Click here for a list of funded 2022 Make it Happen applications(PDF, 168KB)
Click here for a list of funded 2020/21 Make it Happen applications(PDF, 182KB)
Sea Flowers and Sea Stories is an art installation:
The project was initiated by Donna Jackson of Hubcap Productions. This version of Sea Flowers has been built from the original mold by Tony Mead of Industrial Art Signs and installed and anchored by Greg Blunt of Blunt Boat Builders. The installation is accompanied by an original sound track by composer James Henry featuring the voices and stories of local residents collected and recorded by Jennifer Lund.
View fourteen Sea Flowers floating in the water with the Melbourne city skyline in the background, from the water’s edge on The Strand, Williamstown, between Stevedore Street and the Ferguson Street Pier from 12 to 20 February, 2022.
Flock Oz at Newport Gardens Primary School
A colourful flock of migratory birds landed in the schoolyard at Newport Gardens Primary School! This collaborative artwork about local migratory birds is part of a larger ‘Increasing Biodiversity’ project at the school which aims to educate students and the wider school community about the importance of biodiversity (the diversity of life on planet Earth), build native habitat in the school grounds and raise awareness of local species and ecosystems unique to Hobsons Bay.
The school’s flock of almost 600 wooden migratory birds were constructed by volunteers from Hobsons Bay Men’s Shed, painted by students and installed by school community. The installation has attracted many visitors and started important discussions about what students and their families can do to help conserve the coastal habitat that these migratory birds call home.
Amongst the volunteers assisting with the installation were artist and founder of ‘The Overwintering Project’, Kate Gorringe-Smith; artist, author and storyteller, Jackie Kerin; and Dr Marilyn Olliff, chair of the Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre.
Click here to find more information on Flock Oz.
Photos credit : Olivia Atanasovska
Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre
The Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre project will include the following 4 activities:
- four participatory workshops in the wetlands area for the general public, engaging people with nature through such topics as migratory birds, native vegetation, scientific research and the benefits of contact with nature for mental health and wellbeing. These will encourage the protection and preservation of the wetlands.
- consultations with at least 8 local groups to engage them in discussions on the future use of the Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre.
- strengthening the partnership with the Truganina Explosives Reserve Preservation Society (TERPS)
- recruitment of new Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre volunteers.
Click here to find more information about the Hobsons Bay Wetlands Centre and upcoming workshops and events.
Friends of Greenwich Bay - Understanding Rakali - Australia's "otter" - with Geoff Williams
The Friends of Greenwich Bay conducted an online event to find out more about our Hobsons Bay's amazing Rakali.
The platypus is widely recognised as a uniquely Australian animal. By comparison, relatively few people know that the Australian water-rat (also known as Rakali) is a genuine native rodent that was a natural part of our environment long before its pest cousins - the black rat and brown rat - arrived with the early colonists. The water-rat is an extremely attractive mammal. Its thick coat of soft fur, splendid whiskers, blunt muzzle, partly webbed hind feet, and furry tail, all help create a resemblance to a miniature otter.
Guest Speaker was the Director of the Australian Platypus Conservancy, Geoff Williams, who has been studying platypus and rakali since 1994. Before helping to establish the Conservancy, Geoff was Director of Healesville Sanctuary and Assistant Director of Taronga Zoo.
To find out more about the Friends of Greenwich Bay, visit Friends of Greenwich Bay – Hobson's Bay, Victoria, Australia
Image provided by Carolyn Hall for not for profit use
Moveit4kids
Drummond Street Services and Hullabaloo received a grant to host a series of face to face Moveit4Kids workshops at playgroups throughout Hobsons Bay. COVID-19 restrictions resulted in the program going online with sessions delivered through zoom. Each session is filmed in a professional studio and beamed to living rooms across Hobsons Bay where children and adults dance, sing, laugh and play along to scores of original music. Participation is free and open to all families with children in the workshop age range. Numbers are capped to provide a more personal experience.
For upcoming workshop dates, keep an eye on the Hobsons Bay Libraries Facebook page under events https://www.facebook.com/HobsonsBayLibraries/
Image provided by Hullabaloo
Dance for Parkinson’s Victoria – Dance for health
New, fun dance class in the west!
This friendly and inclusive class welcomes all older adults, their families and carers to join us in a seated to standing weekly dance class based on the respected Dance for Parkinson’s Disease method.
An enjoyable way to exercise, build strength, keep the mind agile and make new friends this class is suitable for all abilities with no dance experience or partner necessary!
Offered online via Zoom, now is the time to get your groove on and have some fun! If you’ve never used Zoom before we can help you get set up on your smartphone, tablet or laptop.
Time: Wednesdays 10am to 11am (during Victorian school terms)
Location: currently online via Zoom
For more information, call Shannon Parsons 0417 071 364
Register here https://form.jotform.com/210870873986874
Image provided by Joe Mastroianni of the Star Weekly Newspaper
Seeing Our Home
Hobsons Bay Arts Society, with the support of Hobsons Bay Council, local historical and environmental groups, is excited to present a series of informative talks, local tours and sketching sessions geared to engage and inspire participants with the diverse history and ecology of a range of sites in the Hobsons Bay environment.
Nine sessions are planned to take place on the third Saturday of the month between September 2021 and May 2022 and participation is free.
To find out more, visit Seeing Our Home - Hobsons Bay Arts Society (weebly.com)
Artwork by Kirsten Craggs
Together Apart: Life in Lockdown exhibition
Funding was provided to create an exhibition of photographs and stories from Together Apart: Life in Lockdown, a book featuring Hobsons Bay residents' lives during COVID-19.
Obtain a rare insight into our resilient community through the Together Apart: Life in Lockdown exhibitions. The exhibitions showcase portraits and stories from Together Apart: Life in Lockdown, a book of stories and portraits of Hobsons Bay locals’ lives during the 2020 pandemic.
What started as a conversation over the back fence to break the solitude of lockdown has grown into a friendship and a partnership between portrait photographer Jude van Daalen and her next-door neighbour, journalist Belinda Jackson.
Discover more about this beautiful project and exhibition dates at https://lockdownstories.com.au/
Pictured: photographer Jude van Daalen and journalist Belinda Jackson (and their back fence)
A Blanck Canvas - Puppet Mayhem event
An official launch event was held on 15 May 2021, presenting a dazzling array of puppet performances, experiences and workshops at Seaworks, Williamstown, including a Youth Puppet Lab. For more information visit Project - A Blanck Canvas
Image supplied by A Blanck Canvas and photography by Little Moments Melbourne
Vietnamese Association in Hobsons Bay - MentalWell Project
Funding was received to run a series of community wellbeing collective workshops to build positive psychology strategies and increase people's social connectedness and economic inclusion.
One of the sessions involved a drumming workshop, click here to view a 2 minute facebook video of the group in action.
For more information about the Vietnamese Association in Hobsons Bay visit Vietnamese Association in Hobsons Bay Inc - Home | Facebook
Hobsons Bay Community Walking Groups
The Hobsons Walking Community group is a local community of men and women who walk together, socialise together (post walk coffee and chat) and enjoy together the natural beauty and birdlife that is to be found throughout Hobsons Bay. The Group walks for 60 minutes on Wednesdays from Altona Meadows and on Fridays from Newport Lakes enjoying the physical and psychological benefits of walking together in clean, fresh air, rain, hail or shine, at the members own pace and according to their individual abilities. A new group has recently commenced in Altona.
Funds were received to support an annual Christmas gathering of the walking group to support and reconnect the group after COVID. Over 80 people gathered at the Laverton Bowls club to enjoy barefoot bowls and share a lunch.
For more information on the walking groups visit Altona Meadows and Newport Heart Foundation Walking Groups - Hobsons Bay
The Pier Festival - Pier Festival for Queer Women
The Pier Festival was held in April 2021 in support of Midsumma festival at Seaworks, Williamstown. It created a unique experience allowing Queer Woman artists and entertainers to showcase their talents and offering for the diverse crowd. For more information, visit The Pier Festival.
Altona City Rotary Club – Wynspeak
The inaugural Hobsons Bay Wynspeak Heat was held at the Altona Theatre in May 2021, expanding this Youth Speaking Competition to all Hobsons Bay Secondary Schools.
Quote from local School Principal who attended, “It was a great night…what amazing young people we have! They were so inspiring, confident, and a joy to watch.” For more information about Wynspeak visit Home Page | Wynspeak