlds. Thanks to Coonara Community House, especially to Leanne Fitzgerald and Lynne Gibb for entrusting this most important job to me. Thank you for your support throughout the challenges and celebrations. Thank you for the hard work you have done to enable so many lives to be changed and enriched because you were prepared to do something that many people would avoid. It’s been an honour and a privilege and while challenging at times it has been the most incredible and most transformational journey for us all. ~ Angie Zerella, Trainer

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

“BEEN THERE DONE THAT” As I flew across the terrain between Melbourne and Alice Springs once again it brought to me how big Australia is. Marvelling at the colours, patterns unfolding before my eyes as my nose was pressed against the window, patterns made from nature, valleys and dry creek beds in the shape of gigantic trees etched in the ground. A lot of nothing you may think! But no, this is the rough and untamed country we travelled over on our first trip to Alice Springs. I must admit, I felt very intimidated by the locals on my first trip over 20 years ago, however we still got around and visited the sights, apprehensive and very wary of the very busy, bustling large town. I have since travelled to Alice Springs as a tourist quite a number of times since my initial trip and believed I had seen all there is to see! Now reflecting on the visits to Alice Springs over the last 18 months how my views have changed, how wrong I was I haven’ t seen everything, there is still lots more to see with the changing of the seasons and from my much transformed eyes. I have been privy to the flooding of the Todd River a rare sight in itself, hard to believe as a tourist to see the river barren of water to comprehend that it does flood and the road is actually cut off. The Territory Day, 1st July , a madcap fireworks night where it seems everyone has fireworks and the fireworks appeared to be going off at alarming rate in all directions ( memories of Guy Fawkes night) but I was reassured” it’s ok !there are extra police, ambos and firey’s on duty and the hospital is aware of what could happen. So you are quite safe.” It was quite spectacular to view the fireworks from within your abode. Some startling revelations firstly seeing the hardships of some of the residents living in Alice Springs and surrounding areas, the knowledge of some of the people speaking up to 5 languages however very little English. Understanding the differences of various mobs and accepting the stories of the mob learning from their voices observing the obstacles they are continually negotiating. Being able to admire their art work and craft the individual mobs produce has been a privilege. I have been able to further my learning of the indigenous society and begin to understand their culture and traditions, listening and learning from the residents and the symposium held in September where some of the participants travelled many, many kilometres from across the Western Australia border to share their stories. One of the places I was lucky to travel to was a place called Areyonga, the residents with their quiet voices and a beautiful setting in which they live is a place I would really enjoy going back too. Areyonga is picturesque with the white trunked trees growing on the edge of dry creek beds, their bark shimmering in the sun, against the coloured cliffs as back drop to this beautiful community. Without being invited to visit it would be one place I could not have visited as a tourist.

Another place was Santa Teresa which at the time of my first trip as a tourist we drove past the imposing gates with warnings of “Keep out” is now welcoming tourists to view the unique church and the residents art and craft work is now open to view and purchase. My main role has been to work with the Alice Springs family day care providers to mentor, aid and support the students to complete the requirements of Certificate III. This is now needed to continue in their chosen employment of educating and caring for the children. Their dedication and passion to this is remarkable, providing 24 hour care at a moment’s notice for children at risk or simply offering to have a child overnight while a parent is out of town or out on communities working. Very different to when I was a Family day care provider 8.00am to 4.00pm most days, school holidays off and no study. I admire the students in the way they are able to juggle all their commitments of their own families along with the added dimension of study. I am so proud of their achievements when I reflect on the amount each had to take on, the challenge of computers and sending work via email, getting to understand the wiki the portal of Coonara’s study, English as their second language and working in isolation, however what a buzz to be able to hand over their Certificate to them and know I have assisted in this achievement. It has been truly inspiring seeing Alice Springs from a different angle, a regular visitor, working alongside some remarkable people making a difference Each time I come home I have discovered something new and been inspired by all who live and work in this incredible, much quieter no longer threatening town and realise no I haven’t done it all! and there is still plenty of knowledge to gain. I also wish to add that I am grateful for the chance and the belief in my colleagues at “Coonara” that I would be able to perform the duties associated with this project. I often use my example of my career to provide inspiration that you as a person can travel an incredible path by taking that first step at study. Oh! The places you'll go! With Coonara... ~ Marlene Wookey, Trainer

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

...FOR THE JOB SEEKERS

...FOR PARTICIPANTS IN THE LEARNING TO EAT AGAIN PROJECT

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

Celebrating community & sharing culture Celebrating individual achievement and success is important at Coonara. Birthdays, graduations, anniversaries, weddings and special milestones are all embraced and recognized with food, cards, flowers or gifts. Coonara is also about celebrating community. Being part of the community is cause for celebration alone! We believe that the more opportunity we have to celebrate our communities the more enriched and fulfilled our lives will be. At Coonara we also support and share with communities within the community – the local beekeeping community, the community of people who have food intolerances and allergies, the community of parents of children with a disability, the volunteer community and more. Our celebration of community often takes the form of raising funds for charities to support their important work in our area. Providing affordable social events particularly for the socially isolated is important and is often combined with this fundraising. One of the most important and constant communities that many of us have is the one in our own workplace. At Coonara we actively and regularly celebrate our employees, our committee, our volunteers and our achievements. It makes Coonara a happy and healthy place to work.

THE FOOTHILLS COMMUNITY MAGAZINE Published four times per year The Foothills community newspaper is an entirely volunteer production with a team of more than 25 people contributing in a range of roles to getting this quarterly paper out to the 6,000 households in Upper Ferntree Gully, Upwey and Tecoma. In 2014 each of the four issues focused on a theme as our newspaper evolved into a community magazine. The themes for 2014 were: Arts, Life balance and Celebrating achievements (including sharing your bucket list) and, as usual, our special creative writing edition for Summer. One of the highlights of the year was the publication of regular writer, Sandi Wallace’s, first novel. Sandi has written for the Foothills for ten years including its time as the Upper Gully News. Congratulations Sandi on this wonderful achievement. Special thanks also to Marina Cook for all her wonderful work as the editor of the paper.

GRASSROOTS MARKET Our Grassroots Markets are going from strength to strength. We appreciate all the support and hard work from our volunteer team. Our September Market held at Kings Park attracted 57 stallholders. The theme of the market was ‘Finding Balance in our Lives’. In keeping with this we invited practitioners to be a part of our market for the first time. The entertainment was excellent and enjoyed by everyone. It was another great day for Grassroots and Coonara. The November Twilight Christmas market was held in Upwey and attracted 90 stallholders and a crowd exceeding 1500 on the day. It was hugely successful, whilst somewhat challenging finding a spot for everyone to sell their wares. Handmade/homemade, once again, being a huge drawcard for locals. ~ Margaret James

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

VOLUNTEER FOR KNOX Volunteer for Knox aims to be an accessible, innovative, connected and well-known service for the Knox Community.

JULY TO DEC 2014 STATISTICS

On July 1st 2014 Volunteer for Knox commenced operations based at Coonara Community House. Volunteer for Knox is jointly governed through a partnership between the five Knox Neighbourhood Houses – Coonara Community House, The Basin Community House, Rowville Neighbourhood Learning Centre, Mountain District Learning Centre and Orana Neighbourhood House. The Volunteer Resource Centre is funded by Knox City Council and its purpose is to increase volunteering opportunities for organisations and individuals in Knox. Volunteer for Knox will plan, implement and evaluate high quality services that result in public recognition of the value of volunteering for Knox.

went through induction in early 2015)

70 Volunteers recruited (including 10 who 32 Organisations recruited 47 Volunteer opportunities advertised 27 Volunteers placed in roles 4 Volunteer induction sessions conducted 1 Volunteer managers meetings held

Volunteer for Knox provides the following services for volunteers and volunteer involving organisations in Knox:

FIND POSITIONS for volunteers PROVIDE INDUCTION and ongoing support and

training for volunteers

ASSIST not for profit organisations to recruit volunteers SUPPORT volunteer coordination in not for profit organisations CELEBRATE AND RECOGNISE VOLUNTEERING

in the Knox Community by arranging events and activities

COMMUNITY SPACE AT WESTFIELD KNOX A major achievement in celebrating community in 2014 has come in the shape of a community space at Knox City Shopping Centre in Wantirna South. After some discussions with Centre Management about how they could better engage with the community, Coonara, on behalf of Volunteer for Knox and the other not for profits in Knox, was offered a retail space to use for showcasing “community”, promoting volunteering and celebrating volunteer and community achievements. To date this has proven to be a wonderful opportunity for the whole Knox community. The space officially opening on November 24th and

between then and the end of the year hosted 38 events from 27 different Knox organisations. These included free information sessions and workshops ranging from circus skills, Ipads, A RETAIL SPACE TO USE meditation, cooking to dancing FOR SHOWCASING and careers guidance. There “COMMUNITY”, PROMOTING were opportunities to chat about VOLUNTEERING AND volunteering, adult education and getting involved in the CELEBRATING VOLUNTEER community. AND COMMUNITY

ACHIEVEMENTS Centre Management see this project as a valuable strategy for them to engage with and support the community of Knox.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

OTHER ACTIVITIES Low cost and free social events, especially those that enable members of the community to express their support for important causes, continue to be an important element of our community development activitites. In 2014 Coonara participated in or hosted many of these events. These included; Neighbourhood House Week afternoon tea and second hand book sale, Stringybark festival with a gardening upcycling activity, Australianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest morning tea raising nearly $200, Pancake day supporting the work of Uniting Care, the MND walk to raise funds to research a cure for Motor Neuron Disease and several Friday night social events to provide alternative entertained for socially isolated people.

Stringybark Festival

Friday Night Socials

Community Christmas Party

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

Neighbourhood House Week Book Sale

Biggest Morning Tea

MND Walk

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

LEANNE’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF EMPLOYMENT AT COONARA SATURDAY JUNE 28TH 2014 WAS A VERY SPECIAL NIGHT ON THE COONARA CALENDAR FOR 2014. This was the night we celebrated the 20 years of (official) service that Leanne Fitzgerald has given to Coonara Community House. We devised our plans in secret - sending Leanne off to Asia for the three weeks prior was very convenient - and to our absolute relief the secret was kept till Leanne walked through the door. We shared a meal together, we had testimonials from current and past staff, we had a photo presentation of the last 20 years and memorised it in a book. The highlight of the night was definitely the song sung to the tune of ‘Lean on Me’ and performed in true Coonara style by the team. The night was rounded off with a juke box and lots of singing and dancing. Congratulations Leanne from all your friends and workmates.

SHARE THE JOY This was Coonara Community House’s second year as a collection point for the Share the Joy Appeal.” The collection days for us were on 15th and 16th December 2014. We had 104 families registered to come in and collect their food hampers and toys over the 2 days. What an amazing experience for myself and our many volunteers who came along and help during this busy time. Seeing the joy and happiness that this appeal brings to families down on their luck is a wonderful feeling and many families expressed their gratitude for this generous Appeal. Again we had a huge abundance of toys, books and small stocking fillers so the families were able to load up with gifts for their children aged from 0-18 years. Each family who registered were given food hampers to help feed their families over the holiday period. This Appeal reminds us what Christmas is all about – sharing the joy! Thank you to Knox Infolink for inviting us to participate in this event and for all theirs and everyone else’s’ hard work who were involved in the organizing, collecting and distributing of everything – and yes again we will definitely be back next year as a collection point. ~ Carol Czaplowski

VOLUNTEER AWARDS Five of our precious volunteers were successful in gaining awards for which we nominated them in 2014. Emily FitzGerald, Jess Hardy and Marina Cook were given LaTrobe Community Awards by Federal Member of Parliament, Jason Wood, for their voluntary services to The Foothills community newspaper. Kate Potter and Bec McBride were given Community Houses of the Outer Eastern Suburbs volunteer awards for their services to Coonara in setting up and facilitating the Bee keeping club.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

SHARING - To participate in, use, enjoy, or experience jointly or in turns

The sharing of culture and the development of “cultural competency” isn’t always easy when you live in a community that has little cultural diversity. However at Coonara we actively seek opportunities and sometimes create them. In our Early Learning Centre it is an important component of the Centre philosophy. The Educators’ Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework (p. 21) (DEEWR, 2010) explains why respecting, understanding and including a child’s culture is so very important: Culture is the fundamental building block of identity and the development of a strong cultural identity is essential to children’s healthy sense of who they are and where they belong. Cultural is explored in the ELC through play, art and food. The concept of “cultural competency” is included across all the accredited training that we deliver at Coonara. Cultural competence is much more than awareness of cultural differences. It is the ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people across cultures. Cultural competence encompasses: being aware of one’s own world view, developing positive attitudes towards cultural differences, gaining knowledge of different cultural practices and world views and developing skills for communication and interaction across cultures.

CULTURAL COMPETENCY WORKSHOPS During 2014 Coonara staff also provided professional development workshops in cultural competence to staff in other organisations including to pre school educators and adult trainers. The cultural competence of all those staff members participating in our training programs in the Northern Territory has been greatly enhanced through their growing relationship with people in remote Indigenous communities.

SHORT COURSES Short courses, workshops and social events that provided an opportunity to share and experience different cultures included; henna art, gnocchi and pasta making, greek cooking and pizza making.

HALLOWEEN The tradition of dressing in costume for Halloween has both European and Celtic roots. Hundreds of years ago, winter was an uncertain and frightening time. Food supplies often ran low and, for the many people afraid of the dark, the short days of winter were full of constant worry. On Halloween, when it was believed that ghosts came back to the earthly world, people thought that they would encounter ghosts if they left their homes. To avoid being recognized by these ghosts, people would wear masks when they left their homes after dark so that the ghosts would mistake them for fellow spirits. On Halloween, to keep ghosts away from their houses, people would place bowls of food outside their homes to appease the ghosts and prevent them from attempting to enter.

The American Halloween tradition of “trick-ortreating” probably dates back to the early All Souls’ Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called “soul cakes” in return for their promise to pray for the family’s dead relatives. The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which was referred to as “going a-souling” was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighbourhood and be given ale, food, and money.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

HALLOWEEN AT COONARA The certificate III community services students began working on celebrating Halloween with relish. The first challenge was to convince people of the history of the celebration so that all could embrace it. The next challenge was to try to source donations of sweets for the event. This was unsuccessful but, a great deal of learning went into this activity and the final result was the purchase of the most cost effective sweets for the night.

Parents / adults were not forgotten with, over 100 volunteer for Knox bags given out. All contained program information, flyers as well as gifts for the brave parents who ventured into the centre. Over 354 adults were counted in the first 3 hours of the night and as children outnumbered adults by at least 2 to 1(as most adults remained outside and sent their children into the centre) the numbers of people into the service are estimated at 1,500.

The purpose of being involved in Halloween celebrations is as a community development exercise for Coonara to bolster and build on an already existing celebration in the street. People were already coming to the area to ‘’trick or treat’ with their children and, so it was seen as an opportunity to add to this celebration as well as provide information and marketing for the services that we provide.

Evaluations of the event were overwhelmingly positive, the parents were especially enthusiastic about the idea of the children ‘earning’ their treats. The students identified a number of areas for change for next year including; a slight change to the room set up to decrease crowding, more activity options, focusing on giving out bubbles or biscuits rather than purchased treats (which is more in line with the services that we provide), and changes to the decorations especially those outside of the building.

By all accounts the event was a hit. Children were expected to earn their treats by putting their hands in brains and eyeballs (spaghetti and pingpong balls) to find marbles, or find the marble in the bug pot or the squishy ball pot or, for the more timid, throw a bean bag in the basket. Over 500 bags of lollies, 300 biscuits (thankyou to Judy and her team), and 100 bottles of bubbles were given out on the night. The activity for children to make a grave stone was very successful and 35 of these were made and taken home, they looked very effective and were an easy and fun way to engage the older children in the centre.

The event was very much a success and lots of thanks goes to; Judy and her team for the biscuits, the staff members who volunteered their help on the night for crowd control and managing the activities, Leanne for believing in the event and, the cert iii students themselves. This was a great learning activity but, also a lot of fun. ~ Kylie Quirk

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

WINTER CULTURE AT COONARA For what I think would be close on 10 years I have run the Coonara Footy Tipping competition. It has become a part of Coonara tradition now and everyone looks forward to Mondays during footy season where we can re-hash, analyze and lament the games played on the weekend. It brings together the serious footy lover and the casual observer who all try with serious study or with pot luck to tip the winners. Many a special item, holiday etc. has been brought with the winnings of our competition. Over the years it has been something that keeps previous staff, students and volunteers connected with Coonara. With busy lives these days some of the tippers’ only visit to Coonara is coming in to pay their tipping fees and it gives them an opportunity to catch up with old friends. Many family members of staff and volunteers are also now contributing their expertise to our comp and hopefully it will continue on for many more years to come. ~ Carol Czaplowski

TREV’S SHED 2014 was our first year without long-time friend of Coonara, Trevor McManus. Trevor was many things to Coonara. He was a strong and passionate public relations advocate for Coonara, an Essendon-loving practical joker, a fabulous cleaner, a volunteer and a friend. His passing left a gaping hole at Coonara so it seemed only appropriate that we find a meaningful way in which to honour his memory. The building of our new community shed was perfect. In many ways it reflects Trevor’s many qualities.

DESERT MOB In September 2014 a small team from Coonara attended the Desert Mob Festival in Alice Springs for the 5th time. Five people from Coonara and three from Nillumbik Living and Learning Centre attended the festival which includes a full day symposium of Indigenous artists and art workers talking about community, culture and art – which is all interwoven, an arts marketplace and an arts exhibition. In addition the Coonara mob conducted a day trip to Hermansberg to view the historic mission and to some of the scenic and culturally relevant sites along the Western MacDonnell Ranges. The experience was unforgettable for all those who attended.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

What difference did we make? ...FOR A CONTRIBUTOR TO THE FOOTHILLS MAGAZINE I joined the team of what was then called Upper Gully News but has since become The Foothills in October 2005 and have been proud to be a regular contributor of articles and short stories continually since. When I introduced myself to the then-editor, Sally Dusting-Laird, I was completing my Professional Writing and Editing studies at Holmesglen TAFE and had some non-fiction stories published in other periodicals. I was also working towards my lifelong dream of being a published crime fiction writer. My desire was to “cut my teeth” in community level journalism, to expand my experience and skills and tear sheets with my byline, while giving back to the community. I started by contributing a range of articles, covering things from local police news, music events at nearby venues and a health and fitness column. I learned practically from Sally, which value-added to what my TAFE tutors had taught. As I became busier with my fitness job, I focused on my “Health News” column for the newspaper, where I combined my knowledge and skills as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor with my love of writing. I figured that if I could touch or help just one person with every piece, I had achieved something worthwhile. One day I was in Woolworths and a console operator literally ran up to me. She’d recognised me from my headshot and wanted to thank me for my article on menopause because it helped her understand what was happening to her body. Moments like that for writers are priceless. In the time of Marina being our editor, we’ve enjoyed style shifts in the magazine, responding to what readers want and what we are able to deliver. Thanks to Marina, Leanne and the host of other contributors, I’ve continued to develop as a writer. In recent times, my stories have been across broader categories in nonfiction, along with fiction. My story in the current issue on Peter Hay and the Korean War is a standout for me, learning about the “Forgotten War” and sharing Pete’s experience certainly touched me.

Working with the Foothills team and contributing to our local community has changed me, for the better. It certainly helped me mature as a writer. Confidence gained from regularly submitting stories and receiving positive feedback from my editor and readers, has melded into my growing determination to achieve my focal writer’s dream – to see my crime novels published. Last year, I was thrilled when Tell Me Why, the first book in my Rural Crime Files series was released. I’m grateful to the support shown by the Foothills team who have proudly shared my achievements outside of the magazine – from prize wins in the Scarlet Stiletto Awards to my publishing deal for my series with Clan Destine Press – with readers along the way. They even invited me along to Coonara Community House for a relaxed, fun author chat. We – The Foothills and Coonara House people – are a community within a community and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my part in all of this through the years. Life is pretty crazy in a great way now that I’m a published author. I’m still juggling my fitness job with my writing world and often there doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day for anything but I’m thrilled with it all. This year, the sequel to Tell Me Why called Black Saturday will be released, I’m doing a little more work on book three (but it is written) and I’ve started on book four. Aside from actual writing, there are lots of fun author events to organise and attend. I intend to keep writing for The Foothills as much as my schedule will allow because I still love the idea of touching or helping people with my articles, along with my crime books. I encourage all budding writers to consider working with their community newspaper because the gains in personal and professional growth and sense of belonging and contributing to a community are immeasurable. Thank you. ~ Sandi Wallace

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

...FOR VOLUNTEERS AND VOLUNTEER COORDINATORS Some years ago I moved to the United States where I worked as the Executive Director of an Adult Literacy Council, a not-for-profit organisation, which existed on a shoestring budget. The role of the Literacy Council was to provide basic literacy and numeracy services in a County down south where 40% of the County's adult residents functioned below fifth grade level in English skills. Many had come from Mexico, either legally or illegally. The Literacy Council made no distinction in their legal status, believing that the vast majority of people had crossed the border in search of a better life for themselves and their families. The challenges in assisting these people were considerable. As the sole paid employee, apart from an Administrative Assistant, no matter how hard I worked, the organisation would have completely folded, had I not been able to rely on an amazing band of fifty volunteers. These generous souls gave of their time to reach out across a County - consisting of seven rural communities – working one-on-one with people in their homes, as Volunteer Literacy Tutors. Not always an enviable task, as many of our clients, although intent on improving their language skills, also suffered from intergenerational poverty, low levels of formal education, unemployment and sometimes, drug addiction. Over the course of time in this wonderful job, I saw some lives transformed. This was where I first experienced the power that volunteering can bring to a community! After returning to Australia, I found myself again drawn to the field of volunteering in the not-for- profit sector, as I know the impact that we as volunteers and Volunteer Coordinators can have on the communities in which we live. The 2011 Census told us that nationwide in Australia, 1 in every 6 workers in the not-for-profit sector is a volunteer. So it's easy to see, particularly in our current economic climate, the vital role that volunteers play in delivering services to the community that governments alone can simply not provide.

But what's in it for the volunteer, you may be thinking? My experience as a Volunteer Coordinator for two not-for-profit organisations in Australia has taught me that people seek volunteer roles for various reasons, the main ones being:

PURE ALTRUISM - a sense of wanting to help others or 'give back' to their community TO ALLEVIATE SOCIAL ISOLATION, extend their friendship networks and connect with their community TO LEARN NEW SKILLS or gain work experience as a pathway to paid employment TO INCREASE CONFIDENCE and self-esteem and help them feel good about themselves I recently had the joy of watching the impact becoming a volunteer for the first time, had on a man’s life. ‘Sam’ (not his real name) had been unemployed for over a year, as the result of a workplace accident. He was suffering depression and had become socially isolated. Lacking confidence and self-esteem, ‘Sam’ first contacted the Volunteer For Knox Resource Centre to see if there was something he could do that would be useful and help someone. In his words, he was ‘pretty handy’ and was happy to do anything that would get him out and meeting people. In the months since, ‘Sam’ has gone from strength to strength, undertaking a number of volunteer projects for one-off community events. He says it’s the positive feedback he’s received and the people he’s met through volunteering that makes it such a rewarding experience and has given him the confidence to consider starting his own handyman business. Whatever the reason that inspires a person to volunteer, it can be a win-win for both the volunteer and the community. ~ Christine Ward, Volunteer for Knox Coordinator

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

...FOR FREYA MAGEE As part of a final semester unit at university, I worked with fellow Swinburne student, Jess Hardy, to promote the Volunteer for Knox program with Coonara Community House. We attended festivals, visited high schools, ran events and gave talks on volunteering. However, I had never been an official volunteer before. So instead of speaking about the volunteer experience, I would share my thoughts on generosity. Growing up in a church environment an attitude of generosity was part of the culture. But as I began to consider each of its different forms, gifts, time, kind words and skills, I realised I had some room for improvement. Usually we associate generosity with donations and presents, which we save for the end of year giving season. While these are significant and practical, I’ve certainly used them as the easy way out. I think that the most generous people are those who give their time, our most precious resource, freely and often without being asked. During our work with V4K, I quickly learned about the value of volunteering your time, for both the participant and the project. And not just through the stories we heard, but through our own growth as we met new opportunities, challenges and great people. The experience also gave me an appreciation of the fact that it’s our individual talents that make our contribution to relationships and communities unique. For Jess and I, our interests and skills (we think) lie in the areas of communication and creativity. These were drawn out and tested in our Marketing and Design course and it was satisfying to apply our learning to our V4K publicity activities. The time we gave was not a sacrifice but a chance to exchange understanding, and it was fun! I was impressed by such clear attitudes of willingness and self-improvement, and an immense spirit of generosity amongst the people.

...FOR HOLLY HALE The Coonara Bee Club is something that I look forward to each month. I mark it in my diary and juggle my busy life of work, being a mum and all the roles in between to make sure I can get there. It is important to me because our little local bee club is full of excited and passionate beekeepers (many novice ones just like me and others who have been in the backyard beekeeping scene for more years than they may want to disclose) and the more I learn from these amazing people about the humble honey bee, the more I realise how little I actually know! The Coonara Bee Club has been a wonderful support to me since I took up hobby bee keeping about 18 months ago. I have gained support and incredible mentoring on everything from where to position my hive to how to manage pests and disease. I’m pretty sure my hive would not be doing quite so well if not for the support and shared knowledge of those in this club. It has provided a great opportunity for me to hear from experts in the field who I would otherwise not have had an opportunity to meet. I especially enjoyed meeting and hearing the stories from Mat and Vanessa last year of Melbourne City Rooftop honey… I loved their creativity in response to the declining honey bee population. I have also really valued the input from our own members on ways to tackle our local problems…Ed’s wasp traps are proving to be successful at my place now too…thanks for sharing Ed!! Plus, it is just nice to get out, have a cuppa and a catch-up with likeminded people and connect with the local community at Coonara. What a wonderful little club it is indeed. ~ Holly Hale

I’d recommend finding out more about the great community asset that is Volunteer for Knox. And if you find yourself with some spare time, a little or a lot, they can help find you a place to make a contribution. You might be surprised at what you get out of it too. ~ Freya Magee

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

TREASURERS REPORT At the completion of another financial year, Coonara has once again been a very busy Community House. The financial management of the house has been steady with a 6% increase in turnover while incurring only a 4% increase in expenses. This has given us a modest surplus. Our stable financial position has enabled us to invest back into the local community with projects such as the building of our own shed. This will enable us to offer a varied range of programs and activities for a wider section of the foothills community. Coonara has been involved in a wide range of projects such as the Knox Volunteer Resource Centre and the program for community television â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Green House Around the Cornerâ&#x20AC;?. Other continuing activities including the Grassroots

Market, The Foothills newspaper/magazine and the Beekeeping group show the diversity of the activities which Coonara is involved in addition to Accredited and Pre-accredited courses which are run. None of this amazing work would be possible without the wonderful Staff and Volunteers which keep Coonara going. On behalf of the committee, I would like to thank the staff and volunteers for their wonderful efforts. On a personal note, as I have moved to Central Victoria and will not be continuing on the committee in the coming year, I would like to thank everyone in the Coonara family for their support and for allowing me to be a part of the Coonara family for the past 5 years. ~ Debbie SIng, Treasurer

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

COONARA COMMUNITY HOUSE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 1 JANUARY TO 31 DECEMBER 2014 Statement of Profit or Loss and Other Comprehensive Income

Statement of Financial Position

Statement of Cash Flows

Statement of Changes in Equity

Notes to and forming part of the Financial Statements

Statement by Committee and the Principal Accounting Officer

Independent Auditorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Report

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

STATEMENT OF PROFIT OR LOSS AND OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014

Notes

2014

2013

Revenue From Ordinary Activities Fees

212,622

199,150

1,104,211

1,033,301

Other

13,988

17,713

Interest

17,080

20,370

1,347,901

1,270,534

686,388

691,638

603,487

530,818

31,814

37,775

5,013

6,100

1,326,702

1,266,331

21,199

4,203

Grants

1e, 4

Total Revenue

Expenditure from Ordinary Activities Salaries

Materials and Contracts Depreciation

Other

Total Expenses Net Profit / (Loss) From Ordinary Activities

The above statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income should be read in conjunction with the attached Notes.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2014

Notes

2014

2013

Current Assets Cash

152,179

67,336

Investments

540,109

514,522

Accounts Receivable

36,791

122,797

11,770

740,849

704,655

42,430

69,364

42,430

69,364

783,279

774,019

Prepayments Total Current Assets Non-Current Assets Furniture & Equipment

Total Non-Current Assets TOTAL ASSETS

Current Liabilities Accounts Payable

215,239

242,857

Provisions

167,523

33,077

382,762

275,934

16,240

135,007

16,240

135,007

TOTAL LIABILITIES

399,002

410,941

NET ASSETS

384,277

363,078

304,277

283,078

80,000

384,277

363,078

Total Current Liabilities Non-Current Liabilities Provisions Total Non-Current Liabilities

Equity Retained Earnings Building Development Reserve TOTAL EQUITY

The above statement of financial position should be read in conjunction with the attached Notes.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014

Notes

2014

2013

Cash Flows from Operating Activities Receipts from customers

443,632

Receipts from government

225,054

1,079,803

1,058,125

(1,333,535)

(1,266,723)

(91,670)

(60,900)

17,080

20,370

115,310

(24,074)

(4,880)

(24,846)

Net Increase/ (Decrease) In Cash Held

110,430

(48,920)

Cash at the beginning of the reporting period

581,858

630,778

Cash at the end of the reporting period

692,288

581,858

Payments to suppliers and staff Net GST Interest received Net Cash Provided by/ (Used in) Operating Activities

Cash Flows From Investing Activities Payments for Plant and Equipment

The above Statement of Cash Flows should be read in conjunction with the attached Notes.

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014

Notes

2014

2013

Building Development Reserve Balance at the beginning of the year

80,000

283,078

278,875

Movements in reserves Balance at the end of the year Retained profit/(loss) Balance at the beginning of the year Profit/(loss) for the year Balance at the end of the year

21,199

4,203

304,277

283,078

Total Equity Reserves

80,000

Retained profit/(loss)

304,277

283,078

Total Equity

384,277

363,078

The above Statement of Changes in Equity should be read in conjunction with the attached Notes.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

NOTES TO AND FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 Note 1. Statement of Significant Accounting Policies This financial report is a special purpose financial report prepared in order to satisfy the financial reporting requirements of the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012. The committee has determined that the Association is not a reporting entity. The financial report has been prepared on an accruals basis and is based on historical costs and does not take into account changing money values or, except where specifically stated, current valuation of noncurrent assets. The following significant accounting policies, which are consistent with the previous period unless otherwise stated, have been adopted in preparation of this financial report. (a) Fixed assets: The depreciable amount of fixed assets with a cost in excess of $1 ,000 are bought to account on a straight line basis over the useful lives of the assets of the association commencing from the time the asset is held ready for use. Assets costing less than $1,000 are expensed in the year of acquisition. The depreciation rate used for each class of depreciable asset is: Furniture and Fixtures 20% Computer and Teaching Equipment 25% Building and Ground Improvements 5-10% The carrying amount of fixed assets is reviewed annually to ensure it is not in excess of the recoverable amount. The recoverable amount is assessed on the basis of expected net cash flows which will be received from the assets use and subsequent disposal. The expected net cash flows have not been discounted to their present values in determining the recoverable amount. (b) Employee Entitlements: Provision is made for the association's liability for employee entitlements arising from services rendered by employees to balance date. Employee entitlements expected to be settled within one year together with entitlements arising from wages and salaries, annual leave and sick leave which will be settled after one year, have been measured at their nominal amount. Other entitlements payable later than one year have been measured at the present value of the estimated future cash outflows to be made for these entitlements. Contributions are made by the association to an employee superannuation fund are charged as an expense when incurred. (c) Investments: Investments are brought to account at cost. Interest revenues are recognised as they accrue. (d) Leases: Lease payments in relation to operating leases, where the lessor effectively retains substantially all risks and benefits incidental to ownership of the lease item, are charged as an expense over the tem1 of the lease. (e) Grants, Donations and Other Contributions: Grants and Contributions are recognised as revenues when the association obtains control over the assets comprising the contribution. Control over grants is normally obtained upon their receipt or upon notification that a grant has been secured. Unexpended grants are recorded as grants in advance. Unpaid fees at balance date are treated as a current receivable. (f) Contractors, Services and Utilities: Contractors, Services and Utilities are recognised as expenses as they are incurred. Charges represent payments made, or due to be made, by the association for energy and water resources, consultants, maintenance contractors, contract staff and other associated industries. (g) Rounding: All figures in the Financial Statements are rounded to the nearest dollar. (h) Goods and Services Tax (GST): GST is paid on the majority of purchases and is refunded from the Taxation Office. Some sales are GST free but other services attract GST. All revenue and expenses are stated net of the amount of GST. (i) Taxation: No income tax is payable by the Association as it has been granted tax exempt status under Section 50 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

NOTES TO AND FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 (j) Impairment of Assets: At the end of each reporting period, the entity reviews the carrying values of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have been impaired. If such an indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset, being the higher of the asset’s fair value less costs to sell and value in use, is compared to the asset’s carrying value. Any excess of the asset’s carrying value over its recoverable amount is recognised immediately in profit or loss. (k) Cash and Cash Equivalents: Cash and cash equivalents include cash on hand, deposits held at-call with banks, other short-term highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within short-term borrowings in current liabilities on the statement of financial position. (I) Trade Receivables Accounts receivable and other debtors include amounts due from donors and any outstanding grants receipts. Receivables expected to be collected within 12 months of the end of the reporting period are classified as current assets. All other receivables are classified as non-current assets. (m) Trade Payables Trade and other payables represent the liability outstanding at the end of the reporting period for goods and services received by the company during the reporting period which remain unpaid. The balance is recognised as a current liability with the amount being normally paid within 30 days of recognition of the liability. (n) Significant accounting judgements and estimates The committee evaluate estimates and judgements incorporated into the financial statements based on historical knowledge and best available current information. Estimates assume a reasonable expectation of future events and are based on current trends and economic data, obtained both externally and within the Association. (o) Revenue in Advance When revenue is received whereby the Association incurs an obligation to deliver economic value directly back to the contributor, this is considered a reciprocal transaction and the revenue is recognised in the statement of financial position as a liability until the service has been delivered to the contributor, otherwise the revenue is recognised as income on receipt.

Note 2. Fees 2014

2013

Childcare

91,527

94,337

Courses

94,396

82,399

Projects

26,699

22,414

212,622

199,150

Note 3. Salaries Childcare

49,955

49,408

Tutors

114,116

124,872

Co-ordination

327,690

361,206

Administration

100,029

83,321

Superannuation and other payroll expenses

69,343

76,828

On costs (leave and workcover)

25,255

(3,997)

686,388

691,638

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

NOTES TO AND FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 Note 4. Grants 2014

2013

Council of Adult Community and Further Education Pre accredited Delivery Funding

81,031

61,043

421

3,794

4,500

96,646

53,604

5,350

41,897

Pop Up Learning in Knox

13,819

55,276

NEVCOP Stage 2

33,198

Concessions Commonwealth Equipment Grant Projects: NEVCOP (North East Victoria Community of Practice) Kickstart Moderation Payments

Pre Accredited Project

35,500

Digital Seniors

25,789

House Around the Corner 2012 – final payment

24,000

17,244

Moving from ‘E’ to ‘M’ Learning A Frame Moderation Project 2

40,581

Next Step

23,391

320,254

296,830

334,179

338,872

8,061

63,088

59,627

5,650

7,600

8,159

8,038

3,240

Total ACFE funding: Department of Education & Early Childhood Development Higher Education and Skills Group Childcare Department of Human Services Neighbourhood House Grant Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research & Tertiary Education Productive Ageing through Community Education Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Childcare Northern Territory – Department of Education & Training Productivity Places Program

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

NOTES TO AND FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 2014

2013

Knox City Council Operational Funding

12,925

12,581

Volunteer Resource Centre

53,649

Learning to Eat Again

5,012

10,754

ACT Learning Circle

10,418

Art & Cultural Grant

1,200

35,247

44,035

150,271

122,944

Community Space – Knox City Shopping Centre

Work Experience Projects Salvation Army Northern Territory Training Complete Personnel – NT Remote Training NT Family Day Care RPL Alice Springs Family Day Care

5,651

1,061

32,114

14,583

8,759

2,746

2,790

6,245

5,000

30,220

50,000

(National Workforce Development Fund) NT Braitling RPL Other Grants Bendigo Bank – Back to Basics Learn Local e mentor Adult Learning Australia – Green House Around the Corner Intel Learn Local Teaching Fellowships

Total Grants

709

15,000

1,104,211

1,033,301

31,814

37,775

31,814

37,775

148,573

62,002

Note 5. Depreciation Depreciation was charged in respect of: Improvements, Furniture and Equipment

Note 6. Cash Cash Management Petty Cash

350

Debit Card

3,256

4,984

152,179

67,336

Cash is on hand or available on demand. The majority of funds held in bank account are interest bearing at an average rate of 1.2% Cash Management.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

NOTES TO AND FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014

Note 7. Investments 2014

2013

Term Deposit 7

151,197

Term Deposit 5

204,423

284,255

Term Deposit 4

53,050

Term Deposit 3

184,489

177,217

540,109

514,522

All cash investments are at call or will mature within 12 months. The average interest rate is 3.1% The following restrictions are imposed by regulation or other external requirements on investments. Long Service Leave

158,390

135,007

158,390

135,007

Debtors

15,691

105,954

Grants

21,100

16,843

36,791

122,797

Note 8. Receivables

Current receivables are carried at nominal amounts due less any provision for doubtful debts. A doubtful debt is recognised when collection of the full nominal amount is no longer probable. Normal term for receivables require payment within 30 days. The association may charge interest on debts outstanding which is determined on an individual basis.

Note 9. Accounts Payable Grants Received in Advance

169,234

189,385

22,629

39,881

Fees in Advance

11,102

6,691

Trade Creditors

12,274

6,900

215,239

242,857

Taxes

Trade Creditors are amounts due to external parties for the purchase of goods and services and are recognised as liabilities when the goods and services are received. Creditors are normally paid 30 days after the initial recognition. Interest is not payable on these liabilities.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

NOTES TO AND FORMING PART OF THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2014 Note 10. Provisions

Annual Leave Current

2014

2013

$ 25,373

Long Service Leave Current Long Service Leave Non-Current

33,077

142,150

16,240

135,007

183,763

168,084

Note 11. Furniture and Equipment Furniture and Equipment at Cost

208,531

203,650

Less: Accumulated Depreciation

(166,101)

(134,286)

42,430

69,364

82,293

4,880

24,846

Depreciation

31,814

37,775

Carrying amount at end

42,430

69,364

Furniture and Equipment Reconciliation Carrying amount at start Additions Disposals

Note 12. Lease Commitments There is a Rental Agreement in place for a photocopier, commencement date 7th February 2014 for a period of 60 months. Note 13. Reconciliation of Operating Profit (Loss) to Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities Operating Profit (Loss)

21,199

4,203

Depreciation

31,814

37,775

Provisions

15,679

(13,683)

Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operation Activities Before Changes in Assets and Liabilities

68,692

28,295

Non Cash Items

Changes in Assets and Liabilities Increase (Decrease) in Current Liabilities Decrease (Increase) in Current Assets Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities

(27,618)

25,207

74,236

(77,576)

115,310

(24,074)

Note 14. Related Parties All transactions between related parties are on normal commercial terms and conditions unless otherwise stated.

Coonara Community House | Annual Report 2014 |

COONARA COMMUNITY HOUSE 22 Willow Rd, Upper Ferntree Gully, VIC 3156 (03) 9758 7081 | enquiries@coonarahouse.org.au www.coonarahouse.org.au Registered Training Organisation no. 3733 ABN 65 554 350 180 | Incorporations no. A0031184J