NECCHi

What's Happening at NECCHi! From the whole team at NECCHi, we hope you're having a lovely start to the year! As Iuk Season rolls around, the common Short-Finned Eel will make its way down the Merri and Edgars creeks and back into the Yarra. Keep an eye out for them passing! The sun's coming back out, so remember that you're always welcome to drop into one of the Neighbourhood Houses if you need to escape the heat. Take a look at what's on offer between March and May, ahead of our Term 2 Program.

Emi is getting ready to host the second round of her much-loved Turning Japanese workshop series. There are just 10 seats available, so get in quick! Turning Japanese is an eight-week beginner’s Japanese language and culture workshop for curious people who want more than just the language. Over eight weeks, we’ll learn Japanese alongside an exploration of the country’s nine regions—diving into local food, dialects, rituals, festivals, history, and politics, all while building practical grammar and language skills. You’ll be guided by Emi, an experienced Japanese teacher and proud language and history nerd. Emi is also a trained chef who has spent the past 10 years working in various restaurants around Naarm. With her passion for both language and food, each lesson will be fun, interactive, and served with a homemade treat inspired by her childhood. Whether you’re preparing for a trip, starting your language-learning journey, or simply looking for something new in the coming year, Turning Japanese is for you. Are you ready to turn Japanese?  Book Now

Join ecologist Michael Longmore from the Merri Creek Management Committee for a walk along the merri merri to visit and learn about our glorious local eucalypts! We'll be meeting at the Newlands Neighbourhood House on Sunday morning, before heading down to the merri merri. We recommend wearing comfortable shoes and appropriate clothing for the weather! 10-11.30am, Sun Mar 15, Newlands Neighbourhood House 20 Murray Road, Coburg.  Book Now

Necchi's 6th Annual Passata Party 🍅 Get in quick, there are only a few places left at the table for NECCHi's Sixth Annual Passata Party! We're inviting you to a day of cooking, crafting, and sharing delicious food in the Newlands Community Garden. Nonna Rita & Nonno Umberto will be taking us through the process of making homemade passata from cutting and washing through to bottling. Join us in the beautiful Community Gardens afterwards for a long table lunch with your neighbours, and some cool summer treats! Saturday 21st March, 9:30am - 2pm. Wear something red (or something you don't mind turning red), and join us for a day of festivities, family activities, and delicious food 🍅 Click here to book your ticket and secure a spot at the table! More details to come!

Join poet and editor Simone King for a morning of observing and writing in NECCHi’s Community Garden. From Seeds to Streets is a fortnightly creative writing workshop in which participants are encouraged to respond to a range of exercises and prompts, read and discuss evocative pieces of writing about gardens and the suburbs, and deepen our understanding of the Wayi Garden and Newlands area. No writing experience is necessary. You can write in any form: poems, stories, essays, fragments, journal entries, or stream-of-consciousness ramblings.                                 ***** Please note, because of the public holiday, the upcoming sessions of From Seeds to Streets have been moved to the 23rd & 30th of March.  Book Now

Rain Moth Community Nursery Working Bee The Rain Moth Community Nursery are running a working bee next Sunday, and are on the lookout for helping hands! All welcome to join us at this inclusive, family friendly event. Learn propagation skills from experienced green thumbs Help out with starting seeds and cuttings, potting up seedlings, washing pots and more Chat with other lovely plant nerds over a cuppa If you like, you can take home some trays of plants to care for until the sale The working bee will be at the Newlands Neighbourhood House, from 2 - 3:30pm, Sunday 15th of March.  Click here for more info and to sign up!

You pick 'em, we'll churn 'em! 🍦 If you've got some excess fruits and you're not sure what to do with them, bring'm into Newlands and help us churn 'em into delicious local sorbets with our small community-run ice creamery! So far, we've developed a few favourites: Backyard nectarines, lemon, and rosewater (pictured) Nature strip plums, purple basil, and birdseye chili (far out) We're on the lookout for bold flavours and even bolder tasters! Get in touch: programs@necchi.org Don't let'm go to waste!

Become a NECCHi Neighbour in 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 We now offer 'Membership only' option, too, if you're keen to join come on as a voting member 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

Clothes Swap - Next Saturday!

Clothes Swap in the Park

Saturday, Feb 28 @ 1.00

Cox Reserve, Coburg North

Bring anything you no longer want, take whatever you want!!

For Sale

2-person inflatable kayak for sale. Only $100.00!

In very good condition, only used a handful of times.

Comes with 2 take-apart paddles, seats, fins, and manual air pumps.

Text Mel if you'd like it: 0404 043 010.

Friends of Coburg Cemetery

Hello to friends and supporters of the Friends of Coburg Cemetery,

Step into the shadows of Coburg Cemetery for a special night-time tour, exploring stories that linger long after dark.

A TOUR OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

Friday 13th Cemetery Tour – Stories That Linger After Dark

This guided night tour uncovers lives cut short by accidents, disasters and cruel twists of fate. These are stories not previously told, drawn from real events and people buried at Coburg Cemetery. Many involve those who were young, unlucky, or simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The setting, the date and the stories combine to create an atmospheric and thought-provoking evening.

7.00pm – 9.00pm; Friday 13 March 2026

$10 non-members, $2 FoCC members. Cash only

Bookings essential: focc.group@gmail.com

Numbers are limited, and this tour is expected to book out. We hope to see you there!

Friends of Coburg Cemetery
www.friendsofcoburgcemetery.com

Looking for Long Term Rental

Looking for Long-Term Rental

Looking for a long-term rental in the Preston/Thornbury/Coburg areas or nearby. I’ve lived in the local community for 24 years, and have an excellent rental history. 

Seeking a 2 bedroom house/unit, preferably close to tram/train, also would like some small private garden area and off-street parking if possible. 

Thanks, Philip  0425 748 328.

NECCHi

Welcome Back! From the whole team at NECCHi, we hope you're having a lovely start to the year! It's officially Biderap season, and the Ballam Ballam (Butterflies) are out making the most of the seasonal flowers and grasses. As it heats up, remember that you're always welcome to drop into one of the Neighbourhood Houses to escape the heat. Take a look at what's on offer between February and April at NECCHi, and take a peak behind the curtain of what we've been up to in the Newlands Kitchen!

Necchi's 6th Annual Passata Party 🍅 It's that time of the year again! NECCHi's sixth (!!!) annual Passata Party is around the corner, and we're inviting you to a day of cooking and sharing delicious food in the Newlands Community Garden. Nonna Rita & Nonno Umberto will be taking us through the process of making homemade passata from cutting and washing through to bottling. Join us in the beautiful Community Gardens afterwards for a long table lunch with your neighbours, and some cool summer treats! Saturday 21st March, 9:30am - 2pm. Wear something red (or something you don't mind turning red), and join us for a day of festivities, family activities, and delicious food 🍅 Click here to book your ticket and secure a spot at the table! More details to come!

Baby Massage Workshop with Bibha Sharma Starting next week, Wednesday Feb 25! Join Nurse and Infant Massage Specialist Bibha Sharma for this three-week workshop on full body baby massage, held at the Newlands Neighbourhood House. In each one-hour session, parents will be guided through a number of specific strokes for baby massage, with the aim of practicing the methods at home. Sessions two and three will begin by addressing any questions or concerns parents had in their home practice, before introducing new techniques and strokes. The three-week course is designed to allow for an intuitive approach to baby massage, and one that prioritises confidence and comfort, where both parents and babies can gain the full benefits of this practice. Book now Shapes & Vessels: Handbuilding Ceramics Class with Chris Ellis Starting next week, Wednesday Feb 25! Shapes and vessels is a 4-week course in hand building with clay. We will use a variety of hand building techniques to assemble a vase, a vessel, or a sculpture by stacking and joining spheres, cubes, triangles and cylinders we make. The class is a playful approach to hand building. Join ceramics teacher and artist, Chris Ellis, on a Wednesday morning from 10am for this series of workshops covering hand building techniques, assembling and joining, the finer points of the firing (bisque) process, and decorating and glazing your pieces before final firing. Materials and tools will be provided, just bring yourself! Book now

Come help to build up our community seed library! Come for an hour of power or stay for a bit longer.   We’ll be collecting seed, sorting seeds, making the seed library welcoming for community to borrow and contribute and harvesting for community.   Seeds, Harvest Monthly Group When: 10-11.30am, Last Friday of the month Where: Newlands Neighbourhood House Garden, 20 Murray Rd, Coburg What: Drop in anytime between 10-11.30am for a calming session of seed collection, winnowing, sorting, harvesting and more.   All abilities welcome. Please get in touch with garden@necchi.org if you have any questions. GET IN TOUCH Little Seeds Playgroup - Tuesday Afternoons Our New Afternoon Little Seeds Playgroup is a perfect way to socialse, play, and learn with your little one after their midday nap! Join our wonderful facilitator, Rose, on Tuesday afternoons at the Newlands Neighbourhood House for a range of engaging activities, all set up and ready for you! Little Seeds offers a fantastic opportunity to connect with other local families while building, engaging in sensory & imaginative play, doing fun craft activities and sharing snacks! If you're interested in joining the group, we're offering pro rata passes for Term 1 (Feb - April). Book now

Rainbow Playgroup Our LGBTIQA+ exclusive playgroup is a rainbow parents-led playgroup for rainbow families. Every week parents and kids come together to have fun and connect with each other. This is a space for LGBITQA+ families to connect with peers, build community and not just be accepted but celebrated. All ages are welcome! Newcomers are always welcome with open arms. Turn up anytime during the session and stay as long as you like. We all have kids and know too well how hard is to manage naps etc. This is a safe space for LGBTIQA+ families with babies, toddlers, pre-schoolers, primary school kids. If you are not part of the LGBTIQA+ community we ask you to please attend a different playgroup. Book now From Seeds to Streets: Creative Writing about Local Places Gardens are restorative and fertile places for writers. They are vital, dynamic and can teach us about life’s cycles. They are spaces of mystery and uncertainty where things change, emerge or stir under the surface beyond our control or understanding. The NECCHi Wayi garden sprawls out into a suburban landscape with an interesting history, which adds layers of sensory experiences and stories to this special place. Come enjoy some slow time paying attention and writing with me in the beautiful Wayi Garden at NECCHi, Newlands. We will engage in meditative writing practices in the garden, write creative pieces in response to a range of exercises and prompts, and read and discuss evocative pieces of writing about gardens and the suburbs. We will also deepen our understanding of the Wayi Garden and the Newlands area. Depending on participants’ interest and capacity, some sessions may involve short walks from the garden into the suburban streets around it. Book now

You pick 'em, we'll churn 'em! 🍦 If you've got some excess fruits and you're not sure what to do with them, bring'm into Newlands and help us churn 'em into delicious local sorbets with our small community-run ice creamery! So far, we've developed a few favourites: Backyard nectarines, lemon, and rosewater (pictured) Nature strip plums, purple basil, and birdseye chili (far out) We're on the lookout for bold flavours and even bolder tasters! Get in touch: programs@necchi.org Don't let'm go to waste!

Become a NECCHi Neighbour in 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 We now offer 'Membership only' option, too, if you're keen to join come on as a voting member 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