‘We dared to believe that anything was possible and that we did indeed have the power to control our own lives to a very large extent,’ – Jocelyn Aytan, 1991.
Jocelyn Aytan, one of the founders of Selby Community House and a deeply cherished member of the community, passed away on the evening of Tuesday 17 June, and has left behind a lasting legacy in the hills.
A driving force behind the establishment of Selby Community House and an icon in her own right, community members recently came together to honour Jocelyn in a Celebration of Life.
Jocelyn’s son, David Aytan, said the gathering had an enormous amount of love around it.
“More than anything else, she was surrounded by her people,” he said.
A great conservationist and lover of nature who believed in communal living, Jocelyn was part of a tremendous time of community action and development in Sherbrooke from the early 1970s through to the mid-1980s.
The Selby Community House, as it stands today, may not have come to be if not for Jocelyn’s influence.
David said that Selby House was his mother’s legacy and that there was a huge authenticity in the way she brought the community together.
“It was such a huge part of her life,” he said.
“It was a it was truly about the essence of community and getting people together.”
Judy Wolff, current Secretary to the Board of Selby Community House, said the high point for Selby was that it was one of the very first community houses in Australia.
“They got a house, this dilapidated house, from the council, and built it and grew and grew into what it is today,” she said.
“We are grateful for that, and the community is grateful, and it (the house), generated many other movements in itself.”
An era of great social change, the 1970s saw single mother of one, Jocelyn, newly returned from Europe and Israel, become quite active in the Selby community.
“She was very, very driven by, impacted, motivated and inspired by her traveling,” said David.
“A lot of what she was doing was putting foundation and security around me,” he said.
Spurred on by the launch of the Australian Assistance Plan opened by the Whitlam Government in 1973, Jocelyn began a mother’s playgroup, which then led to a local door-to-door survey, highlighting the needs of women and families living in the area.
The survey results displayed a lack of transport, communication and opportunities in the remote area of the hills and by August 1975, the Selby play group had officially started in what it was known as back then – the Minak House.
“Everyone knew the hippies of Sherbrooke,” said Judy.
“The early house attracted academic interest and skill exchange with educational institutions and became the first training vehicle for community development courses,” she said.
Establishing one of the first family day care services in Australia, Jocelyn’s work with Selby House also drove and rippled into other vital services in the community in practical, artistic, creative and political arenas.
Judy said this communal energy left a strong legacy.
“It underpinned several local government services: a creche, community school, multiple community and environmental groups and later, adopted a local exchange trading system (LETS),” she said.
Later in life, Jocelyn always remained involved with the Selby House, having infused a family feel and her strong and determined personality into the walls of the building and the hearts of the people of the Dandenong Ranges.
She completed her anthropology degree at 65, travelled extensively and never lost her commitment to the Hills or her love of community.
Jocelyn also documented the history of Selby House and created charts that traced the community development processes that had unfolded years before in Sherbrooke.
Three years ago, Selby House commissioned a documentary film and podcast series on the pioneers of the house, which made the 2024 shortlist for the Victorian Community premiership awards.
The film and podcasts can be accessed from the Selby House website, documenting those early achievements with interviews of both Jocelyn and many others who found their voice and took their future into their own hands.
“Such cultural potency on our hills doorstep needs to be known and celebrated today,” said Judy.
Selby Community House is now approaching its 50th anniversary, continuing its vital role in connecting people in the Hills.
Jocelyn’s impact will be long-lasting, and many people came to read, perform music and gather in her name in July.
David said that long-term friends of his mother performed at her Celebration of Life, which he said really resonated with him, as the Hills community are particularly special to him.
“They brought so much of that was a bit different and creative – all under the banner of bringing a community together,” he said.
“I’m very proud of what she and others have left – the community house is an amazing legacy.”
