Good Neighbours – Gardening Workshop (March)

Mar 31, 2022 | Blog, Good Neighbours

It was a glorious, balmy March afternoon and the sun was shining. We couldn’t have asked for better weather to have our first gardening workshop for 2022 at Pallara Central Park. A dozen or so participants turned up.

One of the presenters, Kang Toh explained how he successfully grew dragon fruit, harvesting over 100 fruit last year. Eager to grow this tree and harvest its delicious (and ridiculously expensive!) fruit, the participants listened attentively and asked him a myriad of questions – how much do I water it? What kind of soil does it need?

Another presenter, Maureen, explained the many culinary and non-culinary uses of the popular and ancient herb rosemary.

Kang and Maureen had lots of free cuttings, seeds and motorcycle tyres to give away. (Motorcycle tyres??? Well, you’ll have to come to our next gardening workshop to find out how you can use them in the garden) Everyone went home satisfied with the knowledge, freebies and new friendships gained.

International Women’s Day: #BreakTheBias

Mar 5, 2022 | Blog, Good Neighbours

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th  every year. It celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. However, women are still left behind in social, economic and political matters. This is often caused by conscious or subconscious bias against them. The theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is #BreakTheBias. Acknowledging that bias exists isn’t enough. We need to do more to challenge the bias. Whether you’re male or female, you can do your part to encourage girls and women to achieve their goals. Keen to get on board? Here are some ideas to get you started:

 

7 things you can do on International Women’s Day to Break the Bias

  • Tell the women in your life how much you appreciate them for who they are and what they do. Your mother, grandmother, wife, sister, daughter, friend, aunt, niece, cousin, colleague, neighbour, teacher……the list goes on and on.

 

  • Support the businesswomen in your community. Find out which local businesses are run by women and buy from them or recommend their services to friends. Talk to a local female service provider or business owner to offer your moral support.

 

  • Take a moment to celebrate the achievements of women, including women of colour. Against all odds, these women have succeeded in arenas such as science, research, politics, music, arts, business and social justice.

 

  • Be informed on issues women face – domestic violence, sexual harassment, mental illness, homelessness, reproductive health, etc. Do you know a girl or woman who may be in danger of facing one or any of these issues? Call the person to find out how she is.

 

  • Find out which local organizations offer help to women facing difficulties. These include government or non-governmental organizations, social enterprises and grassroots support groups. You may not be able or qualified to assist, but you may know of an organization which can help.

 

  • Invest some of your time, money or talent by volunteering at social organizations assisting women and children. These may be for one-off projects or require ongoing help – there is always a way to help that suits your lifestyle.

 

  • Challenge the bias you or your friends have towards girls and women in various sectors. For example, many women face difficulties gaining success in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields because of deeply-ingrained bias by men AND women.

by Maureen Yeow

10 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Neighbourhood

Feb 18, 2022 | Blog, Good Neighbours, Uncategorized

Ever wished that you lived in a better neighbourhood? You can make your wish come true! By being a better neighbour, your neighbourhood will benefit and get better – and so will you. Here are 10 practical ways to become a better neighbour:

1. When walking or driving in your street, always observe your surroundings. If you notice anything suspicious, alert your neighbours.

2. Always SMILE and wave at your neighbours, no matter how busy you are. It may well make their day and at least cheer them up!

3. When someone new moves into your street, walk over (it may be best to go with a family member or a neighbour) to introduce yourself and ask if you can help them. Share important information, like the bin pickup day for your street.

4. If you’re going to have a gathering or party that may get loud, let your neighbours know in advance. You can print the details down on paper and slip it into their letterbox, identifying who you are.

5. Respect your neighbours’ privacy. Offer your help but don’t ask personal questions. Be concerned but never be nosy.

6. Keep your front yard (if you have one) reasonably neat and tidy. This will encourage and remind your neighbours to do the same.

7. If you have plants in your front yard, make sure they are not poisonous to pets. You wouldn’t want your neighbour’s beloved dog, Max, to end up at the vet after a visit to your yard.

8. Make an effort to learn about your neighbour’s culture, if it’s different from yours.

9. Be tolerant towards your neighbours who may be a little noisier or messier than you would like.

10. Read up about Neighbour Day, which will be on Sunday, 27th March 2022. There are attractive digital resources on the Relationships Australia | Achieving positive and respectful relationships website that you can use to reach out to your neighbours

By Maureen Yeow

Good Neighbours – Pay It Forward at Pallara Central Park

Aug 8, 2019 | Blog, Good Neighbours

Good Neighbours team did a Pay-it-Forward BBQ at Pallara Central Park on Sunday, 21st July 2019. It has been an awesome weekend with the neighbours – a beautiful day to be out in the sun, with the BBQ happening and seeing both the adults and the children having fun. Boxes of teas and bubble tubes were given out on that day, and seeing the smiles on people’s faces made it all worth it.
 
We had more than 60 adults and 70 kids from all ages and cultural background who have attended the event. There were people who have never heard about us or attended our previous event, so it was a great time connecting with new faces.
Last but not least, a massive THANK YOU to the volunteers who have supported us in this event and to the 4 volunteers who braved the heat to do the letter-dropping in the neighbourhood. Without them, this event would have been hard to pull off. 
We look forward to more engagements with our neighbours and hope to have more people from the neighbourhood signing up as Street Connectors, so they too would be empowered to run similar gatherings as such.