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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-03-29 Daily Xml
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NEIGHBOURHOOD AND COMMUNITY CENTRES

Mr SIBBONS (Mitchell) (15:22): I rise today to speak about the fantastic work of the neighbourhood and community centres which provide such important services to the constituents of Mitchell—the Reynella and Trott Park neighbourhood centres to the south and the Cooinda Neighbourhood Centre and MarionLIFE Community Centre which service those in the northern parts of my electorate.

While these centres are all unique in the services they provide and the communities they serve, there are common threads which link them. Each builds community by bringing together and building up individuals. Each offers the chance to learn new skills and meet new people in a friendly, non-threatening environment. Each centre relies on and provides opportunities for those champions of society, our volunteers. They also rely on the financial backing of local councils and various government departments and programs. I wish to commend the Premier for showing the forward thinking to commit to ongoing financial support for these centres through the Family and Community Development Program funded in the Mid-Year Budget Review.

The Reynella Neighbourhood Centre is a key provider of community services for participants from all over southern Adelaide. The centre is incredibly popular, hosting approximately 1,000 people each week and providing accessible and diverse lifelong learning opportunities for members of our community, particularly those facing disadvantage. It delivers programs and services covering health, recreation, employment, financial management and support, language and literacy, and computer skills, just to name a few. It increases the social participation of many disadvantaged people in our community, including the unemployed or underemployed, and those on low incomes. The centre not only delivers education but it also provides the link with the local community, which can open up pathways for employment, further education, volunteer work or further social interaction and engagement after a course is completed.

The Trott Park Neighbourhood Centre, which I visited last week, also aims to provide resources for individuals, families and communities. Like most neighbourhood centres, it offers activities for all ages from the very young to the not so very young. With fitness classes, art, languages, computing, the Men's Shed, a new community garden group, a purely social get-together over a meal or to cook, and music for the kids, Trott Park Neighbourhood Centre is a not-for-profit business that schedules programs for all tastes. They also encourage people to start their own groups to benefit the community.

At Cooinda Neighbourhood Centre—in addition to fun activities through such programs as indoor bowls, Pilates, gardening, table tennis, tai chi and a wide range of dance offerings—there is a focus on craft and multicultural groups. There are Italian, Greek and Polish friends' groups, English as a second language classes and regular cultural lunches. You can learn to use your hands with dressmaking, knitting and crochet, patchwork and quilting, leather craft and leadlight, china painting, ceramics and hairdressing—as a few examples. You can engage your brainpower through creative writing, computing, chess or mahjong.

Cooinda's stated aim is to respond to the health, welfare, social and recreational needs of the adult community. They are doing a fine job of delivering on those aims and I look forward to visiting there again soon. As well as offering community art and gardening, Brekky for Blokes and community meals, the MarionLIFE Community Centre provides vital services to help people get back on their feet after hard times, no matter what the cause of their struggle.

Services such as financial and family counselling, courses in parenting and money management, emergency relief, a recycle boutique and a low-cost cafe all offer the chance for participants to reconnect with their community. They also host a community festival and I was proud to have my office take part in that last year. I commend MarionLIFE and the other three centres I have mentioned today for their contributions to my electorate.

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