EMERALD Community House (ECH) has now been a fixture of the township for more than 30 years, but refuses to rest on its laurels.
The management committee is striving to improve the house’s community value and services.
The house was in just its third month of operation when the Emerald Trader published its first edition three decades ago, on 7 November 1979.
The house is run from two former church buildings at 354 to 356 Main Street.
It provides a meeting place for individuals and groups and a venue for adult education, recreational and hobby courses and activities. It also houses child care, school holiday programs and before and after school care.
The house’s core goals and services have remained steady since its inception, as a notice from Emerald Trader’s 14 November 1979 edition shows.
“The house has been established to provide you with a warm and friendly place where you and your family can gather to share in friendship and common interests,” the notice read.
“It is to be seen not so much as a service but an extension of the home where we can share ideas, skills, problems and responsibilities.”
“It can also be seen as a focal point for local information, where people can identify as part of the neighbourhood and for new comers to the area to use as a point of contact.”
At the time the house offered a trim club, book discussion group, gym club, playgroup, childcare and courses in vegetarian cooking and sketching.
It now offers a wide range of courses and runs the annual Performing and Visual Arts Festival (PAVE), Emerald Craft and Produce Market a community bus and more.
Emerald Community House’s Mary Farrow said this century found the non-profit group on “an accelerated strengthening journey”.
“The strategic plan over the last five years was for ECH to be recognised as the ‘heart of Emerald’,” she said.
She said the house was focussed on leading the community by anticipating and addressing needs ‘before they become hardships’.
Ms Farrow highlighted child care services in particular, which support working parents or those who just needs a break.
“Most of the childcare staff has been with ECH for well over a decade,” she said.
“There are adults in the community who were cared for at ECH by the current staff.”
Ms Farrow said the house had a positive impact on its volunteers as well as its users.
“ECH benefits from volunteering especially from mature residents as they offer many life skills and wisdom,” she said.
“And it offers such stimulating and challenging work that it is widely believed that the mental stimulation may delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.”
“One can almost feel the brain synapses growing, while tacking a community project.”
The house’s recently upgraded computer room provides free internet access for those who would otherwise be without it. It provides courses to upgrade software skills.
“ECH plans are to be open in the evening to support homework demands for the youth in the community,” she said.
Ms Farrow said ECH had a significant role to play in the bushfire threatened region.
“Partnering with CFA, bushfire preparedness courses have been going on since August and are planned for term one next year,” she said.
“Additionally, ‘The Bridge Project’ is under development to provide residents with a destination list to encourage them to leave early.”
The non-profit organisation is currently chasing funding to establish a commercial kitchen in its century-old hall, expand opening hours to increase employment opportunities at the house, renovate the hall and for environmental upgrades such as solar power and solar hot water.
Readers can contact the house on 5968 3881 or visit www.emeraldcommunityhouse.org.au.
