Morning coffee meeting

There was a good turnout for the monthly East Melbourne Neighbour Network (EMNN) Morning Tea on Friday, June 11. Guest speaker for the day was Dr Laurie Bartak, a psychologist and world authority on autism.

Dr Bartak has long experience in the field, and it was clear that over his career that there has been a huge change in the way that autistic behaviours have been assessed and in the ways that strategies have been developed to deal with autism. If I could summarise the theme of his talk as I saw it, it would be that autism causes people to process information differently from the way most people do; because they may react differently in this process it may seem that they are being stubborn or anti-social, but this is not the case.

Laurie said that in his experience he was struck by how much autistic people tried to “do the right thing” in terms of what would be regarded as “normal” behaviour. Giving autistic people strategies was one aspect of this but having a wider understanding of the issue by the rest of the community was also important.

The next meeting will be at 10.30am on Friday, July 8 at 67 Grey St, with guest speaker Arthur Andronas, an architect who has had great experience in heritage restoration of cathedrals. Any residents are welcome to attend and get to know a few of your neighbours. This is a free event.

Join our new choir!

East Melbourne Neighbour Network is putting together a new choir and wants YOU to be part of it.

We are currently seeking a musical director to lead the choir and would also love to hear from any community members willing to get involved in the planning.

• No auditions needed.
• Even if you think you can’t sing but want to be involved in something special in our community, come and give it a go.
• Whatever your musical ability, you’ll be very welcome.
• Rehearsals: Choir will begin in January 2023 at a time and day to be advised.
• For more information contact: [email protected] or call Ann-Maree on 0417 173 818 or Sue on 0402 356 533

Health and Wellbeing program

We are currently preparing our Term 3 timetable and our current program will be continued with a few modifications.

This is due to the temporary loss of our wonderful Pilates and Qigong instructor Alissia, who has undergone surgery for a back injury. We all join to wish Alissia a speedy recovery, she will be missed by the various class groups she so capably led. We will try to get a temporary replacement teacher to cover the classes while she is away.

The two Friday morning general exercise classes have capacity for a few more members as instructor Jeff has kindly agreed to take on a few more people. We can also cope with a few more members for the chair yoga at 10.30am Mondays and the gentle yoga class at 5.30pm on Mondays.

All classes are held at Powlett Reserve Community Room, Grey St, East Melbourne. Call Susan on 0402 356 533 or Ann-Maree on 0417 173 818 if you are interested.

New ideas are sought from the community as we seek to provide additional meaningful, fun, and engaging activities for all age groups. Any resident of any age who would like to get involved – the EMNN would love to hear from you. Your ideas and involvement will help strengthen our community and enhance the health and wellbeing of your neighbours. •

For more information: [email protected]