Become A Member And Support Your Community Centre
Anyone is welcome to become a member of Wadambuk.
Wadambuk is managed by a volunteer committee of locals who bring a wide range of skills in community development, education, financial planning, social research, project management, architecture, political lobbying, the local environment, fire safety, graphic design, photography, local history and the arts.
As we move forward into another financial year of community, creativity, and connection, we are excited to invite you to renew your annual membership for the Wadambuk St Andrews Community Centre for the 2024/2025 year.
For just $10, your membership supports the everyday running costs of our centre. As a not-for-profit organization, every dollar goes directly towards maintaining and enhancing our programs, events, and facilities that benefit the entire community.
Your membership ensures we can continue to offer:
Fill in the on-line form below. You can pay your $10 by direct bank deposit, by calling the office on 9710 1223 to pay by Credit Card over the phone, or call in to pay by cash or card.
Bendigo Bank
Account name: St Andrews Community Centre
BSB: 633-000
Ac No: 112 494 794
** Please use your Surname as the reference number.**
Wadambuk is managed by a volunteer committee of locals who bring a wide range of skills in community development, education, financial planning, social research, project management, architecture, political lobbying, the local environment, fire safety, graphic design, photography, local history and the arts.
As we move forward into another financial year of community, creativity, and connection, we are excited to invite you to renew your annual membership for the Wadambuk St Andrews Community Centre for the 2024/2025 year.
For just $10, your membership supports the everyday running costs of our centre. As a not-for-profit organization, every dollar goes directly towards maintaining and enhancing our programs, events, and facilities that benefit the entire community.
Your membership ensures we can continue to offer:
- Diverse workshops and classes for all ages and interests
- Exciting community events, such as our Friday Night Live@StAndrews music nights
- A welcoming space for local groups and initiatives
- Essential services and resources for our community
Fill in the on-line form below. You can pay your $10 by direct bank deposit, by calling the office on 9710 1223 to pay by Credit Card over the phone, or call in to pay by cash or card.
Bendigo Bank
Account name: St Andrews Community Centre
BSB: 633-000
Ac No: 112 494 794
** Please use your Surname as the reference number.**
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Office Open Hours
Monday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Tuesday CLOSED Wednesday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm Thursday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Friday CLOSED Contact Details Address 35 Caledonia Street, St Andrews Vic 3761 Postal Address PO BOX 51 St Andrews Vic 3761 Phone (03) 9710 1223 [email protected] Website www.standrewscommunitycentre.org Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sacc2014/ Enews
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A Bit About Us
Wadambuk St Andrews Community Centre is a not-for-profit community-run centre and was founded in 1985. St Andrews is located approximately 40 km north east of Melbourne city in the Shire of Nillumbik and has approximately 1100 residents. It is nestled in the foothills of the Kinglake Ranges, characterised as being surrounded by native bushland and semi-rural farmland. The impact of the Black Saturday fires of February 7, 2009 left the community of St Andrews deeply affected with 12 lives lost, 67 houses destroyed, many pets and farm animals killed, along with countless native fauna. More than 121 properties in the community were directly impacted and the landscape is profoundly changed. After considerable community consultation, the St Andrews Community Bushfire Recovery Association (SACBRA) identified the redevelopment of St Andrews Community Centre as a key priority project for the renewal and recovery of the St Andrews Community. The original facility was a 1950’s former Primary School portable building attached to a historic school house built in 1857. The community began to use the “Old School” in 1985 after a new Primary School was built next door. The first group to use the building was a playgroup. The first committee became incorporated in 1991. The building was mainly used as a venue for hire but also housed a maternal and child health nurse one day a week. Immediately after Black Saturday the building was used as a relief centre distributing goods and services for the affected residents. Through various Bushfire recovery projects new groups emerged and it was soon realised the facilities were inadequate to sustain the type of activity the centre was now needed for. The St Andrews Community Centre redevelopment was identified by community as a priority for the town’s bushfire recovery and began in late 2009. The majority of the funding has been received from Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund (VBAF) with other funds from the Victorian State Government, Heritage Victoria, Nillumbik Shire Council and Bendigo Community Bank. We now have a beautiful new facility designed by renowned architect Gregory Burgess, completed late 2014, purpose built for our community to use. Our Vision
Our community feels a strong sense of connection and belonging. Our Purpose A sustainable Community Centre that engages the local community and fosters inclusive social connection and participation. Our Values We value: Creating a supportive and participative centre Inclusivity where all community members feel welcome Connection to Land and nature Transparency in everything we do Accountability to our community Community ownership of the centre Our Strategic Goals Achieve financial stability of the centre Ensure we have capacity and a capable administration and governance systems Strengthen our engagement with the community Implement an effective marketing and promotion strategy We are located on the main road at 35 Caledonia Street, St Andrews, 3761, next to the Primary School. |
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Committee 2025
Executive Chairperson Sandy Black Vice Chair Helen Kenney Treasurer Brian Love Secretary Lisa Purchase General Members Tony Barbeta Pat Reynolds JodyAnn van Keulen Melissa Jones Committee meetings are held on a Tuesday evening at 7pm 2025 meeting dates 4 February 18 March 29 April 10 June 22 July 2 September 14 October AGM Wednesday 26 November |
Chair's Report 2024
Wadambuk St Andrews Community Centre AGM 27 November 2024 @ 7pm I feel the AGM is the perfect time to reflect on the work being done at the Wadambuk St Andrews Community Centre. (“the Centre”) Our Committee spends a lot of time preparing for the future, but we don’t always take the time to look back and acknowledge what we have achieved. Sometimes I feel like we’re just keeping our heads above water but after reflecting I can see that we’re moving ahead quite nicely…. In the spirit of reflection, I pay tribute to 2 staunch supporters of the community centre who we very sadly lost during this financial year. John Brenan and Lloyd Godman…. They were wonderful community members and they both showed a great level of support and belief in the centre over the years. They are sadly missed…… Right at the top of my report I wish to say a big thank you to those who participate in our events/activities – there would be no point if you didn’t turn up! Please reach out if there is anything else you need from your Community Centre. Sustainability In the last financial year, we secured a 3-year funding agreement with Council. Of course , there are targets and objectives we need to meet to retain this funding, and this is where community engagement with the Centre becomes critical. Hence, we will be relying on you, the community, to show Council that we are achieving a good level of community engagement…. If we can show this then ongoing funding shouldn’t be an issue. If anyone has any projects that the Centre can help you bring to fruition please let us know. For example, we had community members run a Pet Show at our festival last year (which was so much fun!) and we’ve recently been approached by a community member regarding setting up a display of photographs in our arts space so that our walls look alive and welcoming. We have also secured a Hire Agreement with 2 GP’s who will be working out of the professional rooms in the heritage part of the building. The benefit to the community in having GP’s right here in St Andrews I feel doesn’t need much explanation! Keep an eye out for more information in the very near future about this. Planning by the GP’s is in the final stages and they will certainly be opening very early in the New Year. These 2 new funding avenues, Council and the GP’s, is an enormous benefit for the long-term future of the Centre and has taken away the uncertainty as to what the centre might look like going forward. We are now able to do longer-term planning, and the Committee are dedicated to continuing to build a centre that is relevant to residents and that has a high level of community engagement. Connected St Andrews Project The flow on effect of the Connected St Andrews (“CSA”) project I feel continues to play out in and around the Centre. With CSA catchups continuing to be held once a term. We have had 2 meetings since the closing of the formal part of the program and both have been well attended. The CSA group has also had some new community members joining in…. Hopefully we can sustain this group ongoing, so far, it’s looking good! Please reach out to me through the Centre if any community group or person would like to know more about this project. (Connected ST Andrews is a group of people representing different areas of the community who gather to talk about their plans/goals and to see where, if any, collaborations may be relevant – it helps keep the many different community organisations informed as to what is going on around them. You do not need to be a member of a specific organisation to join the group, individuals are welcome) Energy Hub The Energy Hub has got off to a bit of a slow start due to communications not being quite what they should be between all the parties. There have been a few hiccups with the system and misunderstandings as to how the system is supposed to work. These are all currently being ironed out and meetings with the appropriate people are being held. Hopefully this will be running smoothly within a few weeks. The idea is that residents can have access to power, water, air conditioning, heating, kitchen facilities, in time of extended power outages. (FYI, The Energy Hub is an energy back -up system which comprises diesel generator, fuel storage tank, additional solar panels and battery storage which should enable up to 105 hours of back-up power. This program has been provided by Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action aimed to holp Victorian communities that experience significant and lengthy power outages during bad weather storms.) My Appreciation My sincere thanks and appreciation go out to the SACC Committee, staff and community volunteers – everyone contributes in different ways and to different degrees, but the important thing is that everyone contributes what they can and that there is no pressure on anyone to do more than they have the capacity to do! Working/volunteering alongside this wonderful group of people is what keeps me energised…our hard work is paying off with evidence of more people engaging with the Centre and attending events. There’s still lots to do though but we’re up for it! 2024 AGM Chairpersons Report Prepared by Sandy Black |