NECCHi

We’re excited to announce our Term 3 program! This next term spans three seasons in the Wurundjeri and Kulin Nation calendar - Waring, Guling & Poorneet.  Waring season, also known as Waring Wombat Season, occurs from April to July and marks the coldest and wettest period in the calendar. Waring is the season when wombats forage and rain moths emerge after rain. Fungi also appears along the creek, while shorter days, longer nights, misty mornings, and cold, wet conditions mark the later part of the season. Guling season, also know as Orchid Season spans from late July through August. It is about the easing of freezing Winter weather and the start of Orchids emerging. Vibrant yellow blooms light up the landscape with Silver and Black Wattle coming into season and new wildlife begins to stir. Poorneet season or Tadpole Season is the gestational period marked by spring rains, warmer temperatures, and an abundance of new life as the land awakens from the end of August through October.

Weaving Country: First Nations harvesting & weaving workshop Join acclaimed artist Georgia Boseley for a unique weaving course that begins with an immersive Saturday workshop and continues with weekly Monday sessions. Together, participants will explore the traditional Aboriginal practice of basket weaving, learning skills that are deeply connected to culture, storytelling, and community. The course begins with a hands-on Saturday workshop where participants will harvest and prepare natural weaving materials, gaining an understanding of the journey from gathering fibres to creating woven forms. Following this foundational experience, weekly Monday sessions provide the opportunity to develop weaving skills, build confidence with different techniques, and create individual woven pieces in a supportive group environment. Book now Nature Therapy Walk: Edgars Creek  Slow down, reconnect, and discover the restorative benefits of spending time in nature. Join Carolyn, a trained Forest/ Nature Therapy Guide, for a six-session journey of gentle exploration along Edgars Creek. Together, we will walk, sit, observe, and move through this beautiful natural environment on Wurundjeri Country. Nature Therapy is a guided practice that invites participants to engage deeply with the natural world through a series of sensory and creative experiences. Over six weeks, participants will experience the creek in different ways, with each session uniquely shaped by the weather, the landscape, and the group. Book now

Pottery in the Sunroom: Candle Holders with Chris Ellis Pottery in the Sunroom is a 4 week course in hand building with clay. Each term we will focus on a new project, making objects like lidded jars, candle holders, mugs and experimenting with using moulds. The class is a playful approach to hand building with the focus of this term being candle holders. Three sessions will run for 2.5 hours, with the first two focusing on making/assembling and the third on decorating/glazing. Materials and tools will be provided, just bring yourself! Wednesday mornings 10:00am - 12:30pm at East Coburg Neighbourhood House from 22 July Book now Turning Japanese: Unlearning Japan - An 8 Week Language and Culture Workshop with Emi Suzuki Think everything you know about Japan might only be part of the story? And is your Japanese still very, very basic? Perfect. This workshop is for you. Over eight weeks, we'll explore Japan beyond the familiar stereotypes and simplified narratives that often shape Western understandings of Japanese people, culture, and society. Alongside this journey of Unlearning Japan, we'll continue building practical beginner Japanese language skills. If you can in a very basic way introduce yourself, know a few simple phrases, or you have joined Turning Japanese Workshop 1, you're ready to join us. Book now

Community Fundraising Film Night: Until The Sky Falls Quiet Join Newlands Parents and Community for Palestine for a cosy evening of connection, compassion and cinema.  Until the Sky Falls Quiet features two Australian doctors who volunteered to go on a medical mission to Gaza. The documentary is a rare and personal record of resilience, loss, and the human cost of bearing witness in the world’s largest ‘open air prison’. Chai and cake from 7pm Film from 8pm Craft stall BYO cushion/blanket 🕒Friday 10 July, 7-10pm 🏠NECCHi Newlands, 20 Murray Rd 🎫Tickets: $25 full / $15 concession Book now Are you bready for the weekend?   You can now order fresh sourdough from Alex Baker through Brewlands Instagram!  @brewlands_cafe Order by 12.30pm Monday for a Friday collection *Not available during school holidays Book now

Community Weaving A monthly community weaving gathering to connect, slow down, and weave your worries away. Join us for a welcoming space to work on your own weaving project, share time with community, and enjoy a moment of creativity and connection. This is not a workshop, but a space to bring something you’re working on, with some materials available. The first gathering will be held on Sunday 21 June (Winter Solstice), with sessions continuing monthly on alternating Saturdays and Sundays. Please DM Taylah or Romey on Instagram: @wovenopals to register. 📍 NECCHI, 32 Nicholson St, Coburg 🕚 11am–1pm Free for mob. A $5 minimum donation for allies is appreciated, with funds going towards mutual aid for mob. Everyone is welcome. A healing space for community.

NECCHi will be closed from Monday 29 June until Monday 6 July. Brewlands will reopen on Monday 13 July alongside Term 3 programs. We look forward to seeing you back here soon! Keep updated with us on socials @necchi_org

Get Your NECCHi Membership for 2026! NECCHi is a member-based not-for-profit organisation, which means that as a member, you can play an active role in shaping the organisation.  As a NECCHi Neighbour, you get:  10% discount on full-priced tickets 4 free brews from Brewlands (that includes coffee, tea, chai, and hot chocs!) 1 pkt seeds from the NECCHi garden (subject to seasonal availability) Attend any $5 per session programmed activities for free  Free hotdesking at East Coburg Invitation and voting rights at our AGM Become a NECCHi Neighbour!

ILLUSTRATIONS BY CLAIRE MOSLEY Newlands Neighbourhood House 20 Murray Rd Coburg North VIC 3058 Ph 03 8528 2332 enquiries@necchi.org www.necchi.org East Coburg Neighbourhood House 32 Nicholson St Coburg VIC 3058 Ph 03 9913 5472

Community Film Afternoon

Our special guest Fared Bandesh is now confirmed and his short film Gitar about his 7 years imprisonment on Manus Island - and the guitar that gave him hope. 

https://shoutforgood.com/event-ticketings/refugee-movie-fundraiser

Fundraiser

EOI for Homeowners in Melbourne

𝐄𝐎𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 in Melbourne's northern suburbs of Preston, Coburg, Reservoir and surrounds.
We are putting out an expression of interest for a long-term rental. If you could share this with anyone who might be interested in long-term tenants, we would appreciate it!

We are a small household community, living in the northern suburbs. We are in search of a homeowner interested in having stable, long-term tenants on their food-producing property. We'd like to move into a place and call it home for at least 3 years. We anticipate that having reliable long-term tenants will be in your interest also! We're hoping to find an owner who values their property being genuinely cared for. We value open lines of communication between tenants and the homeowner, and want to live (and thrive!) in place.

Our dream-locations are: Preston, Coburg, Reservoir and surrounds. This is our ideal bubble: we've built our lives and community connections in this area and would love to stay. Our ideal dream home has 3-4 bedrooms, space to grow food (existing fruit trees a plus!), a spot on the property to park Jamie and Angus' tiny home, is on a quiet street, a short walk to public transport, green spaces and bike paths.

If you think your place fits, please get in touch at mallowfloweradmin@proton.me
With Warm regards,

Wendy, Jamie, Jack, Angus, Lia, and Charlie.


𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞?

𝐖𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐲 is a primary school teacher passionate about social justice. She plays Old Time fiddle, makes sourdough bread, gardens, loves fermenting foods, collaging, sewing & eco-dying. She is excited to be starting a family with her partner Charlie.

𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 is a home body, seeking space to grow an organic veggie and herbalist's garden. They are training as a seamstress with a particular focus on historical + medieval textiles. They're also studying as a herbalist and learning to brew herbal medicines. They dedicate a portion of their time to grassroots organising; for climate action and other environmental causes, mutual aid, land rights, and facilitating community spaces. Their passion project is building a tiny house with their partner Angus out of recycled materials - as part of their shared commitment to alternative and sustainable ways of living.

𝐋𝐢𝐚 works at a family owned, artisan bakery. She has a huge interest in various computer science topics and is preparing to return to her studies (once she decides which one to focus on). In her free time she enjoys playing video games, playing the trombone, fixing up her car and knitting. She's excited to live with all these wonderful people, including her sister, Jamie.

𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐬 is an artist and photographer, currently studying Visual Culture with the aim of becoming an art teacher. He's excited for a herb and food garden, and building relationships with the local community. He's a big fan of non-violent communication and is always trying to be a good friend. He and his partner Jamie are building a tiny house together - looking for a place to settle in it long-term. For this, they spend much of their time on carpentry, designing, and building.

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤 values things like care (for people & land), creating beauty in the world and the work of keeping a home. He works as a support worker, plays cello in a local folk band, gardens with the local community and loves to flit around the house keeping things shipshape.

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞 has a degree in Linguistics and works as a puppeteer and stilt-walking performer. He's nerdy about edible plants, and loves growing, foraging and pickling them. He also plays the piano. He can't wait to start a family with his partner Wendy.

Friends of Merri Creek @Edgars Creek in 2026

Hello again and may I present you a very late calendar of events on Edgars Creek in 2026!

We (more so I) have been very slow off the mark this year - I think that after putting in as many years of work as I have, I deserve to take a break if I need to, so I did.

We have a limited calendar of events for this year. We will plant, perform maintenance and join with Merri Bek Council as we have done for many years for a National Tree Day event (behind the Coburg Outdoor Pool).

The break has also helped me think more about what activities we will focus on in 2027 and a number of ideas are brewing already, with some possible new sites for 2027.

Please note that the time of day for our activities has changed. We will now run all of our activities routinely from 10.00 AM to 12.00 noon (not the old time slot of 1.00-3.00 PM time).

We will be doing maintenance at the Ronald Street site this Sunday May 31st - 10.00 AM - 12.00 noon. There are guards to clean up, stakes to reclaim and also some handweeding.

As per usual, please reach out to me if you have any questions.

I look forward to See(ing) you on the Creek! 

Regards,

David.

Holistic Pastoral

Autumn Farmgate News It's Waring or Wombat season here in Taungurung country, and we are waiting and hoping for some Autumn rains.   We are amongst cool nights, shorter days, and have seen our first frosts and many fogs.  It's a time of year for some things to slow down, but for others to begin. Take a read below to see what we have been up to. In this quarter’s newsletter you’ll find Community Supported Agriculture Memberships What’s New - Butcher Shop On the land - summer fires Mob Update  Agroecology Course Learnings Our 2026 CSA Memberships are still open for new members! If you’ve been considering joining our Community Supported Agriculture program, now’s a great time. It’s a simple way to enjoy regeneratively raised meat while supporting the launch of our on‑farm butcher shop. 📦 What’s included:   Bi‑monthly boxes of beef, lamb, chicken, and pork in 6 or 12‑month memberships, with a seasonal mix of cuts at great value. ✨ Why it matters:   Your membership helps us plan sustainably — from stocking rates to feed — and strengthens our local, regenerative food system.  Learn more and sign up here -  Become a Community Supported Agriculture Member | Holistic Pastoral Don't forget, all of our produce is reared without any additional inputs on regeneratively grazed, local and diverse pastures around Mansfield in the High Country. 🎉 Order Now What’s new at Holistic Pastoral Butchers shop update The butchers shop is moving along slowly but surely.  We have drawn up plans, and have started scrounging and buying the processing machines for our new on-farm-butchers shop.  We trialed our new mincer a few weeks ago and have  brought all our recycled stainless steel benches.  The next big job is to build the overhead meat rails, followed by the floor.  It’s slowly taking shape, and we can’t wait to be able to start using it.  Take a look at some of the pics of the puzzle pieces as they are are fitting together. On the land Fires and Summer What a tough season it has been for the district, little rain, extreme heat and devastating bushfires. We were fortunate not to be directly impacted by the fire, as we had already moved our cattle mob to the mountains of Merrijig and later Tolmie for the summer. many of our friends, however, were not so lucky. Many of our previous lease blocks in Merton and around Alexandra were burnt out, and many friends are still working hard to repair and rebuild lost property and fences. The day the main fire swept towards Alexandra was scary. High winds and temperatures in the 40’s degrees celsius meant that the fires were unstoppable.  We had spent a few days helping friends prepare for the fires, and we bunkered down safely in our house near Mansfield as we kept in touch with friends in the fires path, to share information and relay messages for them if needed.   It was a tense day, but nothing compared to what it must have been like for those who faced the walls of flames approaching their homes and farms. It is interesting to note the randomness of the fire, and what it claimed.  Some friends stayed and successfully defended their properties, while others left early, with some escaping destruction and others not.   The days that followed were the toughest. We spent them helping friends search for lost and injured animals, setting up temporary yards and fences, and checking in on one another.  Seeing the emotional support for each other was a beautiful thing, amidst the destruction of the charred and dead landscapes.   Our current mob Cattle Our small mob is doing well up in the mountains of Tolmie.  It has been so good to be able to graze them there over summer, and they seem to be loving the later growing season.  They’re all in great condition and have already put on their winter coats.  We’ll be moving them down to the lease block at Barjarg sometime in May.  Barjarg was the first property we leased when we moved to Mansfield Shire, and we’re now starting to see some great improvements to the soil and plants diversity, something we look forward to sharing more about with you over winter.   Pigs and Chickens have arrived! We raise out meat chickens in autumn and spring, as those are the seasons they do best in. Winters are too cold, and hot summers can be challenging for fast growing chickens that live outside on pasture.  This time of year is always busy, setting up feed, fences and brooding chickens, but pigs and chickens are very fun to have around, and our family love farming them. Because our supply of chicken and pork is limited, we prioritise our CSA members for sales, though we occasionally have some left over produce for general sales. You can always join our CSA program so you don’t miss out or keep an eye on our website for when thes eproducts pop up.   Agroecology course learnings The graduation for the Nicole Masters and Integrity Soils CREATE study course was last week. What an amazing learning opportunity to have been part of.  The content was challenging but amazing, the connections with farmers, soil specialists and agroecologists from around the world will be life lasting and the course work and design have been the best put together study experience of my life.  I’m so grateful to the Integrity Soils teaching team and to the awesome students I have shared the past years’ learning with. This knowledge will help our own farming and production systems and help me launch a farm coaching/consult business, to be able to assist other farmers on their regenerative journey.   My Top 5 take homes from the course are; To meet people where they are at, on their regenerative journey To place greater value on the contribution that we can give to the world through land management and decision making, while growing food and fibre Look to the strengths of people and farm systems first when bringing about change Nothing in nature works in isolation, including humans All life on earth shares common elements which are the foundation for microbiology.  Paying attention to these so called “small things” has the greatest potential on earth for change.